The Lucknow Super Giants defeated the league-leading Rajasthan Royals in a low-scoring match on April 19 in Jaipur. Despite the victory, LSG captain KL Rahul has been criticized for his labored top-order performance against the host team. Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri rejected the LSG captain’s explanation for his poor strike rate against the Royals.
Due to a steady opening combination between the captain and Kyle Mayers, KL Rahul’s team got off to a good start when they batted first in the match. They were 79 without loss after ten overs, but they failed to leverage on their good start, scoring only 75 runs in the following ten overs. Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri refuted the LSG captain’s claim that his measured approach at the crease was due to the slow character of the pitch.
“Absolutely, the strike must be initiated. All of the rhetoric about 160 is unconvincing. 160 becomes 175 if you convert that 39 to 60 or 70 when you have two opportunities. Ravi Shastri told Star Sports that one of the top three batsmen must continue and play an extended innings.
Both sides can learn a great deal from this match. Ravi Shastri
Rajasthan Royals, who were playing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for the first time in four years, followed the same path as their opponents, as none of the top-order batsmen scored runs in the final stages of the chase. Shastri believed that had any of Rajasthan’s top three batsmen remained at the crease, the game’s outcome would have been different. According to the former cricketer-turned-expert, it is still early in the tournament and both teams will learn from their errors.
“Had the Rajasthan Royals team taken that action. They would have won this contest had they participated. Both teams can learn a great deal from this game about how to approach situations and when to seize opportunities. It is still early in the competition. Rajasthan is first and Lucknow is second, and they will learn a great deal from this,” he continued.
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