For a second game running, Rajasthan Royals’ bowling attack showed great character and fight, trying to defend a low total. The Royals kept Punjab Kings under a tight leash for a major part of the game, before falling short in the Indian Premier League 2024 match at Guwahati on Wednesday.
The Royals’s Assistant and Fast Bowling Coach Shane Bond was delighted to see his bowling unit turn up and put in the best foot forward even though they did not have many runs on the board.
“We saw it today and even in the last game against Chennai Super Kings, we have got an extremely competitive bowling attack, there is no doubt about that,” Bond mentioned in the post-match press conference.
With only 145 runs to defend, the Royals’ bowlers came up with a perfect response as the Kings were in a spot of bother at 39/3 at the end of the powerplay. Avesh Khan struck twice and Trent Boult picked up a wicket too.
The Royals continued their disciplined showing with the ball as the first four overs from the spinners cost only 24 runs including a wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal picked up from where he left in the last game, picking up 2/31 in his four overs.
“It was a slow wicket, the spinners bowled well, they really controlled the innings,” the former New Zealand pacer said.
“That was the goal when we went out to bowl, to bowl straight, wicket to wicket, to try to make things as hard as we possibly could, to create some pressure.
“At one point we were really in the game, a couple of games we have had like that, we have been in it right till the end,” he explained.
In the end, the Royals fell short as Bond agreed they did not have enough runs on the board and it would have been different had they got 170-180. But the former pacer preferred to focus on the bigger picture.
“You look at the points table, we are still second even though we had four losses in a row. We are qualified and there is still a chance we finish one or two,” Bond reminded.
“It just takes one better game from us to turn things around. I think we are capable once we get to the final, as we showed particularly in the first half of the competition that, if we play our best cricket we are hard to beat.
“All the games that we have been, even when we have lost, have been tough games, which means we are going to be competitive in the finals,” he concluded.
