Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has stated that it is not always easy to maintain a “chilled and nice” atmosphere inside the dressing room in a high-pressure tournament such as the Indian Premier League (IPL), adding that the presence of quality spinners in the side is helping the team’s campaign in IPL 2022.
Former champions Rajasthan Royals defeated Lucknow Super Giants by 24 runs at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday night to move into second place with 16 points, and the team must now ensure they don’t lose too badly in their final league match to secure a playoff berth.
Speaking about the emphatic win, built around Yashasvi Jaiswal’s quick-fire 41, and his and Devdutt Padikkal’s fine middle-order showing, the skipper said, “This win was satisfying. The atmosphere is chilled and nice, it’s not easy to maintain it when there are losses and we have done it well. Batting first suits our approach well, we want to bat positively and the bowling unit is good as well.”
The skipper also praised the fielding intensity, saying that James Neesham was the side’s live wire when the Super Giants were chasing.
“The intensity in the field was good. Special mention to (James) Neesham who brought a lot of energy.”
Samson justified using Ashwin in different phases, citing one of the benefits of having quality spinners on the team.
“The bonus of having quality spinners is you can use them anywhere,” said Samson.
Ayush Badoni of the Lucknow Super Giants said the loss had not hurt the team’s chances of making the playoffs.
“Our stats team says both RR and LSG just have to make sure they don’t lose too badly, thanks to RCB’s poor NRR (net run rate). RCB will have to win by around 80 and RR lose by around 80, for RCB to go above RR, but RR play after RCB. So, they have an advantage,” opined Badoni, who was out for a first-ball duck on Sunday.
(Inputs from IANS)