Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson reacted to the high-voltage drama in the final over during the 34th match of the ongoing IPL 2022 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 22.
After winning the match by 15 runs, Samson said that the umpire's refusal to check a no-ball in the final over of the thriller match was very clear and he had stuck to it.
Notably, with 36 runs needed in the last six balls for DC to win the match, Rovman Powell hit six of the first two balls of the over of the RR’s left-arm pacer, Obed McCoy.
In the third ball, Powell again hit a full toss ball for a maximum, and then the DC captain, Rishabh Pant, and team management asked the umpire to give it a no-ball, but the on-field umpire refused, and even then, they refused to consult the third umpire.
It provoked Pant to ask both Powell and Kuldeep Yadav to come out of the field. Well, there was so much drama on the field that play had to be halted, but in the end, RR was victorious.
Samson said in a post-match presentation: “It went for a six, it was a full toss and the umpire gave it a normal ball. But the batsman wanted it as a no-ball. I think the umpire made his decision very clear and stuck to it, We wanted to be around him (McCoy) and wanted to put a smile on his face. Not easy for a bowler after conceding three sixes. We wanted to change the plan so we took our time, to give the bowler a breather.”
He further added, “The last game was a tough one, and this game too, with Powell hitting those sixes. It's important to stay calm and trust your teammates. You need to back yourself. Can't say anything about the toss. Losing toss is working, so we'll like to stick to that. Don't think there was much dew, but the bowlers are experienced enough to bowl in these conditions.”
R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal were yet again impressive with the ball, as the veteran off-spinner snared two wickets, while the leg-spinner returned with figures of 1/28 against DC.
Samson signed off by saying, “Ashwin and Chahal have been bowling well, touch wood we continue to do it. It is normal to drop catches, even I dropped one in the last match. I told the players how to recover from that in the team meeting. He (Buttler) has been playing well, and that's a crucial part of this format. Devdutt Padikkal is a smart cricketer and there's a lot more to come from him.”
(With ANI Inputs)
