IPL 13: Few of us thought we were still playing at Sharjah, says Steve Smith
Sep 30, 2020
Dubai [UAE], October 1 : After losing by 37 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith admitted that his side did not adapt to the wicket and stadium dimensions.
Royals' match against Kings XI Punjab took place in Sharjah which has shorter boundaries as compared to Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Smith said few players probably thought that the match was still being played at Sharjah. The right-handed batsman also admitted that they lost early wickets which could also be the reason for their defeat.
"Didn't quite go as per the plan, but that happens in T20 cricket sometimes. I think it could go one way or another [the decision at the toss]. We lost too many wickets upfront, a few of us probably thought we're still playing at Sharjah! The far side is very big, we didn't see too many balls go up above that fence there," Smith said during the post-match presentation via host broadcaster Star Sports.
"We probably didn't adapt as well as we could have to the wicket and the dimensions. We'll wait and see about switching the XI around. [Cummins] Wasn't much of a battle! Just spoke to him and he said you normally smack those in the nets," the Royals skipper added.
KKR defeated Royals by 37 runs on the back of their bowlers' exceptional performance. Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets each.
Pat Cummins who dismissed Smith in his first over gave away just 13 runs. It was an all-around bowling performance by KKR as they restricted the Royals to 137/9 in 20 overs.
After being asked to bat first, KKR had made 174 runs on the back of Eoin Morgan's well made 34 from 23 balls. In the final over, Tom Curran gave away 16 runs and enabled KKR to get past the 170 run mark.
Rajasthan Royals will lock horns next with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday.
