Kris Srikkanth slammed the Rajasthan Royals’ management for leaving Ravindra Jadeja out of the side that faced the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, May 17.
Jadeja has been fantastic for the Royals this season. He has scored 190 runs in 11 matches at an average of 47.50 and picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.85. Srikkanth opined that Jadeja should have played the game, but he was rested, citing workload management. The cricketer-turned-expert also pointed out that RR captain Riyan Parag didn’t come out to receive his trophy for the maximum sixes during the post-match presentation ceremony. Srikkanth said that there could be some tension in the RR camp.
“With qualification at stake, you make such a move. This match was the easiest chance for them against DC. Jadeja was a compulsory must for this match. How can you not play him in the 11? It was an absurd move. I am convinced there is something wrong in the team. Parag didn’t even come to receive his trophy for the maximum sixes. So there is something internally wrong within the team,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.
“It was stupidity not playing one of Jadeja or Bishnoi. Is Ravi Singh a replacement for Jadeja? Jadeja is a gun all-rounder and you replace him with a young batter like Ravi Singh in a crucial match. It felt like RR didn’t want to win this match. It looked like they played to lose. Parag batted brilliantly but the will to win seems to be missing within the team. They have lost their mind not playing Jadeja,” he added.
The Royals missed Jadeja’s services badly as they slumped from 161/2 in the 15th over to finishing on 191/8 in the first innings. In the second innings, Yash Raj Punia, the sole frontline spinner, bowled economically but couldn’t pick up a wicket.
“Archer himself could have done what Shanaka did” – Kris Srikkanth on RR’s Impact Sub usage
Srikkanth also lambasted RR’s move to bring Dasun Shanaka in as the Impact Sub in the latter half of their innings. The Sri Lankan all-rounder couldn’t make much of an impact with the bat and the ball.
“It was another stupid move. You are already a bowler short without Jadeja, and you bring in Shanaka just for the death overs. Archer himself could have done what Shanaka did. Shanaka did nothing with bat or ball. He just got one fluke wicket of KL Rahul,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
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Srikkanth also criticised Parag for handing the ball to part-time spinner Donovan Ferreira in the 18th over when DC needed 35 more runs to win.
“He’s bowling that over because of two left-handers. Is he even an actual off-spinner? Shanaka should have bowled instead. After he gave 16 runs, Parag is throwing his cap as if it’s someone else’s fault. You captained foolishly. Why are you throwing your cap towards him? There are some rumblings within the team 100%,” he added.
