'I wasn't happy getting out at the stage; could've made 25-30 more for the team if I was still there till the end, but felt 160 was a good score.'
The helplessness was palpable when Virat Kohli spoke after his side's sixth straight defeat this IPL season. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper defended his atypical slow knock against Delhi Capitals, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 149 for eight but could not defend the total as Delhi Capitals won by four wickets.
"We thought 160 would be competitive, but we kept losing wickets at regular intervals, so I wanted to take the game deep. Even 150, had we held on to our chances, would've been difficult for them. We need to grab those chances, can't give excuses every day," said Kohli at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"We just weren't good on the given day. That's the whole story of RCB this season," he lamented.
Kohli, who needed 33 balls for his 41 runs after largely going a-run-a-ball, said he had no option to play in that fashion.
"The wicket was tough. When AB (de Villiers) got out, I had to anchor the innings. (Marcus) Stoinis was good, Akshdeep (Nath) was good too. When one senior batsman gets out, it's important for the other senior to anchor. I wasn't happy getting out at the stage; could've made 25-30 more for the team if I was still there till the end, but felt 160 was a good score."
Talking about the poor fielding of his side, which has now dropped 15 catch chances, Kohli hinted pressure is playing in players' mind.
"When the mind is cluttered, you wouldn't be able to focus on the chances that come your way. When you have clarity, you can take your chances better. Shreyas made 65, he was dropped on eight. You never know, could've come into the game that time."
Looking forward, Kohli said his side needs to needs relax and accept whatever comes "in front of us".
"There's nothing more you can tell the team. We've asked the boys to take responsibility. It hasn't happened so far, and that's the reality. Need to play expressive cricket.
“Personally, not trying to control anything. After a while, it's about the skill. We want to enjoy as a team, otherwise we won't be able to play any good cricket," he said.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore all-rounder Moeen Ali blamed the poor shot selection of the batsmen for their defeat.
"I think they (Delhi Capitals) bowled well. Our shot selection wasn't good," he said.
"Obviously we needed a good partnership. I think, we started off well, but could not capitalise on it. Also we gave away wickets at the end and probably it wasn't smart enough."
The English off-spinner said his team is repeating the same mistakes of dropping catches and giving away wickets.
"Obviously it is very frustrating as players. We are training hard. We are doing right things in the training, but not delivering on the field. We are making same mistakes - dropping catches and giving away wickets."
Ali said it was harder for batsmen to score in the first six overs.
"It was definitely harder for the first six overs when we batted. The wicket generally here is quite good. The wicket did get easier later, but it was a good wicket."
After this loss, it will take a herculean task for RCB to win all the remaining eight matches to qualify for the knock-out stage.
"You can't afford to do that in IPL. We got to improve and we have to win remaining games. We know that."
