Young Rajasthan Royals (RR) batter Devdutt Padikkal faced the wrath of fans for his sluggish knock against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 8th match of IPL 2023 in Guwahati on April 5.
After being asked to bat first, the PBKS side managed to get 197/4 on the scorecard in 20 overs. Openers Shikhar Dhawan (86*) and Prabhsimran Singh (60) starred for them in the batting department.
In response, RR got off to a brisk start but lost three wickets inside the powerplay. They were at 57/3 after 5.4 overs. Devdutt Padikkal (21 off 26 balls) came in to bat at this juncture, at the fall of Jos Buttler's wicket.
Sanju Samson continued to play aggressively at the other end while Padikkal struggled to match his batting rhythm. His sedate pace eventually brought the downfall of Samson (42 off 25 balls), who perished trying to up the ante.
Riyan Parag (20) then hit a couple of boundaries and entertained the fans at his home ground. He also suffered the same fate as his skipper in the 15th over though.
Devdutt Padikkal's painful 26-ball stay at the crease came to an end in the same over as Nathan Ellis put him out of his misery by cleaning him up. RR eventually lost the match by five runs after valiant cameos from Shimron Hetmyer (36) and Dhruv Jurel (32*).
Fans were highly critical of Padikkal's sedate knock in a steep chase. They slammed him brutally through their reactions on Twitter.
Here are some of the most eye-catching reactions:
"We wanted a left-hander in the middle order instead of Devdutt Padikkal opening" - Sanju Samson after the loss against PBKS
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson shed light on why they promoted Ashwin up the order to open the innings, ahead of Devdutt Padikkal.
It was a forced move, as Jos Buttler suffered a minor injury while taking a catch in the final over of the first innings. Buttler could, therefore, not take the field and open the innings in the chase.
On the matter, Samson said:
"It was a really good track to bat on, especially in the powerplay. They had a really good powerplay, and that gave them momentum. It is a high-scoring venue here but we did reasonably well to pull them back. [On Ashwin opening] Jos was having a stitch on his finger.
"We knew they had a left-arm spinner and a leg-spinner in the middle, so we wanted a left-hander in the middle order instead of Devdutt Padikkal opening."
Samson added:
"Jurel has been with us in the last two seasons. Lots of work has gone behind him. These guys put in lots of work, 5-6 weeks of camp, coming over to the academy and practicing for thousands of balls. (Venue) Was expecting dew to come in the second half but it was there throughout. Normally, we should have high scoring games here and we'll be prepared for the same."
Rajasthan Royals will next face Delhi Capitals on April 8, Saturday, in Guwahati.
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