IPL 2025, KKR vs RCB: Josh Hazlewood, in the post-match press conference, said that Virat Kohli and Phil Salt's massive 95-run stand off 8.3 overs laid the platform for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
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00:00Yeah, I think it's definitely a positive influence. I think fresh people, fresh mindset.
00:09Yeah, I think it's big. I mean, you mentioned that the last four losses to KKR, I don't think
00:14anyone in the room really would have known that because we gave out six caps before the game
00:19started. So we had six new players for this franchise and yeah, I guess that's like a fresh
00:25start almost. It's a new cycle obviously in the IPL, but those fresh players, Salt being one of
00:31those, played outstanding tonight. The opening partnership really set it up for us, chasing,
00:37you know, not a huge score, but still a decent total to get us off to that start was crucial.
00:42So yeah, but definitely a positive, I think the changes for sure.
00:48Next question, please.
00:50Hi Josh, you focused a lot on hardness today and it worked out pretty well.
00:56Was that a conscious decision or a plan?
01:01I think it was more based on the conditions on the pitch. I think the fuller ball
01:09probably wasn't going to do as much unless, you know, you're searching for swing, which
01:12Yash did in the first over the deep old. But I think I found that it was sort of just sticking
01:17in the wicket a little bit. The bounce was quite good. I like bowling here at Eden Gardens.
01:23And yeah, we just sort of stuck to our lengths. I think we would have had to bowl a little bit
01:28differently at the end if we didn't take those wickets through the middle. But KP
01:32bowled beautifully through the middle and luckily we got to bowl at sort of the tail towards the
01:38end. So yeah, but I think the hard lengths work best out here most of the time.
01:44Next question, please.
01:46Hi Josh. So as you said that you're getting some bounce and probably getting some movement as
01:52well from what we could see. This venue is different from say Ahmedabad. So as a pacer
02:01who relies on a little bit of bounce, what kind of venue specific planning do you do
02:08for a tournament like IPL where you know that the pitches may be fresh at the start but as the
02:14tournament progresses it becomes very low and slow. So what kind of venue specific planning
02:19do you do in a venue specific planning? Yeah, I think so for sure. We definitely talk about that
02:25in our bowlers meeting. And you know, typically there's always someone in the room who's played
02:30a lot of that ground, whether it be here or Chinnaswami or wherever. So they sort of stand
02:35up in those moments and talk about their experiences on that ground and what works well for them.
02:40So it's very much a discussion amongst the bowling group with the coaches.
02:45Specific planning for the grounds for sure. And I guess often there's a long side and a short
02:51side, so it's about using that as best we can. But yeah, typically I think conditions based is
02:58communication on the run. So it's me talking to the other bowlers if I bowl the first over and
03:03vice versa if it's booby bowling and what's going to work on this wicket. And it can change
03:07throughout the 20 overs for sure. But yeah, from here to Chinnaswami to Ahmedabad, it's
03:13totally different. So it's just having all that skill sets in the back of your mind and
03:18coming up on that day with whatever you think is going to work best on that wicket.
03:23Next question please. Hi Josh, I have a question for you about the new ball style.
03:29Harsh, we considered only 9 runs in the first 3 overs, although the wicket and the power play.
03:34But that also included the wicket off, quick to pick up. And you managed to keep Narayan quiet
03:39as well in the first 10 balls, he barely scored anything. Could you explain a bit about the plan
03:44for these two left-hand battles? Especially because we all know Narayan has his strengths
03:48but also has his weaknesses to certain lengths. But pick up beats an explosive conventional opener.
03:53How did you manage to stop him with what we have thought was the least?
03:58I have bowled to Quinton quite a lot over the years in all formats. Very dangerous player
04:04obviously. So I think it's pretty simple. It's just keeping really tight. I know I
04:08went a little bit wide on one ball and he hit me for 4 or 3 points. So it's just about keeping it
04:13very tight. Probably not trying to miss too full or too short. It's really sticking to that hard
04:18length. And if he makes something off that length and hits me for 4 or 6, then that's just a good
04:23shot. So sticking to my strengths, definitely. Narayan, I think if the wicket's got some good
04:31bounce in it, I think that's helpful for the bowlers. He's a dangerous player again. He's
04:35very much a power player battler, I think. And he's up there to take on the bowling and
04:39score quickly. So to keep him quiet was very handy.
04:43Next question. So I would talk about the spin department of your team. Suyash Sharma is a,
04:52let's say, experienced spinner. So do you feel that he was struggling with his lengths and
04:57do you feel that on slow tracks that he may struggle more with his lengths?
05:03Yeah, I really think he'll just keep improving every game he plays this season. From what I've
05:10seen, I haven't seen a lot of Suyash, but I think even tonight he showed some guts to bowl that ball
05:17to Dre Russ at the end and bowling. That was a big wicket. I think the last three overs could
05:22have gone for maybe 30 plus if he was in. So that took courage to bowl that ball and take his wicket.
05:28So I think he's courageous and I think he'll keep learning as we go along.
05:34Any lengths, I think he's got some great skill for sure. So I'm excited to see where his game will go in the next five, six, seven games.
05:52Yeah, I feel pretty good. I feel like I got through the game very well. It helps only having to bowl
05:58four overs. I know the intensity is through the roof, but to only bowl four overs is
06:04good for me at the moment. But yeah, I feel like I'll just keep building throughout the tournament.
06:08I mean, this is probably the freshest I've been in a long time. I haven't played since
06:13I think it was late December, mid-December. So the body is feeling fresh. I've done a lot of
06:18work off the field to get back to this point, which was tough. But yeah, I think mentally
06:23and physically I'm refreshed. So hopefully that holds me in good stead, not only for the next
06:27few months, but moving forward after that. So yeah, things are good.
06:32We'll do one last question. Yes, sir.
06:34You know, just one more question I want to ask. Like, when you're playing against a team like
06:38KKR, especially the sort of batting they have, there's of course a special plan for
06:44Ray Russell. So what is essentially the plan against a guy like Russell?
06:54I definitely think leg spin early, and that was the plan, and it paid off tonight. If he gets
06:58to it over and I have to bowl at him, then it's just staying away from that swing, that arc,
07:04I think. It's going wide, it's going under the heel. I think obviously we've got two bounces
07:09now per over, so it's probably using those. But yeah, I think it's just keeping guessing.
07:16But yeah, he's a talented player and a very dangerous player.
07:20Does it help that he doesn't step out too much? He plays from the crease.
07:25Yeah, he's had pretty good success throughout his career batting the way he does. But yeah,
07:30I think, well, if you've got a wrist spinner who can spin it both ways,
07:33I think that's a dangerous option. Thanks for all the questions. Good night, guys.