Our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI: Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid spoke to the media ahead of their upcoming match against Chennai Super Kings, sharing his thoughts on Riyan Parag’s captaincy and batting promotion, as well as the team’s overall performance in the first two matches. Here is an excerpt from the press conference:
On the decision to promote Riyan Parag to number three in the batting order.
Dravid: Riyan is one of our best batters. We all know how destructive he can be. The more time he spends at the crease, the more runs he can score, and that benefits the team. So, we’ve decided to give him as many balls as possible. In a T20, 20 overs is a very short period, and the more time Riyan spends batting, the better it is for us as a team.
On Riyan Parag’s captaincy.
Dravid: He’s adapted really well to the role. I think the first game is always tough for a captain, but the calmness he showed was remarkable. It didn’t feel like our team was panicking, which was really important. And then, against KKR, his decision to bring himself on to bowl the fifth over in the powerplay was a brave one, and it turned out to be the right decision. So, I’ve been really impressed with him as a captain.
On the team’s performance in the first two games.
Dravid: We haven’t played up to our potential, to be honest. In both games, we didn’t able to deliver in the first half of the game as we have planned. But it’s still very early in the competition, and it’s a tough one. We’ve had a bad start, but we’re aiming to finish strong.
On the role of his spinners in the next game on a spin-friendly surface
Dravid: I think we need to set a big total to defend. In the last match, KKR only needed around 150 to win, and they planned their chase well. If we bat first, we need to make sure we put up a competitive total to give our spinners something to work with. The more runs we can put on the board, the better it will be for them to defend.
On team combination for the match against CSK
Dravid: We haven’t made a final decision yet. We’ll assess the wicket on Sunday and make the call after that.
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