You Play Your Best Cricket Towards The Back End Of The Tournament: Mike Hesson

Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach and Director of cricket operations Mike Hesson has said that if his team is able to finish in the top two of the points table, then it will be a great result. He added that his team's focus will be on playing good cricket in the business end of the tournament. RCB have already qualified for the playoffs and sit at third place in the points table with 16 points from 12 matches.

"I think the idea is that towards the back end of the tournament, you play your best cricket. We still have a couple of games to obviously still get to that point. Whether that means if we are able to finish in the top two, then that's a great result. Obviously, our focus will be to make sure we play good cricket in the next couple of games," said Hesson in a Twitter video posted by the franchise on Wednesday.

Hesson believes that their opponents for Wednesday's match, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), can't be taken lightly despite becoming the first team to crash out of the tournament and sitting at bottom of the points table. He feels that SRH possess of players who can take the game away from RCB.

"I think if you underestimate any team at your own peril, SRH is certainly one of those teams. If we don't play well enough, then there is enough match-winners in that side, both with spin and seam, with experience. Obviously that batting line-up, where if two or three guys get underway, they can take the game away from you. So, we certainly won't be taking anything for granted whether you are favorites or not is really irrelevant when you step over the line. So, we are gonna play some good cricket."

The 46-year-old pointed out that dew has affected matches in Abu Dhabi, their venue for Wednesday's match. However, Hesson added that adaptability will determine RCB's progress in the tournament.

"Certainly, different when we played our first game. I mean, there's likely to be more dew now. A few weeks later, the change in temperatures is pretty evident. So, dew has affected last couple of games. Sharjah, they tend to get rid of most of the grass and skidded on but still was a challenging wicket to bat on. Our ability to adapt to whatever we are confronted with will determine how well we progress in this tournament. So, we have got to be able to play on every surface, whether it's dew or not, tough or easy. We have got to find a way so that's our challenge."

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Hesson concluded by saying that his team won't be complacent in bowling to either a David Warner or Jason Roy in SRH colours. "David Warner has been one of the best ever in IPL. He's always incredibly dangerous. But to be fair, Jason Roy is a high-quality player in his own right and he takes the game on as well, he doesn't sit and wait for it. If you are off in terms of the areas you bowl against Jason Roy, he can take the game away in a short space of time. We won't be complacent, whether it's David Warner or Jason Roy. We know, obviously, they are high-quality players."