“Overly Cautious”: Cheteshwar Pujara unhappy with 32-year-old Delhi Capitals batter’s performance vs Rajasthan Royals
Cheteshwar Pujara pointed out that Delhi Capitals (DC) wicketkeeper KL Rahul took a more reserved approach while scoring 38 runs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, April 16. DC claimed the top position in the points table after a thrilling Super Over win, with Mitchell Starc playing a pivotal role in their victory.
The wicketkeeper-batter came batted at the No. 4 slot after both Jake Fraser-McGurk and Karun Nair were dismissed in quick succession. The right-handed batter played cautiously while Abhishek Porel kept the scoring rate steady from the other end.
DC were in need of a push during the middle overs, and Rahul stepped up after facing over 30 balls. He tried to pull Jofra Archer but was caught by Shimron Hetmyer at deep midwicket.
After Rahul’s departure, Tristan Stubbs and captain Axar Patel added quick runs. Their contributions took the team’s total to 188-5.
Pujara mentioned that Rahul should adopt a more attacking approach in the middle overs.
“Rahul, being the more experienced player, wanted to remain unbeaten. However, he should have been more aggressive since he was set, had sufficient time to assess the pitch, and understood the conditions. While he was attempting to score, it seemed like he was focusing too much on trying to hit the ball out of the ground,” he said.
“KL’s batting position has also changed. He’s still figuring things out. Typically, he plays aggressively during the powerplay, but after that, it’s crucial for him to be more assertive. He needs to play the right shots. It seemed like he was being overly cautious, prioritizing the safety of his wicket instead of playing his natural game,” he added.
His runs came at a strike rate of 118.75, the lowest among all players who faced at least 10 balls in the match. In the previous encounter with the Mumbai Indians (MI), he managed 15 runs off 13 balls.
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