00:00More the disruption, for whatever reason, came at a time where I see we were having that momentum.
00:06As you regroup now, how are you approaching the last three games?
00:09Is it like a new half or are you looking at what have you done to pick up from there?
00:13And secondly, the status on Rajat and Josh Hazelwood, please.
00:18Yeah, well, look, it was an unusual few days, I'm sure, for everybody.
00:21First and foremost, it's good that the conflict has come to an end.
00:25It certainly felt like a disruption for me personally.
00:28Lots to sort out and it was a busy few days.
00:30For many of our lads, actually, it was a well-earned rest.
00:33So quite a few of them enjoyed getting home, seeing family, even if it's just for a couple of days and then coming back again.
00:38And actually, we were saying even yesterday, the boys came in with a lot of energy for their practice.
00:41So as far as the group is concerned, they're looking at a really, really good place.
00:45So, you know, pretty pleased about that.
00:47In terms of some of those updates, I think you mentioned Rajat and Josh.
00:51Yeah, Rajat's going well.
00:52As you all know, he had an injury to his hand.
00:55He's been building up ever so slowly.
00:57For him personally, probably the disruption gave him a few more days just to get through some of that early healing and for the swelling to go down and for him to get used to picking up a bat again.
01:07He's practiced the last few days and he's going well.
01:08With Josh, as you'll probably be aware, he's our only player not here at the minute.
01:14He's recovering from his shoulder niggle that he had.
01:17He's doing that with Cricket Australia.
01:19Obviously, our medical team and their medical team have been liaising on what that detail looks like.
01:23And he's just taking that day by day and he's trying to improve his shoulder.
01:26Like, in the last few days, there have been a lot of chatter about which international player is going to be available for which game, for how many games.
01:42So, how much of that is a factor for you in preparing for this match and also the matches ahead?
01:47Yeah, so I'm sure all teams experience the same thing, that once your players have gone home and once the dates have been extended, that creates a bit of uncertainty.
01:55You know, we spoke quite a lot with our overseas guys even before they went.
02:00And, you know, most of them were pretty adamant that they were keen to come back and finish the job off.
02:04We've had a good season so far.
02:06They want to come back and do that.
02:07The extending of the season presented some challenges.
02:10So, I had to have a few conversations with some of the national team governing bodies.
02:14Obviously, we'll lose Jacob Bethel after a couple of games and we'll lose Lungi and Gidi after a couple of games.
02:19So, there's an obvious impact there.
02:21In time, we'll give a little bit of thought to those replacements and we'll try and look at who might be able to come in.
02:25to shore up those positions.
02:27But, yeah, other than those couple of guys, nothing else was disrupted too much.
02:32With Padikal ruled out, is that a concern considering you might not have a left-hander in the top order
02:38if with Phil Salt, you know, going well in the last couple of days, if he comes back and takes up where Jacob Bethel played?
02:45So, is that something that sort of worries you considering so much of the game goes with match-ups?
02:50Yeah, my own personal philosophy is I don't worry that much about right and left-hand combinations.
02:55I know different teams view that differently.
02:58I actually think that since we've had the impact player rule and every team has six or seven bowlers,
03:02it almost doesn't matter if you've got right and left-hand.
03:04They just change the bowling combination.
03:05So, I think in an 11 versus 11 lineup, sometimes having that left-hander in your batting order
03:12can mean that you can put one of their bowlers under pressure.
03:15I see that less as a thing now.
03:16We've seen so many times during this competition that a certain bowler type hasn't bowled their overs
03:21because there was a left-hander at the crease and they just get through fine.
03:24So, look, I don't focus on that too much.
03:26We're quite clear on our pattern of play and the things that we want to focus on.
03:29So, it's obviously advantageous to have some left-handers if you've got a short boundary one side
03:33or something like that, but it's not a huge area of concern for me.
03:37Hi.
03:38Obviously, Kohli has announced his test retirement since coming back into the team.
03:43What has been the mood like in the team?
03:45How the players have reacted to it and any conversations you have had with him?
03:50Yeah, well, the first thing to say is Virat's just business as usual, as he always is.
03:55He doesn't really, like, there's enough of the public and the nation's attention on him.
03:58He doesn't want any more of that.
03:59He just wants to get on with his business.
04:01He's hugely ambitious about what we can achieve this year with RCB, and that's his focus.
04:06I would like to say, though, that he should be incredibly proud of what he's done as a test player for India.
04:12RCB as a franchise, we are all incredibly proud of what every one of our players does in an India shirt,
04:17but in particular him.
04:18You know, to play 120-plus test matches and to score nearly 10,000 runs is, you know, no mean feat.
04:24Also, as a captain, his record, you know, 60% win percentage or something like that as captain.
04:31Again, no mean feat.
04:33I can also talk from my previous role as an Englishman working in the English system.
04:38You know, he was someone you never wanted to play against.
04:40He was always the batter you wanted to get out.
04:42You knew that if he was either in the pavilion to come or at the crease that you were in trouble.
04:45And, you know, some of my most fondest memories watching test cricket involve him.
04:50You know, I'll never forget the 2018 India Series in England, the test at Edgbaston,
04:56watching Jimmy Anderson and him do battle like two gladiators.
05:01I think Jimmy must have bowled nine overs on the trot at him.
05:03And it was the two players, two of the best players in the world doing their thing.
05:07So that's what he's about.
05:09He's about those special moments, those inspiring moments, and he did that as captain, as a player.
05:14We're all really proud of him.
05:15I'm sure the fans will show him lots of love this week when they see him again.
05:18But just to go back to where I started, he's business as usual.
05:21We all are.
05:21He's spoken to a few of us about things in the last few weeks.
05:24But, yeah, you know what he's like.
05:26He's pretty clear-minded, so he's clear on what he wants to do.
05:29Yeah, you touched upon Hazelwood's fitness and also mentioned that NGD might not be there after two games.
05:37So in the event, both are not available.
05:40Have you looked that far, and do you have the bowling areas covered?
05:43Yeah, we've obviously got Nguyen Tashara in the squad.
05:47International bowler chomping at the bit.
05:49Understandably probably frustrated that he can't get on the field, but I think that's when you're going well.
05:53These things happen.
05:55Also, Rasik Dar, good bowler.
05:58We really rate Rasik as well.
05:59So we've got options in the squad, so certainly no concerns.
06:02Over the next few days, we'll think about potential replacements as well.
06:05There's a bit of clamour for that at the minute, and lots of teams are doing that.
06:08I prefer not to rush these things, so we'll just take our time and have a think about it.
06:11But we've got enough quality in the changing room already.
06:15More, there's been considerable chatter among the fans that they'll like to pay tribute to Virat, the test cricketer,
06:20by turning up in white jerseys at the ground.
06:23Will that create a bit of a disruption, especially when you have fielders trying to spot the ball?
06:26How do you prepare for it, if it were to happen like that?
06:30It's not something we've thought about or talked about too much.
06:32I've certainly noticed that the fans have been talking about that a little bit,
06:36but I don't think it'll have much of an impact on our players.
06:39Hi, Mo.
06:41There's a bit of weather around the last couple of days in Bangalore.
06:45Does that come into...
06:46A little bit of what, sorry?
06:47There's a bit of weather around the last couple of days.
06:50Does that come into the planning when you're sort of discussing what needs to be done?
06:54Does the batting order or even the bowling structure change according to that?
06:58Well, it certainly does influence maybe our preparation.
07:01We've deliberately practiced in the afternoon today because we were concerned about rain this evening.
07:06So those things you can control.
07:08When you get to game day, you can't control it.
07:11So actually you want your players to feel as clear and relaxed as possible.
07:14You trust them to make decisions in the moment regardless of what happens.
07:18We don't overthink any of those things really.
07:21If the game's rain affected, it's rain affected.
07:24It's not something any of us control.
07:26So we don't really think too much about that, but it might influence our preparation.
07:29Hopefully, for the fans and for everybody, we get to play our game
07:32because all we want to do is play well and put on a bit of a show.
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