Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson admitted they were 20-25 runs short of a par score against reigning champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday after their five-wicket loss. After opting to bat first, RR could only manage 141 runs on the board on a slow Chepauk pitch.
RR openers – Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler – could only manage 42 runs in the Powerplay overs. Riyan Parag top-scored with 47 runs off 35 balls but the visitors batters failed to get any positive impetus into their batting innings.
Simarjeet Singh was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, returning with impressive figures of 3-26 in his quota of four overs. Singh accounted for Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson in his fine spell of bowling as he reaped rewards for bowling in the right areas.
On the other hand, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad scored a mature knock of 42 runs off 41 balls to get his team over the line. Rachin Ravindra also gave a brisk start as the left-hander scored 27 off 18 balls.
Sanju Samson said after the loss while talking to the host broadcasters, “I think after the powerplay the message was slow and two paced. Hence after the powerplay the score we were expecting was 170, we were short 20-25 runs. Simarjeet bowled really well. We are not really sure what to expect from away games. We thought batting first was the better option. They had a better idea of what to chase being used to playing here, we thought it would have been slower in the second innings, but the wicket was instead better.”
He added, “When you play at night chasing is a no-brainer due to the dew. The pitch gets heated up during summers so I expected the wicket to slow down in the second innings. It’s normal to keep on thinking about qualification, need to focus on what is under our control. I would like to tell my team-mates, need to focus on things that are in our hand. Need to focus on the process and hope to win the next game.”
RR has suffered three losses on the bounce and they have veered off the track. Ergo, the inaugural champions will want to get back to winning ways.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on Punjab Kings at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Wednesday.
