RCB speedster Umesh Yadav recently opined that Royal Challengers Bangalore is not solely dependent on their star batsmen Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Over the years the duo has been the anchor for the team and have always performed under pressure for the success of the team. Virat Kohli has been a part of the RCB team throughout his IPL journey of 13 years and is the top scorer of the league’s history with 5412 runs to his name.
AB De Villiers is the second top scorer in RCB’s history with 3724 runs at an average above 41. Over the years the duo has been very important for the team. The Royal Challengers Bangalore squad have started their training after completing the mandatory quarantine.
RCB is not a two-man team: Umesh Yadav
The Indian speedster has stated that there are 11 players in the team who work hard and its not just Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers. He said that last year’s final match for RCB was won by Gurkeerat Mann and Hetmyer as a testament to his opinion. Yadav agrees that the duo has won them many matches but it just hasn’t been always them and it has always been a team effort.
“People will say we rely on them, they have won us numerous games as well. But if you see last year’s final match, Gurkeerat Mann and Shimron Hetmyer won us the match so obviously we don’t only rely on 2 players.
“There are 11 players in the team, if we only rely on 2 batsmen then why will the others play? Everybody contributes in the team, AB and Virat do a little more than others that’s fine, but they are doing their best which is good for the team,” Umesh Yadav told India Today in an interview.
Ranji Trophy experience will help in playing without fans: Umesh Yadav
The RCB speedster says his Ranji trophy experience will help him in playing in IPL this year with no audience in the stands.
“I haven’t experienced that here till now but I have played a lot of Ranji Trophy matches in empty stadiums so I know how it feels, I’m ready for that. I’m coming here after playing quite a few Ranji games so I know how to cheer myself up when playing in an empty stadium.
“It is important to keep yourself on top. That will be very important, how a team keeps itself on top despite playing without any support from the fans,” Umesh Yadav said.
RCB have never won the IPL, however, they have reached the final thrice, under three different captains but the IPL title has never got in their hands.
The IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 till November 10, a total 53-day campaign will see all the eight teams play in UAE. The venue this time is UAE and matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.