Rajasthan Royals kept their qualification hopes alive as they beat Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Lucknow Super Giants were batting first and on the back of a terrific century partnership by the openers they were dominant. LSG finished with 220/5 at the end of the first innings. Chasing the target, Rajasthan Royals started really well and despite losing the wicket of Jaiswal they were always ahead in the game. Jurel and Sooryavanshi put up a massive partnership to seal the game as Rajasthan Royals chased down the target in the final over.
LSG 220/5 (Marsh 95, Punja 2/35) lost to RR ( Sooryavanshi 93, Mohsin 1/31)
Yash Raj Punja: (on his approach in the game and the season so far) I just felt like with the way we started, I wasn’t really trying to go for anything too fancy. I was just trying to keep it simple and bring the pressure back onto the batting team. I was trying to stay composed and do my part. In regards to the season, I’ve tried to keep it simple and discuss with the coaches prior to the matches regarding what homework needed to be done for each batsman. It’s just about staying calm in the moment and trying to execute. (on handling pressure during the middle overs) Yeah, there was pressure in the previous game as well, but it’s all about learning from each experience. I feel like just taking a second longer to assess the condition and bowl kind of worked for me today. We just tried to keep it as tight as possible through the middle and the death bowlers did quite well as well. (on learning and improving at the age of 19) I’m just trying to take it a match at a time and learn as much as I can. I’ve already got a list of things I want to work on for when I come back next season. Just taking it a match at a time and learning as much as I can will be the answer for you. (on the team environment and being in fourth place) Yes, absolutely. It’s an amazing environment. The coaches and the captain as well make it very easy for us to go out and express ourselves. So yeah, it’s been great so far.
Rishabh Pant | LSG skipper:
(on the score of 220 at the halfway stage) I think there are a few ways to look at it. In the middle overs and then in the last over, the way Archer bowled, I think it was really good. But we could have actually scored five or ten runs more on this kind of wicket when you get that kind of start, and we just couldn’t capitalize in the last over. (on defending a score on such a batting-friendly surface) It’s definitely a difficult one for sure because you always want to back your bowlers, but sometimes it’s hard. On a wicket like this, there is less margin for the bowlers and having too many suggestions doesn’t work out. Sometimes you have to keep a simple plan, keep focusing one ball at a time and just try to execute the plan. (on the value of experience and missing Shami) Experience is something you’re always going to miss regardless of whether things go good or bad because experience can’t be earned overnight. It takes years for people to gain that experience and definitely in pressure situations, that is one thing which keeps you ahead for sure. (on holding back Shahbaz Ahmed until the final over) Definitely because of the left-handers. They had been batting for a brief period of time and exposing a left-arm spinner, we didn’t want that, especially because Rathi was there in the side, so why take a chance on Shahbaz when Rathi is there in the side. (on the team despite the results) Like I said, we are proud as a team regardless of what our situation is right now. The kind of team we have, we know we can win this. Regardless of anything, we are confident enough as a team and as individuals. It hasn’t gone our way and everyone knows that, but that doesn’t take away the fact that we are a f*##ing good team.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: (Translated from Hindi) -
(on winning his third Player of the Match award at a crucial time for the team) Nothing much. I was just thinking because I was sitting outside during the bowling innings and the wicket looked good. I was thinking that today I shouldn’t rush too much at the start, I should take some time and if I bat for a longer period, it’s going to help the batter at the other end as well. (on starting slowly but still reaching fifty quickly) That was the mindset. I know I can hit two or three boundaries or sixes anytime, so I can take a little more time and not rush too much and try to take the game till the end. (on dealing with all the attention and praise at a young age) Nothing much. I don’t really see too much, I don’t read newspapers and all, so I don’t think too much about it. I just think that this is only the start. If my career becomes long and I play for a long time, people will say many more things. My focus should just remain on the game and I should complete my journey. (on his celebration) Sir, I don’t know. I just do something new every match. I don’t really plan it. There’s no meaning behind it. Even the celebration I did in the last match had no meaning. I just keep trying new things. (on waiting for the final game and the team’s mindset) Nothing much. Our focus is just that we should enjoy ourselves. In the next game also we shouldn’t focus too much on off-field things. Everyone should focus on the game and play with enjoyment, the way we’ve been doing throughout the tournament. There have been ups and downs in the tournament, but our focus is to play good cricket and win games, that’s all.
Yashasvi Jaiswal | RR stand-in skipper:
(on the importance of the win) I think everyone put in the hard yards and they played really well. Everyone was into the game and working towards it. The way Jofra bowled and the way Brijesh bowled, because we knew the wicket was pretty good and runs were going to come. The way Jofra came back initially in the powerplay as well, I think it was unbelievable. The way Vaibhav batted and Dhruv batted, I think they killed the game. Absolutely amazing. I’m really happy for the team, we needed it. And of course all the support staff have put in a lot of work behind the scenes as well, so I think it’s unbelievable. Very grateful. (on managing the bowlers during the innings) I think Brijesh had some niggles and Sandy(Sandeep Sharma) Bhai also, so I had to manage in the game. I wanted to bring Deshpande in, so if he could bowl well, I could give him one or two overs. So it was all about the decisions on what I wanted to do and I felt really good, whatever I was thinking was working. I really enjoyed it. The way they showed character and came and bowled in their areas, because I know that on this wicket the runs are going to come. We have to understand that if we bat, we will go for it and try our best. So I think it was unbelievable. (on the belief in the camp while chasing 220) I think we were just keeping it simple. I wanted to go in and play good cricketing shots and get the momentum. Me and Vaibhav were talking about that as well, that whoever is in should make sure he bats till the end. The way he batted, he killed the game as well. So I really enjoyed it. (on the next game and staying relaxed) I just want to play with a smile and enjoy the beautiful game of cricket. I think that is the fun. If we go and enjoy and relax with a smile, whether things are going our way or not, we need to be balanced and enjoy the game, enjoy the crowd, the fans’ love and everything. I think it’s incredible that we can put our efforts into it.
