Head coach Rahul Dravid on Wednesday acknowledged that Rajasthan Royals cannot afford one other slip-up after sliding to eighth on the IPL points table and his team has “no option” apart from start “winning games quickly.” The Royals will come up against an in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru on the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, and one other reversal will make it really tough for them to nourish play-off aspirations. “It’s a vital game for us, the truth is, every game from here on in, because the position we discover ourselves in, we won’t afford to make many mistakes. This stage is a tournament… just over half way, we discover ourselves at the underside half of the table,” Dravid said within the pre-match press conference.
“We have got to begin climbing that table quickly and we have got to begin winning games quickly. There are not any options, no probabilities of slipping up anymore,” he added.
Dravid accepted that the Royals haven’t fared well in crunch situations on this tournament despite playing excellent cricket in patches.
“We all know we’ve to play well to be still alive on this tournament. Now, we have lost a few close games coming into this, but we have played some good cricket as well.
“It’s one in all those tournaments where just a few balls going here or there and we may need been in a rather different position. But it’s essential to play well in those critical moments and it hasn’t happened for us,” he noted.
The Chinnaswamy stadium pitch has unusually favoured bowlers more on this IPL than the batters, but Dravid hoped for a change of character on Thursday.
“You simply must go for it irrespective (of the character of the pitch). But I believe every surface might be different. The wicket I’m seeing here, from no less than what I could make of it, looks like a very good wicket.
“So, I can not really say how those wickets looked in earlier games, however the track that is been produced for this one looks actually to be a excellent cricket wicket and I believe it ought to be a fairly high scoring game,” he added.
Sanju is getting assessed ================ Dravid said regular RR skipper Sanju Samson’s fitness is getting assessed each day. Samson will miss the match against RCB with an abdominal niggle.
“Sanju, I believe, form of picked up a little bit of a side issue with the sport against Delhi (Capitals) and he couldn’t play the last game and on this game as well. He wasn’t fit and our medical team form of didn’t rule him fit to play this game.
“So, we took the choice and the medical advice to not risk him to travel — make two more flights and be here. We kept the physio back in order that we are able to treat him and take a look at and get him back as quickly as we possibly can. We’re it on a day-to-day basis.” The previous India coach didn’t give any specific time-line for Samson’s return.
“I actually have no time-line to present as to when exactly he might be fit, but we’re trying our greatest, you recognize, obviously we have got to play here, after this we have got a game on (April) twenty seventh and we have got just a few games quickly after which we have got a spot.
“So, we’ll just must see the way it goes. Truthfully, he was not fit for this game and he didn’t travel here,” he added.
Dravid said Riyan Parag has stepped in effectively because the captain of the side within the absence of Samson despite just a few matches not going the team’s way.
“Sanju remains to be the captain of the team and Riyan is the vice-captain and he stepped in very well. I believe Riyan had captained 4 of the games, even in the primary three games, the truth is, Sanju wasn’t capable of field due to finger injury.
“A few of those games have not been easy, especially the high-scoring ones, just like the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. But I believe he’s done a superb job.” The 52-year-old said Parag has remained collected within the face of a troublesome job just like the IPL captaincy.
“I believe he’s been really good, calm and, you recognize, we were just having a chat with him about a few of his bowling changes and field placements.
“I believe they have been really good and he’s getting the heart beat of the sport very well. So for somebody who’s so young and just starting out in his captaincy, I believe he’s sort of, you recognize, adapting well to it. After all, the team must play well for him,” he said.
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