'We can’t be complacent'

Bengaluru: During Anil Kumble’s last year in international cricket, one man who was very much like his shadow was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It can safely be said that Kumble knows more about Dhoni than most cricketers.

Now the two are on the opposite ends of any contest being regular captains for their franchises. But, unfortunately, Dhoni will not be around for the first installment of the clash against his former skipper.

And that has naturally made Kumble raise the stakes for the clash against Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday night at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Dhoni is currently nursing a bruised right forearm.

“In a Twenty20 game, it depends on who plays well on that particular day. That Dhoni is injured is an advantage for us and a setback for Chennai. Justin Kemp - you know his ability with the bat and ball, so maybe that’s an advantage if he doesn’t play,” said Kumble on the eve of the clash.

But Kumble realises that there are a few more players in the Super Kings’ ranks who can take the battle to the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp.

"They have quite a number of good players - there are [Matthew] Hayden and [Suresh] Raina. They have some quality batsmen, so we really need to be up for tomorrow. You can’t take much for granted and we will definitely not be complacent,” he said with characteristic prudence.

With Dhoni not playing, the biggest contest could be between Hayden and Kumble. Hayden with the Mongoose bat against Kumble is a mouth-watering prospect.

“I just look at the batsman. I am not concerned about the bat he uses. You plan a strategy for a batsman, not for the bat,” said Kumble, playing down the importance of Hayden’s choice of bat.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore are on a roll and Kumble is keen to keep up the momentum. But ever the focussed man, Kumble was measured in his response to the current state of the points table.

“I would like to take one game at a time and not look at where we stand on the points table. Even when we were number eight last year halfway through the tournament, I didn’t look at the table.

“For me, being at the bottom of the table or top of the table doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we need to win a cricket match, and that will be the focus. If we keep winning every match we play then, automatically the results and points table will look up. We are not really looking that far ahead, but hopefully, we will be able to change the trend,” he said.

The one thing that Kumble is banking on is the home crowd’s support at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when the lights are switched on during the Tuesday clash. “It’s nice to play a home game when you have won two home games before, and there will be a great atmosphere,” said Kumble.

The legendary spinner felt that the Bengaluru crowds have backed not just Royal Challengers Bangalore but also the Karnataka Ranji Trophy team. “When the Karnataka players were playing the Ranji Trophy final, there was a lot of following for Manish Pandey, Mithun, Vinay [Kumar] and the Karnataka team, because they were not just looked at as the State Ranji team, but as RCB players also. In that sense, there has been a lot of fan following,” opined Kumble.