Bangladesh vs. India, Only Test: What Sort Of A Match Have We Got In Front Of Us?

Ravi Shastri's presence in the dressing room will have a positive impact on the Indian players

Team India are all set to take on Bangladesh in the solitary Test Match, which kicks off in a couple of days' time and will be played at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.

The tour of Bangladesh is India's first assignment after their disappointing semifinal loss to Australia in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Though this series may not render major implications for Virat Kohli and company, it presents them with an opportunity to grow as a Test side and assess their best combination in this format of the game.

In addition, with no disrespect to the hosts, Kohli has a great chance to register his first victory as the official Test captain of Indian cricket team.

The hosts, though, are a dangerous side in their own right and, unlike their illustrious opponents, have no pressure of winning, which in turn gives them the license to go out and express themselves.

Their squad for this solitary Test match is filled with exuberant and talented youngsters, who will look at playing India as an opportunity to announce themselves on the world stage.

For most cricket fans, Bangladesh playing India may not cause much intrigue, but the contest, considering the visitors' palpable weaknesses in the Test match arena, will definitely be closer than what people think.

India

The Indian selection committee led by Sandip Patil, has named a very strong side that does not have many changes from the one which toured Australia at the fag end of last year: Harbhajan Singh has replaced Suresh Raina, while Mohammed Shami is out injured and the spinning duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have been left out.

Harbhajan Singh is expected to play alongside Ravichandran Ashwin, in Fatullah

Also, from the original 15-man squad named for the only Test against Bangladesh, Lokesh Rahul looks set to miss out due to dengue.

The Indian batsmen did well during the tour of Australia, notching up over 300 runs on 5 of the 8 occasions they got to bat in the 4-match Test series.

Virat Kohli led from the front, scoring 692 runs to go along with 4 centuries from 8 innings. He was ably supported by Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 482 and 399 runs, respectively, providing that indispensable solidity at the top and in the middle-order.

Rahul was the only other batsman to score a century for India, who, in hindsight, may have made a better first of it had their bowlers showed more potency and not let Steven Smith, who bailed his side out of trouble on many an occasion during the series, score as many runs - 769 overall - as he did.

Going into the Test against Bangladesh, the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan will look to start scoring runs for the national side again, after enduring two barren series (if you include the tour of England, as well) from their respective point of views.

Rohit Sharma's place in the playing XI remains uncertain, I believe, unless Kohli opts to play just four specialist bowlers, like previous Indian Test captains have done, or axes Pujara.

It will be rather intriguing to see what sort of playing XI the visitors go into the Test with, especially with a new skipper taking over the mantle from MS Dhoni, who captained India in 60 Tests, and proclaiming that he is going to be aggressive and bring a winning mentality to the Indian Test setup.

Kohli has a major task on his hands to turn India into a good Test side

I would like to see the Delhi dasher start playing 5 bowlers from this Test onwards, emphasizing on picking 20 wickets to win Test matches.

In that case, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav would be my three fast bowlers, with Harbhajan and Ravichandran Ashwin as the two spinners to lead the way in sub-continent conditions.

You expect the Indian batsmen to score heavily, though the Bangladesh bowling attack cannot be underestimated and is capable of posing problems. The contest between India's batting and Bangladesh's bowling will be one to watch out for.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh played well against Pakistan, and will look to repeat it against India

The hosts have not made any changes to their Test squad from the one that put up a brave fight against Pakistan last month, losing the 2-match series 1-0 as a result of two poor batting displays in the second Test.

Shahadat Hossain, who twisted his right knee during the 2nd Test against Pakistan, has not made it to the squad for the solitary Test match against India, while Mahmudullah Riyad is also set to miss the entire series including the 3 one-dayers due to a fracture on his left index finger.

It appears that Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh's Test captain, could also be out for the solitary Test with a finger sprain, which could dent the hosts's batting lineup even further.

Most Bangladeshi batsmen scored runs against Pakistan and will look to carry that form into the Test match against India.

The middle-order, though, will have to be shouldered by Shakib Al Hasan, with Mahmudullah out and Mushfiqur uncertain to lead the side. If the wicket-keeper batsman does miss out, Tamim Iqbal will be the one to captain the team and Litton Das will keep wickets.

Imrul Kayes, the opening partner for Tamim, is a typical Test batsman, who will be key to his side keeping the Indian bowlers at bay. He is capable of blunting the new ball and holding one end up, which can in turn help the more explosive batsmen in the side play their natural game.

If you exclude Tamim, Kayes and Shakib from the hosts' batting lineup, the other batsmen - Soumya Sarkar and Shuvagata Hom - are novices at the Test level, having only played 8 matches between them, and that could have a major impact on the result of this game.

It is, therefore, important that Mushfiqur gets fit and leads the side, which will be of much boost to their batting lineup in particular.

Bangladesh will depend heavily on Shakib to score runs and take wickets

Bangladesh's bowling attack is inexplicably inexperienced, and much will depend on Rubel Hossain's pace bowling with the new ball and Shakib's left-arm spin bowling whenever he comes on to bowl.

Mohammad Shahid made his Test debut against Pakistan, and gave a decent account of himself with both the bat and ball.

Taijul Islam, another left-arm spinner, was one of the star performers with the ball for Bangladesh when they played Pakistan, picking up 10 wickets in the 2-match Test series.

If Bangladesh are to make a match out of this, their batsmen have to stand up and score runs. Importantly, not capitulate. Their bowling attack, albeit not an impressive one, can match India's; especially with the host of spinning options they have at their disposal.

Final Thought

Team India, unlike their efficiency in the shorter formats of the game, are not a good Test side by any means. Kohli taking over is a new chapter in the Indian cricketing history, and it remains to be seen if the change in leadership affects the team positively.

Bangladesh, therefore, have to be brave while they bat and somehow post over 300, if they get to bat first, as bowling is the visitors' weak link and still has question marks over its ability to pick 20 wickets in a Test match.

Can Virat Kohli Lead Team India To Overseas Success?

Virat Kohli will hope to overcome India's troubles in overseas conditions

Virat Kohli is just 9 days away from assuming duties as Team India's permanent Test captain when India visits Bangladesh for the 1-off Test match that is to be played at the Khan Shaheb Osmani Ali Stadium in Fatullah.

MS Dhoni, it has to be said, led Team India wonderfully in the Test match arena while he was the skipper not so long ago.

But, he wasn't able to deliver overseas Test wins for the national side that lost an appalling 15 - won 1 and drew 5 - of the 21 Tests played between the tour of England in 2011 and the recent Tour of Australia, which concluded just before the 2015 Cricket World Cup kicked off.

In Kohli, India has an aggressive skipper who is probably the best batsman in the side, too, and the nation will be hoping for overseas success under his captaincy.

The task, however, is going to be greater than climbing the Mount Everest, probably, and Kohli, who has already captained India in a couple of Tests, will be well aware of that.

India put up stubborn resistance in the Tests captained by Kohli, against Australia, though they failed to overcome the mistakes that have led to their downfall in overseas conditions since the beginning of this decade.

The tour of Bangladesh, and playing in a 1-off Test match, will definitely not be the ideal platform to assess India's capability of winning Tests away from the sub-continent, but there will be implications to come out from the way Kohli leads the side and the sort of combination he goes in with.

In this article, we will be asking, and then answering, three questions that Kohli needs to address, at the very least, if he is to lead India to glory in overseas Tests.

Read on...

Indian squad for the solitary Test in Bangladesh: Kohli (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Murali Vijay, Shikhar Dhawan, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron, Karn Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.

Does Kohli go in with a 5-man bowling attack?

Sourav Ganguly, while he captained India, began the trend of playing just four bowlers and loading the side with 6 batsmen and a proper wicket-keeper, even in the Test match arena; such a combination did pay dividends during the first half of the last decade, when India scripted memorable wins in Headingley and Adelaide Oval and proved a tough nut to crack for England and Australia.

Rahul Dravid, when he took over from Ganguly, followed the same blueprint and tasted decent enough success, winning against South Africa in Johannesburg and then leading India to a 1-0 Test series win against England in England, their first in the country since 1986, in 2007.

Dhoni wasn't any different in his approach, either. During India's tour of England last year, however, India's former Test skipper did play 3 fast bowlers and two out-and-out all-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja and Stuart Binny - and engineered India's first overseas Test win of the decade, at Lord's.

Coming to Kohli and looking to the future, I strongly believe that the 26-year old captain has to play 5 genuine bowlers in overseas Test matches at least.

At home and in the sub-continent, you probably won't have to play a third seamer and instead, go in with 2 pacers and 2 spinners.

Virat has to play 5 bowlers to taste overseas success

When you tour countries like South Africa, New Zealand and, needless to say, Australia and England, it is imperative that you go hunting for 20 wickets and therefore, reinforce your bowling attack.

That aspect of Kohli's captaincy is going to be intriguing to witness, as he is an aggressive skipper and 'wants' to win cricket matches.

He shouldn't be the skipper who is inclined to strengthen the batting lineup and play to his side's strength. A change in trend is required, and I hope Kohli thinks that way, too.

In U Yadav, B Kumar, I Sharma and Mohammed Shami, India has a good pace bowling attack that needs to be utilized to its fullest potential.

I have slotted U Yadav ahead of the other three, because I believe he is going to be the spearhead to this attack; he is versatile (can bowl with the new, as well as the old ball), genuinely quick and a wicket-taker, too.

Let us not forget Aaron, who bowled well in patches during India's last two overseas tours of England and Australia; consistency in the line and length of attack, is something he needs to get better at, but it is paramount that Kohli and the Indian think tank believe in what Aaron can do.

Time has come for India and Kohli, most importantly, to bank on their fast bowlers to deliver success for the nation in overseas conditions.

Can Kohli unearth a genuine all-rounder at the Test level?

While the 5-bowler strategy is not unthinkable anymore, the search for a genuine all-rounder in the Indian Test setup seems set to continue.

Dhoni's search for a genuine all-rounder hasn't stopped, given that he is still the Indian ODI skipper, but the 33-year old has been unsuccessful in his venture thus far.

In Jadeja and Stuart Binny, he sought to nurture a genuine all-rounder, but the Saurashtra left-arm spinner has been a major disappointment and Binny hasn't had too many opportunities to prove himself.

It will once again be interesting to see what Kohli makes of this scenario, and whether he, like Dhoni, is keen on unearthing an all-rounder who will significantly bolster the Indian Test side.

The Ranji circuit doesn't have too many all-rounders to speak of, at this point in time, making the task of unearthing one that much harder.

Kohli, though, has a couple of options: he can keep his faith in Binny, at least when India travel outside the sub-continent, and utilize his handy batting, as well bowling skills; secondly, Bhuvneshwar, in whatever we have seen of him during his 12-match Test career so far, can be molded into a good bowling all-rounder.

Bhuvneshwar could be nurtured into a bowling all-rounder

Bhuvneshwar has a few shortcomings in his bowling repertoire, but his batting skills do make him a possibility to become an all-rounder for India in the next couple of years, if mentored and used astutely.

What it will do is give Kohli the option of playing Aaron, instead of a proper batsman, when India travel overseas.

Overcome the overwhelming propensity to capitulate as a batting unit

Kohli has little control over this aspect, but if he is to lead India to glory in overseas conditions, the Delhi batsman has to address it.

India were in a sumptuous position against Australia in the 1st Test at Adelaide last December, when they needed 159 runs with 8 wickets in hand ahead of the last session of the match.

The ball was turning, reverse-swinging and Nathan Lyon was having an amazing match with the ball. 37 overs needed to be bowled and India, in pursuit of 364, got themselves to a position they would have wanted to be.

Come the last session and the duo of Vijay and Kohli successfully negotiated the first 8 overs, driving India to 242-2 and needing 122 more runs to win from the remaining 29 overs.

India were in the driver's seat, and the Australian bowlers looked seldom threatening to deliver 8 wicket-taking deliveries.

However, the never-in-doubt batting capitulation ensued thereafter; with India folding up for 315 and going onto lose the Test by 48 runs.

You could applaud India and Kohli, especially, for the positive attitude they exuded on the final day, but the eventuality wasn't unusual for anyone who has been following Indian cricket vividly.

The Indian batting lineup has to stop capitulating in overseas conditions

Such vulnerability has to be stemmed in order for India to taste success. Kohli though, being a pure batsman, could have a better say in the batting side of things than what Dhoni did while batting in that No.6 or No.7 positions.

Summary

It is going to be an exciting period, starting with the Test in Bangladesh, in the Indian cricket with Kohli as the captain of the Test team.

He will be bringing aggression, vigor and ruthlessness mentality to the Indian Test side. But in order for him to deliver success in overseas conditions, he and his team has to answer the three questions above in the best way possible.

Over to you, Kohli.

IPL 2015, Qualifier 2: A Match-up Between Royal Challengers Bangalore's Temperament Against Chennai Super Kings's Current Form

The 8th edition of the Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) has been an amazing tournament so far, and the final two games - a virtual semi-final and final - involving three heavyweight teams, should live up to the billing, as well.

Can Dhoni find his mojo tonight, playing in Ranchi?

The JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi will host the second qualifier, a South Indian derby involving the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), to decide which team goes on to face the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, in the final of IPL 2015.

MS Dhoni's men have only won 40% of their last five games, and their performance in the first qualifier clearly demonstrated their immediate form prior to such a pivotal clash.

Virat Kohli's side, on the other hand, has lost just 1 of their last five games, and their performances have been very much up to the mark too.

Tonight's clash is all about which of these teams can bring their A-game to the table, and deliver their best cricket when it matters the most.

Chennai won both their games against Bangalore in the league phase of this edition of the IPL, but they were in pretty good form at the time and therefore, managed to overwhelm the Vijay Mallya-owned franchise.

Will the current form for either of these sides determine their passage into Sunday's finals? Or will Dhoni find his mojo tonight, playing in his hometown and defeat Team India's new Test captain Kohli once again? Answers to follow...

The player battles in this intriguing tussle between CSK and RCB could have a profound impact on the end result of the game.

Man-to-man there is not much to choose between these two star-studded lineups, with the Challengers, in particular, wanting to do well and overcome their ineptitude to win their first IPL title.

Talking of Chennai first, Brendon McCullum's significance to his side's form in the early phase of this IPL cannot be stressed enough: he was ultra-aggressive at the top of the order, and Dhoni's devils invariably got the upper hand very early on in their games, managing to do enough thereafter, to remain ahead of the opposition.

Dwayne Smith has struggled after a few good innings' early on, and Michael Hussey, with his conventional and calculated approach to cricket, will not bother most opponents.

du Plessis will hold the key to CSK's chances of winning this game

The Super Kings' middle order has flattered to deceive this season, and it simply got to come good tonight, in order for their side to have a chance of beating the red hot RCB.

The good news, however, for them is that the Challengers' bowling attack can be made to look ordinary, with Mitchell Starc being the only bowler who can pose danger to the batsmen regardless of the nature of the playing surface.

Chennai, for me, need to get their batting order sorted and what I mean by it is that Dhoni has been the villain for his side, failing to score quick runs and stick to a position in the batting lineup.

The Indian ODI skipper has walked into bat at various positions during the 15 games so far, upsetting the rhythm of the batsman in the middle and approach of the ones, Faf du Plessis, for instance, to follow him.

Even without McCullum, CSK have got the batsmen to cash in on a relatively inexperienced RCB attack, and are capable of posting a big total on the board if they do get to bat first.

Their bowling has been steady throughout the tournament and Dhoni, in the aftermath of defeat to MI in the first qualifier, admitted that he was happy with how his bowlers fared, even though Mumbai got up to 187 after looking like they would only get to 170, at best.

Ravindra Jadeja and Mohit Sharma, though, remain the weak links in their side's bowling attack, but it will be greatly surprising if Dhoni changes two of his trusted personnel, at this stage of the season.

Moving onto RCB, they look a better batting side compared to their opponents tonight. In AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Kohli, Bangalore have three batsmen in the top 10 leading run-scorers of the tournament, and will hold the key to tonight's encounter.

RCB must be in good spirits ahead of tonight's game

Gayle can be a bit of hit-and-miss, though he can do significant damage to the opponent' chances of winning if he bats for 10 overs; Kohli, while opening the batting along with the Jamaican, has sought to play the anchor role; and de Villiers, without having to say anything, looks totally irrepressible at the moment.

But, again, the Royal Challengers' batting lineup is akin to Chennai's, in that they too have a brittle middle order which can capitulate against the bowling trio of Ashish Nehra, Dwayne Bravo and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Mandeep Singh played a magnificent innings against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) a couple of nights back, and will once again have to step up to the plate tonight. The all-rounder skills of David Wiese will hold the key to RCB posting a big total if they bat first, or have to chase to reach the finals.

RCB's bowling attack has done well, but will have to come good against Chennai

Royal Challengers' bowling attack has done well, picking 96 wickets in the 15 games they have played. Yuzvendra Chahal and Harshal Patel have delivered wickets and consistency, picking 21 and 16 wickets, respectively, so far, but face their biggest test tonight against CSK.

Sreenath Arvind, in the 4 games, has done well, but needs to stand up tonight; Chennai might try to score heavily against him.

Summary

As you can see, there is absolutely 'nothing' to choose between CSK and RCB, who promise yet another intriguing T20 cricket match in this year's Pepsi IPL.

And, as the headline suggests, it will be a tussle between the Royal Challengers' temperament against the Super Kings' current form.

Indian Premier League (IPL): Will This Be Royal Challengers Bangalore' Year To Remember?

Virat Kohli will be determined to win the IPL this season

It wouldn't be unfair of any of us to claim that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been the greatest underachievers in seven previous seasons in the Indian Premier League.

The Vijay Mallya-owned franchise has always possessed some of the star-studded names - Kevin Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Yuvraj Singh, to name a few - in world cricket, but have yet to win the prestigious IPL title.

They, however, have managed to reach the finals of the world's greatest T20 competition on two occasions, losing to the Deccan Chargers (now the Sunrisers Hyderabad) in 2009 and Chennai Super Kings in 2011.

In five other seasons, RCB made it to the last four once, while bowing out of the tournament in the league phase itself on four other occasions.

They haven't played to potential in most of the past seven IPL editions, but will the 8th edition of IPL be Royal Challengers'?

8th edition of the IPL

The Royal Challengers have not made many changes to their squad from the one they had last season.

Dinesh Karthik, bought from Delhi Daredevils (DD) for Rs. 10,50,00,000, has been the franchise' major purchase this season.

The likes of Darren Sammy, Adam Milne, David Wiese, Sean Abbott, Sarfaraz Khan, Subramaniam Badrinath, Jalaj Saxena and Shishir Bhavane have also been bought with the hope of further reinforcing the squad.

Virat Kohli, for the persona he has, will be rather determined to bring the very best of the squad he has at his disposal and win what would be his first major honor as an international skipper.

A quick review of what RCB have done so far in the tournament

The Royal Challengers came racing out of the blocks in their very first game of this IPL season, making a statement of intent with a comprehensive victory over the defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on their own den.

Having been asked to bat first after losing the toss, Gautam Gambhir and co. put on a massive 177/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

The visitors, though, made a mockery of such a massive run chase, getting the job done with six balls to spare. Chris Gayle scored a 56-ball 96 to singlehandedly guide his side to a 4-wicket victory.

However, after that emphatic victory to begin their IPL campaign, the Challengers seemed to lose their way in the next three fixtures, two of which were against established and heavyweight franchises in the Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Even more obtrusively, all three of those games, including the one against the Sunrisers, were played on the cauldron of Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the home side went onto lose all three fixtures, and comprehensively, too.

Yuzvendra Chahal's wickets, David Wiese's all-round performances and Kohli's consistency with the bat, were the solitary positives to come out of those hat-trick of defeats that prompted us to think RCB may be no different to their previous three IPL seasons in which they failed to make it to the playoffs.

After the home defeat to the Super Kings, the Royal Challengers had the major proposition of facing Rajasthan Royals (RR) - who were playing a sublime brand of cricket and had lost just one of their first six fixtures - at the Motera.

Mitchell Starc has added potency to the RCB bowling attack

With Mitchell Starc clicking into gear in his second game after coming to India, RCB's bowling attack blew away the Royals' batting lineup that managed to put up a paltry 130 on the board. The Challengers, with Kohli anchoring the innings with a 46-ball 62 and AB de Villiers scoring a breezy 47 off 34 deliveries, romped to a 9-wicket victory with 23 balls to spare.

Kohli's men followed the rout of Royals with the decimation of Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Having been asked to bat after losing the toss, the Daredevils could muster a mere 95 on the board, with Starc once again picking up a 3-for and Wiese coming good with the ball and picking up two wickets.

Kohli and Gayle completed the formalities in 10.3 overs, without losing a wicket. Will such an imperious victory set the Challengers on their way into the playoffs after three barren years? Read on...

Team combination and strengths

Kohli, in the aftermath of the victory over DD, said that particular playing XI gives them a better balance, and alluded to maybe persisting with the same combination in the coming games too.

Kohli himself looks to have made his mind to open the batting for his side, playing the anchor role and letting the more explosive batsmen - Gayle and de Villiers - to play around him.

India's No.3 has batted immaculately while opening the innings in the last two games, remaining unbeaten on both the occasions and seeing his team through to victory.

Though you could say that Kohli opening the innings makes RCB's middle order a tad brittle, the Delhi batsman is more than capable of holding the innings together. Also, he hasn't taken a whole lot of risks, which has also been because of the moderate and low totals Challengers have been set recently, on occasions when he has opened the batting.

Gayle and de Villiers have always been a fearsome batting combo in the IPL circuit and, as long as one of them scores big runs, RCB will pose a major threat to most IPL outfits.

Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers are the batting mainstays as far as the Challengers are concerned. If Gayle and Kohli continue opening the innings for their side, de Villiers will have to shoulder the responsibility of the middle order that, barring Karthik and Rilee Rossouw, if the South African gets an outing, doesn't have a marquee batsman to contend with for the opposition. This scenario of RCB's is akin to Sunrisers' who have a very weak middle order and depend heavily on Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner to make the majority of the runs.

The bowling combination has a good look to it since Starc has come over from Australia. The left-arm quickie has picked up 7 wickets in the three games he has played so far, spearheading and adding more potency to the RCB attack.

Varun Aaron bowled well in RCB's last game against the Daredevils, but he has been expensive and inconsistent and that will have to change soon.

Harshal Patel, the Haryana fast bowler, has been disciplined in his bowling efforts, keeping the opposition batsmen quiet and picking up 5 wickets in his 5 outings so far in the tournament.

Wiese, with his medium-fast stuff and ability to bowl according to the playing surface, is another crucial component of the Challengers' bowling attack.

The spinners: Chahal, in particular, has bowled really well throughout the tournament, picking up 10 wickets in the 5 games he has played in so far; Iqbal Abdulla, the slow left-arm spinner from Mumbai, has done reasonably well in the 4 games he has played in.

Such a lineup gives the Royal Challengers real hope going into their next seven games of the campaign, which no doubt will be crucial to their chances of making it to the playoffs.

Also, by far the biggest strength of RCB is the set of overseas players they have at their disposal. Gayle, de Villiers and Starc are certainties in the Challengers' team sheet; add Wiese to that trio, and you have perfect blend of pure batsmen, bowler and all-rounder. I doubt any other franchise enjoys such a luxury in this aspect of the IPL.

Possible weaknesses

RCB are yet to win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is a really high-scoring ground and toss plays a crucial role in the end-result of the game.

If you lose the toss and are asked to bat first, as a batting side you got to contend with the pressure of setting a total your bowlers can defend. But, even after posting totals in excess of 180, the target can be made to look a small one if one opposition batsman holds fort for his team.

This is one area that the Royal Challengers need to work on and possibly register a couple of victories in their upcoming home games against the Royals and Knight Riders.

The home form is a concern for the Royal Challengers

If they don't start winning on their home turf, they will make the task of making it to the last four that much more tougher for themselves, as they are yet to travel to venues like Wankhede Stadium and Chidambaram Stadium, where it is not going to be easy to get results, not that they are incapable of.

On current form, it is probably their home form that will cause some concern for them. In addition, the brittle middle order may cause them problems if Virat or Gayle, or both of them, fail on a given day and de Villiers has to stabilize the ship.

Final Thought

RCB may have won only 50% of their games so far in this season's IPL, but there are already signs that they are going to be a force to reckon with this season. Yes, there are a few chinks in their armor, like any other IPL side, but few sides have the balance that the Royal Challengers Bangalore enjoy.