Former India head coach Ravi Shastri criticised Rajasthan Royals' Riyan Parag's slow start that changed the course of the match against Lucknow Super Giants.
Parag scored only four runs off his first eight balls, affecting Devdutt Padikkal's rhythm as well.
Shastri didn’t mince words in saying that Parag’s slow start changed the course of the match. The veteran also reckoned that due to Parag’s knock, Devdutt Padikkal also lost his touch.
“They lost Samson, they lost Buttler and Jaiswal but still they had enough, a lot of depth. I think that period of play when Riyan Parag came in and the way he played his first eight balls changed the course of the match. Padikkal, at the other end, lost his rhythm as well.
“Runs started coming in singles and there was a period of 28 balls that stage without a boundary. When you go through that much time without a boundary, you are asking for trouble,” Shastri told to Star Sports.
Former England batter Kevin Pietersen also criticised Parag during commentary.
Although Parag hit a four and a six to stay unbeaten on 15 off 12, it wasn't enough for Rajasthan Royals to win.
“They knew what they were chasing. Luckily, they are on top of the table and they will learn a lot from this defeat. They will learn about the changes in their batting unit. Parag was given the responsibility, they watched how he played. They had such a strong batting lineup. They could have gone for the kill much earlier,” he added.
Despite the defeat, Royals stayed on top of the table with eight points and a net run rate of +1.043.
