Centurion: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble on Sunday described his side`s nine-wicket crushing of underdogs Guyana in their opening Champions League Twenty20 match here as a "perfect game" with his players coming up with an all-round show.
"It was a perfect game. We came up with an all-round show. The bowlers did a great job to restrict Guyana to 103 and then the batsmen finished off the match in style. It is good feeling that we have started the tournament with a win," Kumble said after RCB`s nine-wicket victory.
He said once the Guyana top-order, including captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, were out cheaply, his players knew they had a chance to restrict the opposition to a small total."The first couple of overs were critical. Once Sarwan was out cheaply, the pressure was on them. When we chased the thought was always there to end the match fast (to boost the net run-rate], but you needed solid platform too. Rahul and Kallis did just that for Robin to be able to tee off," he said.
"The players got enough time at the middle and I am hoping that we would do well in the coming matches," he added.
Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan admitted that once his side put up just 100-odd runs they knew it won`t be enough against a star-studded RCB side.
"We did not put enough runs on the board. We lost early wickets and that put the pressure on us. There was not just enough runs to defend," he said.
"But majority of the players have never played in these conditions, and it is a learning experience. But we really need to learn fast," he added.
Man of the Match Jacques Kallis was happy that he could play a big role in his side`s win after coming off from an injury."I am coming back from a back injury, so I couldn`t put too much work in the lead-up to the tournament. I am happy with my performance," he said.
"The team has got fantastic preparation in lead-up to the tournament. Credit should go to coach Ray (Jennings). We got good nets, good net bowlers."
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 13, 2010, 08:39