EXCLUSIVE
Follow UsFormer Rajasthan Royals opener Graeme Smith felt that the team have got an impactful bowling lineup in IPL 2022 following their clinical performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Tuesday.
Defending 144 on a tricky pitch, RR pacers Prasidh Krishna (2-23) and Kuldeep Sen (4-20) alongside spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3-17) dismissed RCB to 115 all out to go top of the table.
Speaking about Sen, Smith felt that the Madhya Pradesh bowler adds great value to RR who have Trent Boult and Krishna in their ranks.
"He looks like a wicket-taker. He's not as consistent as the others, but he can bowl that brilliant delivery," Smith said in Cricket.com's match review.
"Krishna was brilliant today. He looked in a much better rhythm today. They had challenges with the two spinners, but they are getting that right now. In IPL, it important to have impact bowlers and Rajasthan Royals are starting to get that. Krishna, Sen and Boult. All of them are potential wicket-takers. Some of the teams that are struggling are missing the key wickets even in a high-scoring games and that's what Royals got," he added.
Ravichandran Ashwin was it best with figure of 3-17 as completed 150 wickets in the IPL. Smith praised the offspinner's control over his craft.
"We all know that he has got an incredible record in Test matches, but his white-ball numbers haven't been that consistent. May it is because of the changes in bowling. But in this IPL, he seems to be one step ahead of the batsmen. While he has been able to execute the variations, his control has been incredible. It was a masterclass of skill from Ashwin today," he said.
While the bowlers have done their job, Smith felt Riyan Parag's 56 not out was crucial for RR to recover from an early slump where they lost five wickets from 99 runs.
"Riyan Parag saved the innings in the middle order. He had some luck with that dropped catch (Hasaranga in 19th over) which added 20-30 runs. Assessing conditions is also very important. Tonight 160 was a good total, that's where the experience comes in," he said.
Despite possessing a strong batting and bowling lineups, Smith felt that RR still have one position they need to fix as they bid to seal the playoff qualification by finishing at the top of the table.
"I still feel they have an issue with one spot where they could chop and change depending on the conditions and whom they play, like Samson mentioned at the toss today. They have Daryll Mitchell, Rassie van der Dussen, Obed McCoy and Neesham. They are looking for a shoe-in for the knockouts and they'll want to be No.1, but that one chink they might want to fix," he said.
Challenging times for RCB and Du Plessis
It was another sorry performance with the bat from RCB following their defeat against SRH where they were bundled out for 68. Against RR, they lost their top three by the seventh over and didn't recover. Smith felt that RCB batters displayed a lack of confidence.
"The problem is they have is so many less players in form - their three key players, Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Maxwell and then Dinesh Karthik. If Faf doesn't do well and Dinesh Karthik doesn't do well, its a flop. They started off well, but it is falling away at a rapid pace. When the confidence is gone in the batters it is bit frantic and they look panicky," Smith said.
RCB are currently fifth in the table after back-to-back defeats. Smith felt that they need to focus on getting back to winning ways rather than looking at the big picture.
"They need to get on a winning streak quick. But the biggest question is how are they gonna win. Because the way their batters were playing today, it was difficult to understand where is the victory gonna come from. That'll be big worry for them. Never mind the points, either it is 16 or 18, think of the next victory," Smith said.
RCB went with Rajat Patidar in place of Anuj Rawat for the game which didn't work in their favour. They still have the option of bringing in Finn Allen for Wanindu Hasaranga. Smith felt that the jittery batting order makes the selection problem more complex.
"We've been debating about it a lot. Because the Indian youngsters who came out in the middle order also look out of sorts. The surface was difficult tonight. There was an opportunity towards the back end, where they could've caught up, but they all looked panicky upfront. The big players need to stand up now and start leading from the front."
When asked if Du Plessis is the right man to lead RCB to newer heights, Smith felt that the former South Africa captain needs to have individual talks with his teammates.
"This is going to be very challenging time for him. He looks like the only one who can get them runs at the top of the order. Secondly, he needs a lot to get a lot of the others to get them going. Behind the scenes, he needs to do some one-on-ones and try to find a way forward. He's got the experience and played around the world and captained South Africa. Sometimes a little bit of tough love is not a bad thing. That can be a difficult, because there are a lot of mixed cultures in the team. So he needs to think a lot on what buttons to push to get them back in form," Smith said.
