'RCB off the ventilator but still in the ICU'

'It seemed like RCB picked the right road while Gujarat was on the other side.'

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Former India all-rounder Ajay Jadeja believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers have started to click to take their side "off the ventilator", though the team still remains "in the ICU".

His comments followed their nervy victory over Gujarat Titans in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Saturday.

RCB got over the line with four wickets and 38 balls to spare, chasing a paltry 148, but victory was set up by their bowlers.

Faf du Plessis (64) and Virat Kohli (42) shared 92 runs inside the Powerplay but RCB lost wickets in a heap -- slipping from 92/0 to 117/6 -- to give Gujarat real hope of pulling off an unlikely win.

"The chinks in the armour are visible. What happened at the end? But the chance is there. They're off the ventilator but they're still in the ICU," Jadeja told Jio Cinema.

"We are excited about today's match after seeing Virat and Faf bat. But the real work that was done was by the bowlers, an aspect RCB has historically struggled at.

"The bowling department has started to click for them now, and we're talking about the business end of the season; this is the point where realistic chances of winning comes from momentum."

Jadeja feels RCB may have got the momentum after the victory, which took them to the seventh in the IPL points table, but qualifying for the play-offs remains a "very tough ask".

“More than momentum, it's about the mentality of the team, where you know if you're in a bad situation, someone will take you out of it... Today, it seemed like RCB picked the right road while Gujarat was on the other side. Who will reach their goal? It's a very tough ask still,” he said.

The former India all-rounder, however, was impressed with RCB's aggressive approach with the bat in a small chase.

“They came into the game differently from the start. I haven't checked the statistics, but I have never seen them start a game with a six. Not one, but two of them, in the first over, when there was no need.

“What Faf did… he was operating at a different pace. Later, there was some excitement in the match but at no point did it seem like this was (GT win) going to be successful.”

• IPL 2024