NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals saw their impressive run in
IPL 2024
come to a disappointing end in
Qualifier 2
as they succumbed to a 36-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai.
Following the match, former SRH coach
Tom Moody
and Indian cricket legend
Virender Sehwag
criticized Rajasthan captain
Sanju Samson
's strategic decisions. Sehwag questioned the timing of
Shimron Hetmyer
's entry into the batting order, suggesting that he should have been sent in earlier to counter the threat of the left-arm spinners.
"I was surprised by their decision to bring in Hetmyer so late. They should have brought him earlier, especially with two left-arm spinners in play. The quicker a left-handed batter comes in, the better," Sehwag remarked.
Moody, speaking on ESPNcricinfo, echoed Sehwag's sentiments, highlighting the tactical error of sending Hetmyer at number seven, after Dhruv Jurel and R Ashwin.
"To me, it was an absolute no-brainer. Hetmyer had to go in ahead of Dhruv Jurel. They needed to negate the two left-arm spinners right at the outset. That was the weakness in SRH's attack, and they needed to counter it early. If Hetmyer had gone in earlier, he could have played his natural game and possibly changed the course of the match," Moody explained.
Moody further emphasized that this strategic misstep allowed Sunrisers Hyderabad to take control of the game with their spinners, a tactical blunder that ultimately cost Rajasthan Royals dearly.
Despite the disappointing end, Samson and team director Kumar Sangakkara both reflected positively on the season. "We had a great season, playing phenomenal cricket throughout. All we can do is put ourselves in positions of play-offs and vying for finals, which we did," Sangakkara said.
With this victory, Sunrisers Hyderabad have secured their place in the IPL final, where they will face Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk on Sunday.
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