Former Indian cricketer turned commentator Mohammed Kaif said that RCB skipper Rajat Patidar should work on facing short balls, since his technique against them has been exposed in recent games as well. Rajat Patidar, who has so far led the RCB from the front with the bat, has had his share of struggles against short balls as well. In 11 innings so far, Patidar has scored 337 runs at an average of 33.70, with a strike rate of 192.70 and three fifties as well. Meanwhile, he has hit 31 sixes in the tournament so far.

Speaking on the YouTube channel, Kaif said, “Rajat Patidar is facing problems with short deliveries. He has to work against bouncers. Other teams would be noting that. There would be a short ball plan. I was surprised he was closing his eyes against short balls. You need to keep your eyes on the ball. When you are surrendering, you can get hit anywhere. His technique against short balls has been exposed.”

READ HERE: Shubman Gill Breaks Silence On ODI Futures Of Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli

He also said that the RCB needs to back their spinner Suyash Sharma despite poor form, saying that last year for RCB, it was two spinners who helped them win the trophy. However, in 10 matches, Suyash has taken only seven wickets at an average of 41.42, with best figures of 2/47.

“I think they need one more spinner to win the IPL. They have to bring back Suyash Sharma. Last year, two spinners won the title. Suyash Sharma in the qualifier and Krunal Pandya in the final,” he said.

Kaif also said that KKR spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s absence due to a niggle cost them; otherwise, the result could have been different.

“Varun Chakaravarthy’s absence made the difference. If he were there, the match would’ve been close. There is no (Matheesha) Pathirana, no Harshit Rana; many of their many bowlers are injured. Even Virat Kohli did not hit against Narine. If Narine were with Varun, the match would have been close. Varun was the man of the match twice when KKR won four matches in a row,” Mohammed Kaif concluded.