'Lack of fifth bowler root of all problems'

While the fifth bowler has been a headache for Royal Challengers Bangalore this season, their problems were further compounded with a couple of their other main bowlers, too, going for a few extra runs against Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday.

“Yes, a couple of bowlers went for a lot of runs but it’s (lack of fifth bowler) been the root of our problem. It has probably hit us in every game. Going for 100 runs in the last five-six overs is not desirable. It’s a definite problem and we need to work pretty hard on it. We have short turnover before the next game,” noted Challengers’ skipper Daniel Vettori in his post-match comments.

Vettori also admitted that the middle-order batting has been a concern. “There is a lot of expectation on top four to do all the work, but hopefully we will turn it around by the next game,” he added.

Royals’ batsman Owais Shah, who was obviously pleased with his 26-ball 60 effort, said his batting philosophy always has been to settle down first. “I still take my time and settle down. I always try to get in first before playing my shots. But I think myself as player who can adapt to different conditions and situations. I wouldn’t want to be pigeonholed as particular type of cricketer,” he noted.

While admitting that conditions were perfect for batting, Shah said the game was nicely set when he came on to bat. “Credit should go to the opposition bowlers for keeping us in check in the first 10 overs. We had two quality batsmen out there in the middle -- Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane -- but they bowled well. I guess by the time I came in the game was nicely set for me to launch the assault,” he remarked.