RR bowling coach Shane Bond tore into his bowlers after they conceded a 200-plus score once again during their loss to Gujarat Titans on Saturday, May 9. Rajasthan conceded 229 runs in the first innings against GT at the Sawai Mansingh stadium and ended up losing the match by 77 runs.
In the last three games, Rajasthan have conceded 229, 222, 226 before being hammered by Gujarat. During the clash in Jaipur, Jofra Archer had a rough outing, bowling an over that last 11 balls and conceding 46 runs during his three-over spell. The loss also meant that RR have lost three games at Jaipur this season.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Bond said that Rajasthan haven’t played well in the conditions. He said that RR bowlers need to think outside the box.
Bond said that the decision-making against GT wasn’t consistent enough
“We just haven’t played well enough in conditions that we know. We’ve been outplayed by our opposition,” Bond said. “I look at bowlers, they just have to be better, right? You’ve got to think a bit outside the box. There’s two things: decision-making and execution. I think tonight, you would have probably noticed that execution just wasn’t consistent enough for long enough.
‘BOWLERS NEED TO THINK DIFFERENTLY’
With the IPL seeing batters become ultra-aggressive, Bond said that the bowlers need to think outside the box to tackle them and get results.
“And I think if you look across the board in the IPL, that’s just been the case. The batsmen, they’re coming out, they’re playing ultra-aggressive, and putting pressure on bowlers. So as a bowler, you’ve got to ask, well, ‘what can I do differently?’ [They] have got to spend more time with the analysts knowing exactly where each batsman’s going to… the zones they’re going to score at,” said Bond.
The RR bowling coach said that the bowlers aren’t evolving themselves and claimed that the only way to go about things will be to sense an opportunity to shine amidst all the batting chaos.
“I may have to bowl off a shorter run and a longer run. I’ve got to be able to come around the wicket and bowl on both sides. So, when you see the bowlers are doing the same thing, game after game after game after game, getting the same result, then my question would be: you’ve got to be doing something different and developing your game. You look at batsmen now, they’re playing the uppercut, they’re reversing, they’re scooping. They’ve developed a range of shots. So a bowler has to develop their range of skills as well. I think it’s a great opportunity for any bowler to go: ‘if I can do that, then I can elevate myself into, you know, a lot of money and be a superstar.'”
“I just don’t think you’ve consistently seen that across the board. It’s certainly not easy for the bowlers, but you can either fear it, fear what’s going on out there, or see it as an opportunity to get better and maybe put your name up in lights,” said Bond.
RR will next face DC after a one-week break on May 17.
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