Star Sri Lanka and Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Dasun Shanaka has said that although skipper Riyan Parag and veteran Ravindra Jadeja had some niggles, but they should be fine to play the Eliminator against
the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday in Mullanpur.
By their own admission, Rajasthan Royals felt they should have sealed qualification well before the final day of the league stage. But now that they are through, the team led by Riyan will be eager to get the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad and make a deeper run in the tournament.
But after their final league stage game against the Mumbai Indians, Riyan had said that he wasn’t 100% fit and Jadeja is also suffering from a knee niggle.
“They had some niggles, but they will be fine, hopefully they will be fine,” Shanaka said at the pre-match press conference.
Riyan has scored 272 runs in 12 matches at an average of 24.72 at a strike rate of 152.8. Jadeja has scored 209 runs in nine innings at a stunning average of 52.25 and will be very crucial for RR to seal a spot in Qualifier 2.
Jadeja has also picked eight wickets in 10 matches at an impressive economy of 8.14. Riyan has picked up two wickets in four games, although he has been expensive.
Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals’ top order, featuring the prolific Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (583 runs), Yashasvi Jaiswal (397) and Dhruv Jurel (458), has contributed the majority of the team’s runs this season.
Asked how Sooryavanshi deals with the highs and lows of the game, Shanaka said that his calm approach stands out.
“He is very professional. It isn’t about failing or getting runs, but what he does at practice and how he behaves in the dressing room. How cool he is. I have not seen a kid like him behaving like that in the dressing room like that,” Shanaka said.
