Another test for RCB's bowling

An overwhelming criticism of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL last season was its unhealthy reliance on Chris Gayle.

If Gayle in particular and the top order in general flopped, it was pointed out, the whole team usually did. It may now sound like old hat but there wasn't a great degree of untruth to it. But against Delhi Daredevils at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday afternoon, RCB went some way towards repairing that image.

Gayle was missing while Virat Kohli could only make eight. A.B. deVilliers did score a breezy 64 towards the close of the innings, but 157 was never intimidating as a total.

Yet, in what will have been a satisfying measure of its fortification of the bowling, the side emerged a comfortable winner.

Muttiah Muralitharan turned the tide with his three wickets, Vinay Kumar was frugal, and Andrew McDonald and Harshal Patel did themselves no discredit. Muralitharan was one such bowler, RCB skipper Daniel Vettori agreed, adding that they complemented each other well. “He's the best guy to throw the ball to when you need a wicket. He's a strike bowler. It's important for us to have that combination between myself and him so that we can take wickets and tie up runs at the same time.”

So in good cheer then will RCB approach Tuesday's fixture with Kolkata Knight Riders which, after two losses in two, will not exactly be buzzing.

The match should provide the home side another test of its new-found bowling strength against a team let down by its batsmen.

Gautam Gambhir, guilty himself, minced no words in his criticism of the top order after the defeat to Rajasthan Royals.

“If you bat like this,” he said, “you don't deserve to win.”

Fresh in RCB's memory, though, will be the pummelling it received at the hands of the same opponent in the Champions League T20 last October, when Gambhir and Jacques Kallis led their side to an untroubled nine-wicket win.

With the reacquired Brendon McCullum also yet to fire, KKR will be determined to turn things around.

The visitor handed the unconventional West Indian spinner Sunil Narine a debut on Sunday in place of Marchant de Lange.

The former may not have pulled up any trees but on tracks that should ideally suit him, he will be interesting to watch.