Our only chance was if Dhoni missed last ball: Parthiv

Parthiv Patel, who starred with the bat and effected a match-winning run out for Royal Challengers Bangalore, admitted their chance in the last ball depended on rampaging M.S. Dhoni getting beaten.

Chasing a modest 162 for victory, Chennai Super Kings needed 26 runs off the last over with Dhoni in devastating mood. The former India captain hit Umesh Yadav for one and three sixes in the first five balls to bring the equation down to two off the final ball.

It was as dramatic as it can get in the last ball as Umesh Yadav showed courage to bowl a slower one outside off-stump which Dhoni tried to steer behind point but missed. CSK went for the bye as Shardul Thakur ran towards the other end, while Parthiv Patel hit the stumps direct to run him out and win RCB the game.

Earlier, Patel's (53 off 37) half-century followed by Moeen Ali's quick 16-ball 26 propelled RCB to 161/7.

"Last ball, I knew there was only chance if they get beaten. We were trying to let Umesh bowl outside off, and I had my gloves off and luckily it came off well," Patel said after the game.

On their batting, Patel said they realised it was not a 200-run wicket.

"I think it was great the way we started. The ball was sticking on to the wicket but we soon realised it wasn't a 200-run wicket. I have been batting well, was talking to coaches. I chose my bowlers and took singles off the others."

Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal, who returned figures of 1/24, said it was only Dhoni who could have pulled off the heist.

"I think there's only one guy who could have done this. But the way Umesh (Yadv) bowled the last ball, he backed himself, hats off to that. And then Parthiv kept his nerves and got the direct hit - the reason why we won the match. I am really enjoying my bowling, I like to bowl attacking deliveries," Chahal said.

"My idea was to bowl stump to stump line. I tried to bowl a few deliveries full and few back of length. I was happy with the batsmen (Rayudu and Dhoni) taking singles," World Cup-bound Chahal said of his bowling.

Chahal said RCB needs to analyse how to stem the run flow once batsmen starts hitting big shots and try and maintain the pressure from both ends.

"The problem arises once you play a big shot and you can't really get out because that puts a lot of pressure on the other batsmen. That's something we need to calculate.

"That's why I think the top three can be finishers, they may do it a few times, but when you bat at 5, 6 or 7 whatever you are calculating you have to put a lot of thinking behind it because you lose one more wicket and the game is over at that point of time."

RCB won by one run and kept their slim chances of a playoff berth alive while CSK, even after the defeat, remained at the top of the points table with 14 points.

--IANS

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