New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals lead assistant coach Vikram Rathour admitted that Mitchell Starc’s devastating 15th over proved to be the turning point of their five-wicket defeat to Delhi Capitals, admitting that the visitors were at least 20 runs short of a competitive total and that poor decisions from the batters cost them the match.Rathour’s candid assessment came after RR, well-placed at 160/2 at the start of the 15th over, lost four wickets in a heap to Starc, including three in an over and eventually posted only 193/8, with DC chasing it down with four balls to spare.
“I completely agree. We were at least 20 runs short, if not more. I thought we were 160 in 14 overs and lost two wickets. From there, we should have got 220. Again losing three wickets in one over doesn’t help. So we could have been a bit smarter with our decisions we took in that over.
“So those are the learnings and in every game, you will make mistakes and the idea is to learn from those mistakes and I hope the next time we are in a similar situation, we get a better result. Again, that over definitely changed the result for us.
“Obviously he’s a world class bowler. He’s a world class bowler, but the kind of options we took in that over, were poor. We could have done differently and given ourselves a little more time to get through that over and take the game a little deeper,” said Rathour in the post-match press conference.
RR had come back to tournament action after another longish break and the result is a big setback to their hopes of entering the playoffs, as they find themselves deeper in the all-familiar second half wobble. Apart from RR batting order imploding in the last six overs and their misfields leaving head coach and director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara angry in the dugout, some of the decision making from RR was perplexing.
The decision to draft in batting allrounder Dasun Shanaka as Impact Player raised eyebrows, as it meant they couldn’t bring in a frontline bowler – Ravi Bishnoi or Sushant Mishra named in substitutes – in the second innings. The absence of veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja further magnified the risk, considering their refurbished bowling line-up came on the back of being expensive in the last few games.
After Shanaka made only ten with the bat, RR pressed him into service as the fifth bowler despite not bowling in his previous two outings. To his credit, Shanaka delivered three tidy overs and even took out DC’s top‑scorer KL Rahul. But his limited use left RR short of flexibility in death overs bowling options.
With three overs remaining, and Axar Patel and David Miller at the crease, RR turned to part‑time offspinner Donovan Ferreira in the 18th over. The gamble backfired as both batters hit a maximum each in a 16‑run over and swung the momentum firmly in DC’s favour. With those calls attracting considerable scrutiny, Rathour explained the chain of events that led to those decisions being taken in the game.
“The decisions that are made internally, are definitely taken by the captain. He is backing his gut and feeling at that stage. Our initial idea was to take 6 bowlers. But because we lost those wickets too quickly, we had to pick Dasun as an impact player.
“Otherwise, if the wickets hadn’t fallen that much, we had an option to pick some bowler, especially a specialist bowler, maybe in the second innings. But unfortunately, we lost too many wickets in a cluster. So we had to take that option of picking Dasun.
“Again, the decisions that are made internally, are obviously taken by the captain. Obviously, there are some plans already, which are discussed outside with the analyst and the coach. But inside, at that point of the time, it’s captains who take the call,” he said.
Rathour also acknowledged that captain Riyan Parag’s hamstring niggle may have been a factor in him not opting to bowl. Parag had missed the clash against Gujarat Titans in Jaipur due to the same injury and needed treatment for it while making 51.
“Yes, of course (he could have bowled). But he is struggling again. Riyan is also having a niggle with his hamstring. So I am not sure how comfortable he was bowling. But it was an option, a chance he took, which didn’t go our way,” he said.
On Jadeja’s absence, where Parag said ‘load management’ resulted in him not playing Sunday’s game, Rathour said the team was being cautious with the all-rounder due to a knee niggle.
“He just had some niggle in his knee, I think. They are just trying to manage that. They felt that if we give him one more game break, it will be good for him. That was the reason he was rested. He is just dealing with some niggle.”
Before it all unravelled for RR, they were in control for the first 14 overs and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi treated fans to well-timed and powerful boundaries in his 21-ball 46, before falling to a slower delivery from Madhav Tiwari. With him struggling against slower deliveries and being dismissed off it before, Rathour denied on it being a chink in the teenaged opener’s armour.
“See, nobody is perfect in this world. Everybody will have some weakness here and there. I don’t think slow ball is a weakness with Vaibhav. I will want bowlers to try that. On a wicket like this, where the ball is gripping a bit, change of pace is good against anybody.
“It’s not only Vaibhav – I think he’s a special player and enough has been said about his ability and how good he is. So, again, he’s provided us a really good start, looking at the surface again. So, I just hope he converts one inning and goes deeper. The way he’s batting, the way he prepares, I’m sure that’s not too far off.
“We’ll see one of those innings which he’ll really convert and play a big knock. But otherwise, we are pretty happy with the way he’s batting and we want him to bat that way.”Different players will bat differently. Anybody can succeed. You need to identify and know your strengths. If you back your strengths and play to your strengths, you can score runs.
“Dhruv need not bat like Vaibhav and Vaibhav shouldn’t look to bat like Dhruv. They have their own strengths. They have their own ways of scoring runs. If they keep backing that and keep believing in their ability, they can succeed easily. You have seen that happening.
“Somebody like Virat, who is still extremely successful, even in this format. I wouldn’t call him an out-and-out power-hitting player. That tells you that there is scope for everybody to succeed, provided you have belief in your abilities. If you can commit to whatever options you take while you are batting and back yourself,” he elaborated.
Despite the defeat leaving sixth-placed RR in a tight spot in the race to playoffs, Rathour insisted the side still has full belief in their ability to qualify for the last four stage, though a lot will also depend on them taking better calls tactically.
“Our belief is that if we are playing to our potential, we can defeat any team. That is the mindset and we need to turn up and play our best cricket. If we play, we have the belief in the group that we will win.”
Article Source: IANS