 | « Back to article | Print this article |
'AB is fit. Quinton is away from this game. He has returned home for a wedding. He is unavailable for this match.'
Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Daniel Vettori said their star player AB de Villiers is fit for Saturday's Indian Premier League match against Chennai Super Kings.
However, de Villiers' compatriot Quinton De Kock has flown back to South Africa to attend a wedding.
The RCB batting mainstay had missed the last two games due to viral fever.
"AB is fit. Quinton is away from this game. He has returned home for a wedding. He is unavailable for this match. Easy decision for us to make," Vettori said in Pune, on Friday.
The former Kiwi spinner also praised compatriot Colin De Grandhomme for the superb finish against Mumbai Indians when he hammered three sixes in the final over.
"Colin did a great job in the last game. I think the 20-odd runs he scored was the reason why we won the game. Really satisfied with how Colin has come into the team.
"Mandeep (Singh) has been consistent. Finishing plays a part when you don't do well at the top. We have done well at the top with the experienced four batsmen generally batting well," said Vettori when asked whether batting in the death overs is a concern.
The head coach also expressed satisfaction with the way RCB bowled in their 14-run win against Mumbai Indians in Bengaluru.
"I think we got our combination right. (Tim) Southee has been exceptional, (Mohammed) Siraj has been improving and (Yuzvendra) Chahal and Umesh (Yadav) are tight as ever," the RCB head coach said.
Vettori maintained that execution with the ball will be a defining factor in the game tomorrow.