“We were up for the battle,” the skipper, who was named man of the match for his four for 16, added. “The boys were disappointed at having lost the semifinal, but we knew that we owed our passionate Royal Challengers fans a win tonight. Also, we had pride to play for. This tournament has been fantastic, we really enjoyed the home support. The atmosphere has been great, especially at the Chinnaswamy stadium back home, which was yesterday voted the best ground of the IPL.”
Kumble took delight at some exceptional individual performances, but said as a team, the Challengers hadn’t been consistent throughout. “We knew we are a good side, but as a team, we were not as consistent as we should have been. Had we been consistent, I probably would have been speaking to you all tomorrow instead of today! This is the IPL and we would have liked to play the final, so to lose in the semifinals will remain a disappointment.”
His opposite number, Adam Gilchrist, offered no excuses for his team’s miserable batting performance. “It was pathetic,” he agreed. “It was a very disappointing way to finish, it was as if we had saved our worst for last. No one meant it that way, but we just ran out of steam. We weren’t able to pick ourselves up after the semifinal defeat, we were never in the contest. I think you can put it down to physical and mental fatigue, we were totally outplayed.”
“I spoke to my players after the match. They need to forget this performance. A lot of cricket is left in their careers. I have enjoyed the first segment of the IPL. I am carrying a lot of wonderful memories. I want to be back next year,” Gilchrist added.
