Rajasthan captain Steve Smith said that while the bowlers did a good job to restrict DC to 184/8 the team is underperforming in pressure situations.
Steve Smith addresses a press conference in Bengaluru, on April 29, 2019. (Photo: IANS)
Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith has asserted that they are not playing “good enough” as a team for the entire course of 40 overs in a match after registering their fourth defeat of this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL).
In what was their fourth straight defeat in this year’s cash-rich tournament, Rajasthan were thrashed by Delhi Capitals by 46 runs on Friday.
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“We are not playing good enough over the 40 overs, and not executing when the pressure is coming on and you can’t win many games that way,” Smith said.
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“The bowlers did a good job, and I don’t think the wicket was as good as it has been here, a bit stoppy tonight, and we gave away 10-15 extra runs. We have to remain positive, and turn things around quickly,” he added.
Even though Rajasthan had restricted their opponents at 184/8 on a track where any total less than 200 is considered moderate, the Delhi bowlers came all guns blazing and bundled the Royals for 138. Smith believes his players are failing to perform under pressure.
“At the moment it doesn’t seem to be going our way. I’m not batting too well either. I did feel good tonight with the bat but didn’t get hold of one that I feel I should have,” he said.
Kagiso Ragada was once again the shining star for Capitals with his figures of 3/35. Marcus Stoinis and Ravichandran Ashwin contributed to the cause as well with two scalps each, while Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje and Harshal Patel picked one wicket each.
Chasing a 185-run target, RR lost opener Jos Buttler (13) cheaply off an Ashwin delivery, with just 15 runs on the board.
Skipper Smith (24) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (34) tried their best to rescue RR from the early damage with a brief 41-run stand. However, Nortje didn’t let the duo convert it into something big as he packed back the RR skipper in the ninth over.
The RR’s middle-order once again succumbed under pressure and lost seven wickets for just 100 runs.
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