Follow UsRajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson, on the back of his side’s five-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings, heaped praise on his side for being ruthless and dominant in the group stages, and claimed that a Top 2 finish is nothing less than what RR have deserved.
The Royals, heading into Friday’s clash against CSK, needed a win to overtake LSG and secure a Top 2 berth, and on the night the players were clinical as they kept their composure to brush aside a CSK side that was looking threatening.
The win gives Rajasthan two shots at reaching the final, and skipper Samson was full of praise for his players in the aftermath of the five-wicket win.
“Feels good. The way we've played throughout the league stage stands out. We've had great games where almost everyone has stood up to win games. We deserve to be in this position is what I feel,” Samson said.
The Royals, though, were under serious pressure at one point in the contest. Post the early wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali teed off, and in no time the Super Kings raced to 85/1, with the Englishman striking a blistering 19-ball half-century. At that point, it looked like the Royals were in serious trouble.
However, the RR bowlers absorbed the pressure and came back remarkably well. CSK were 85/1 in 7.2 overs, but a fine effort from the Royals bowlers saw the Super Kings end on 150/6, scoring just 65 runs in the last 76 balls of the innings.
Samson said that the RR bowlers mounted a stronger comeback than what he’d imagined.
“It was important to understand that the wicket was good and they just kept going. It's hard to stop someone like Moeen Ali. It was okay to go for runs. We knew we could believe in our bowlers to come back stronger, we came back stronger than expected to give just 75 after the powerplay.”
The pick of the bowlers for Rajasthan on the night was Obed McCoy, who finished with figures of 2/20 off 4, and Samson said that the young left-armer is ‘maturing as a cricketer really well.’
“I wanted to bring McCoy over when the powerplay was done and he was more confident and comfortable. He used his change-ups and is maturing as a cricketer really well,” the RR skipper said of McCoy.
Young Yashasvi Jaiswal gave Rajasthan a great start in the chase, but it was Ravichandran Ashwin that took the Royals over the line with the bat in hand. Ashwin walked in at No.5 in a tricky situation, but scored a nerveless 40* (23) to help his side seal a Top 2 spot. Samson heaped praise on the veteran.
“Ashwin has done a great job and has turned out to be a great all-rounder for us. He batted a lot in the nets before the season.”
Ashwin, meanwhile, in the aftermath of his match-winning 40*, claimed that he felt like a million dollars.
“Feels like a million dollars. It was a special day for us. Finishing with a win and getting two bites of the cherry was important. The communication was clear before the season on what I needed to work on. the management had ensured my role was well defined, I opened practice games. I was told I'll play in the powerplay but not at the death (laughs). I worked a lot,” said the 35-year-old, who was named the Man of the Match for his efforts.
RR will now take on Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens on May 24.