'Showed the class of the guy': Flower on Hazlewood's death-overs masterclass

The Chinnaswamy Stadium was hushed into silence as 40 off 18 quickly shrank to 18 off 12. Josh Hazlewood, who had already impressed by giving up only six runs in his third over and getting Shimron Hetmyer out with another well-executed hard length ball, now had to pull off an unlikely victory for RCB, which would be their first victory at home in the IPL 2025. Yet he carried out exactly that. After digging in an off-cutter that skidded through, Hazlewood followed up with a wide yorker, which the well-set Dhruv Jurel nicked through to the keeper, confirmed after a DRS review. After that, he hit Jofra Archer with a pace-on-length ball, and Archer tried to swipe, but it went wide of cover. Just like that, RCB had turned the game on its head, securing a drought-breaking win at home. Hazlewood, whose first two overs had gone for 26, ended up with Player of the Match-winning figures of 4 for 33, earning lavish praise from head coach Andy Flower. "I would probably refer to both of his last overs because his two overs went for seven, and he took three wickets in them. So I think both those overs showed the class of the guy. He's a class operator, a world-class bowler, great under pressure in any format of the game, thinks clearly, and has great skill," Flower said after the defeat of Rajasthan Royals. "I know he's known for his heavy-length bowling, but he's got some great all-round skills. He mixes in those yorkers, wide yorkers, slower balls, and he seems to know what type of ball to bowl at the right time. It's great having a guy like him in our side, part of a very strong three-pronged [pace] attack. "I thought Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] has been superb this season, and Yash [Dayal] was outstanding again today. That last over, I thought he showed outstanding skill and composure under pressure to repeatedly bowl yorkers like that. Therefore, I believe that our three quicks have performed admirably thus far this season. We obviously have some more work to do to help us in the final third of league games, and Hazlewood is definitely ahead of us in that regard." Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, RCB's spin duo, bowled superb middle-overs bowling, allowing just 62 runs in eight combined overs, contributing to their defense of 205 runs. Krunal also took Riyan Parag and Nitish Rana's crucial wickets, bringing his season total to 12 from nine games, the same as his best seasons in 2018 and 2019. He had played a crucial role in the team's five victories away from home, but he had not taken a wicket at home in the first three games. With the very first delivery he bowled that night, he completely changed that. "Well, Krunal was a very important pick for us in the auction. We were aiming for him. Flower stated, "We obviously liked his all-around capabilities as well as his experience." "He has experience winning the IPL, he has experience captaining in the IPL, he has played international cricket, he has a good cricket head on his shoulders, and he also has a little bit of fire in his belly, and that is something I really like. "Obviously both brothers do [referring to Hardik Pandya]. Therefore, he was a significant choice for us in the auction. I think he's done some really good work with Malo [Malolan Rangarajan], who I think is an excellent spin bowling coach, an excellent all-round coach, really. And I think they've had some really good conversations about some of the tactics Krunal's employing. Rajat did a great job of remaining composed, in my opinion. Even when the ball was getting a little bit wet, it was still holding a little. The ball spun perfectly. Therefore, Flower added, "We knew that if we used our eight overs of spin, we could create a few chances and possibly drive that run rate in the right direction for us." For a team still jostling for a spot in the top four, this win was about more than just breaking a home jinx. It was a timely reminder to themselves that they can adapt and deliver under pressure. Every result becomes more important as the race for the playoffs gets closer, and Flower acknowledged that this one at home might just be the spark they need as they prepare for three more home games. "We have played four home games here, and each time we have lost the toss. We know that trying to defend a target here is tough and I think in the first three games I thought our bowlers and fielding unit did outstanding work to keep us in the game as long as they did because all three totals were a bit below par. Therefore, it was extremely satisfying to watch our men adjust to the conditions today," Flower stated. "The way they batted made me very proud. Dev Padikkal's sensational feat of scoring 50 of 27 balls without ever slogging was incredible. I thought that was a genuinely outstanding innings. We say a lot about Virat but his 70 or 42 balls and that partnership with Dev really gave us a platform on a pitch that wasn't that easy. To be honest, I thought that was a higher total than average. So that class of batting and thinking that went into it from those guys I thought was genuinely outstanding. "So yeah, really important to get that win. It's clear that our incredible supporters desired to see some of that success. They were concerned about us here at home. "We've got three more games here at home, that's so vitally important for us to play well in these conditions. In addition, it was wonderful to put on a show and to offer a cricket match that was so enjoyable to watch. When they needed 18 of 12 balls, we were struggling there. The bowlers and Rajat Patidar showed composure out there, and I'm really proud of the way they handled the pressure.