We're probably out of the tournament: Shane Bond
With two wins in nine games, Rajasthan Royals are sitting on the penultimate spot on the points table ahead of only their third game of the season in Jaipur, their primary home ground. There is still a mathematical possibility of qualifying for the playoffs, but bowling coach Shane Bond believes the team's campaign is unlikely to go there this season. Nonetheless, he assured there is still enough at stake for the team and the players to continue giving their best in the last five league games.
Royals find themselves in this situation having lost three games in the last couple of weeks, all of which were decided over a few nervy moments where Royals fell short. Bond acknowledged that it has hurt the team, but they will continue to fight for the remainder of the season, beginning with Monday's matchup with the Gujarat Titans. "The hardest thing is that, for 35 overs of games we've played really well and in fact have been in control in some games and probably got into positions where we should have won," Bond admitted on Sunday. "You have to give credit to the opposition, they were good enough in those tight moments to go over the top of us and win those games.
"I suppose that's what hurts us. We're 2 (wins) and 7 (losses), and go, jeez, where we could sit on the table, but there's nothing we can do about that now. We're probably out of the tournament in terms of the points table, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot to play for. Obviously, as a team, we want to finish the season strong and keep playing well. However, for individual players who want to stay with the franchise for the next season, there is a lot to play for. "It's been really disappointing for me because I think we're all competitive and want to win. When you have a group of people who have worked really hard, like our guys, I don't expect them to just show up and go through the motions. Instead, I expect us to show up every day with the right attitude, bring energy, and make life as difficult as we possibly can for the team we're playing against. I feel like we've done that for most of the competition. We've lost a lot of close games, we just haven't quite been good enough."
This season, Rajasthan has had many concerns. To begin with, skipper Sanju Samson has only sporadically been present to play owing to his injury and recovery. Riyan Parag, a 22-year-old, is now in charge, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old, is playing in his place as the team's opener due to his absence. While the latter gave ample evidence of his skills, the inconsistent performances by the rest of the batters haven't done enough to complement that.
Despite being the PowerPlay's most prolific team, the Royals have failed to score in any of their five games batted second this season. Their struggles in the middle overs has not been just with the bat. Their spinners have been incredibly underwhelming, boasting the second poor economy rate (9.16) and the third poorest strike rate (23).
On the pace front, they have been marginally better, largely courtesy Jofra Archer, who too has not been able to convert the false shots from the batters into wickets as repeatedly as his counterpart from Gujarat Titans, Prasidh Krishna. Similarly, the likes of Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma too haven't been as consistent as they were in the past in crucial moments of the game.
Bond, on the other hand, defended his bowling unit and attributed the failure to cross the finish line to the errors of the batters. Royals have been the most brisk scorers among all teams in the PowerPlay, pacing along at a run-rate of 10.38 in that period. However, they have failed to sustain that pace in the middle and death overs, scoring at 8.3 and 9.87 in that period, being among the slowest scorers in the two phases among all teams in the competition.
"The last three games we came down to games perhaps we should have chased and won," Bond acknowledged. "We've played pretty well in the last three games; however, we haven't won a few crucial games. This is why we are at the bottom of the table, when we might have been closer to the middle. "There's no denying that we've had some big overs, and we've had some bowlers who have had tough days, but that's probably been the case for a number of bowlers and teams throughout the tournament. Collectively as a bowling unit, especially over the last three games, we've done a pretty good job and kept the opposition to scores, perhaps we should have chased down."
Royals' mathematical chances would be over if they lose to Titans. But a win, beyond keeping them alive - even if temporarily - would spice up the contest at the top of the table. Even if not for making the tournament more exciting, Royals have enough incentive to put their best foot forward yet again, according to Bond.
"We won nearly all of our games here and a lot of games at home last year. Obviously, when you bring a new group of people in, sometimes that adjustment, and I think you've seen that through the IPL, teams have changed. Some people have coped and adapted to home conditions and other teams haven't.
"At the end of the day, the first fight was to get to the playoffs. We're not going to get to the playoffs now. Therefore, I believe you need to recognize that and be sincere about it... We haven't been good enough yet, but that doesn't stop us from being determined to go out there and get stuck in the next four or five games. That'll never change.
"As a coach, you're always looking for ways to improve even more. That would be the same for me if Sandeep Sharma and Tushar Deshpande were bowled by Jofra Archer, who bowls brilliantly. We're always looking for improvement, never satisfied with that. So that doesn't change whether we're winning games at cricket or not. That's what I love about the game and I'm hoping that we'll finish the tournament on a good note."
