Rana, Fleming hail Riyan’s stunning catch as game changer

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: “Catch wins match” is an age-old saying in cricket, and it was proved once again in the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati last night. As Chennai Super Kings began their chase of 183 runs, Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag pulled off a stunning catch at cover to dismiss Shivam Dube off Wanindu Hasaranga’s bowling, a moment that turned the tide of the game. Despite a strong effort from Chennai, they lost the match by six runs.

Both Chennai Super Kings’ coach Stephen Fleming and Rajasthan Royals’ Nitish Rana, who played a brilliant knock, credited Riyan’s catch as the game-changer. In the post-match press conference, Fleming remarked, “Dube was really going well. However, Riyan took an outstanding catch that change the scenario.”

Fleming was also full of praise for both Rana and Hasaranga. “Nitish played really well. He handled the bounce and seam early on and gave them a great start. On the other hand Hasaranga picked up some key wickets in the match.”

Meanwhile Reflecting on his own batting promotion, Nitish Rana shared, “I knew early on that I would be batting at number three, as both Coach Dravid and Captain Riyan had discussed it with me. In the first two matches, I tried to hit aggressively. From those experiences, I realized that using the pace of the wicket could boost my chances of scoring runs, and that’s what I focused on in this game.”

Rana also praised Riyan Parag’s leadership, noting that the captaincy played a key role in guiding Rajasthan Royals to their first victory of the season.

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