Steve Smith Hails Rajasthan Royals Batting Depth Following An Epic Match-Winning Stand Between Rahul Tewatia And Riyan Parag

Steve Smith, Rajasthan Royals skipper, lauded the composure that the duo of Riyan Parag [42* off 26 balls] and Rahul Tewatia [45* off 28 balls] following their whirlwind match-winning stand of 85 to help the Royals seal an epic come-from-behind victory against SunRisers Hyderabad.

Chasing 159 to win, the Royals found themselves in a rut when Parag and Tewatia came together at the crease. The duo initially took their time before eventually staging an assault on SRH bowlers in the last five overs.

The Royals were reeling at 5-94 after 15 overs and they needed Rahul to once again pull-off a Tewatia to break their string of defeats. What they got was a sustained counterattack from both ends as none of the bowlers including Rashid Khan were spared. They enjoyed a slice of luck as Parag was dropped by Priyam Garg in the 16th over while Tewatia, who had smashed Rashid for three consecutive boundaries, survived when the bails didn’t come off their groove.

”I thought Rahul and Riyan as a young kid showed great composure. I don’t think it was the easiest wicket and the square boundaries are quite big too. So great composure from Parag. Proud that he could come back in and score some runs straight up. Stokesy obviously didn’t come off tonight. Or top four didn’t fire, but today showed our depth” Steve Smith said.

Ben Stokes did not have the best of outings in his opening game but Steve Smith heaped high praise on the all-rounder, adding that he brings a lot of depth to the playing 11.

”With Stokesy back it brings a nice balance to us. He’s been impressive, hasn’t he? Just thrives in pressure situations. You bring in his bowling and fielding to it and he’s a terrific player for us,” Smith signed off.

Also Read- ‘Just Wow’: Twitter Goes Wild As Rahul Tewatia And Riyan Parag Power RR To Stunning Win Over SRH