Bengaluru, Apr 1 (UNI) Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, expressed confidence in Rajat Patidar’s leadership ahead of the team’s first home fixture of the season against Gujarat Titans on April 2, highlighting his strong personality and ability to handle the pressures of captaincy.

Assessing Patidar’s early days as captain, Bobat praised his leadership qualities. "The main thing you want from a captain is for them to remain true to their personality, and I think Rajat has done that really well. He is very calm inwardly and outwardly, rarely takes a backward step, and we've seen that in his batting, particularly against CSK. He seems to have managed the additional responsibilities of captaincy well."

Bobat added that the leadership challenge will intensify as the season progresses. "It’s early days, and there’s a lot of cricket to be played. When the schedule gets tougher, we’ll need to support him, but at the moment, he’s been excellent."

Speaking about returning to their home ground, Bobat stated, "It's brilliant to be back here at Bengaluru. It feels a little bit weird having played two games and not having played a game here yet, so we are really excited to be here and play in front of our fans. The home advantage will be the atmosphere that the fans create, which I'm sure will be intimidating for the opposition, particularly when it's a bit noisy."

Commenting on the playing conditions, he added, "Everybody knows what to expect from a surface here in Bengaluru. It's a good wicket, with pretty short boundaries, and the ball carries and flies, making for high-scoring games. We've recruited a team with a powerful batting lineup to exploit those conditions. Our bowling attack is also skilled in handling the challenges here, which has been a key focus in assembling our squad. The way we played in the first two games, we're building confidence in our batting and bowling."

Bobat acknowledged the demanding schedule RCB faces but stressed the team’s focus on maintaining their energy levels. "We planned to make a statement in the first couple of games because playing against two strong teams with proud home records is a challenge. Now, we want to motivate our squad to put on a show in front of our home fans."

"The bigger challenge for us is the amount of travel. We had a relatively laid-back start and a relaxed end, but the middle of our campaign is congested. From after this game, we play seven matches in 22 days, including seven travel days. It’s a hectic schedule, and my concern is keeping the players fresh while ensuring they continue playing at their best."

Bobat also expressed confidence in RCB’s pace bowling unit. "Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bring extreme class and international pedigree. They know their strengths well, and the opposition will too, making them difficult bowlers to face. Yash Dayal complements them, and as a three-man pace attack, they offer variety and skill."

"We believe they are well suited to bowling in challenging conditions like Bengaluru. We’re happy with their performances so far, and we also have strong backups like Rasikh Salam, who is particularly skilful in these conditions. Overall, we’re very pleased with our bowling unit."

RCB will be aiming to secure a victory in their first home game and build on the momentum from their initial matches as they take on Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.

UNI BDN BM