Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag admitted that the dropped catch of Abhishek Sharma proved to be the turning point as his side failed to defend a 229-run target against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He felt that the missed opportunity shifted the momentum at a crucial stage and eventually cost them the match despite putting up a strong total on the board. It came on a day when no score looked safe, with the Punjab Kings earlier chasing down 265 against the Delhi Capitals. SRH then followed a similar script later in the evening against RR, making light work of the target and underlining the dominance of batters in the ongoing high-scoring IPL season.
Parag reflected on Rajasthan Royals’ defeat, pointing to missed chances in the field and a lack of discipline at key moments as the difference between the two sides. The RR skipper felt the game slipped away due to dropped opportunities and admitted they fell short of what was needed in a tight contest decided in the closing overs.
” I think skill-wise, we executed pretty nicely, but I think we dropped a few too many catches. And quality players like Abhishek and everyone who batted, I feel you can’t really drop catches and you can’t really give them second chances. And they took them, so credit to that. But we could have been better on the field. That’s only a sign to be a little hopeful, not too harsh, but I think it’s one part of the game here, but like I’ve been saying, we’ve got to be clinical, and fielding plays a major part in that,” Parag said in the post-match presentation.
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“We would have liked another 15 runs”: Parag
However, Parag also admitted that his team was 15 runs short as the SRH bowlers managed to put the brakes on the scoring rate in the business end, as the Royals didn’t fully capitalise on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s blistering century at the top.
“I think we left like 10-15 on the table. To be honest, they bowled really well in the 18th and the 19th over. They bowled like, executed really good yorkers. I felt not much we could have done. But the best-case scenario, I think we would have liked another 15 runs,” he added.
The Royals skipper further acknowledged the impact of Jofra Archer’s performance, praising his consistency throughout the season while also pointing out the role of luck in a few close chances that went begging in the field.
“Absolutely, I think he’s been such a sensation this whole season. Another classical performance for him. Unlucky as well, a lot of top-edges are in between the keeper and the fielders. So yeah, a few unlucky chances, a few chances that we gave away. Hopefully, we don’t repeat that next time,” he concluded.