Unfortunate Way To End Our IPL 2020 Campaign: Steve Smith

Things did not go as desired for Steve Smith-led Rajasthan Royals as their campaign ended in a loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai by 60 runs. Eoin Morgan’s Kolkata Knight Riders put 191 on the board and even with plenty of dew around, their bowling attack proved too much for the opposition, winning by 60 runs. Steve Smith underlined that there was not enough support from others for Jofra Archer.

The toss did go the Royals way, to begin with, and Jofra Archer got them the massive breakthrough of Nitish Rana. The likes of Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi counterattacked; however, the Royals roared back with four quick strikes. Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell were destructive in the next three overs following which Morgan launched an onslaught, lifting the Knight Riders to 191.

The Knight Riders’ bowlers did not begin well; however, Pat Cummins and Shivam Mavi struck frequently to leave the Royals reeling at 32-4 at one stage. Jos Buttler and Rahul Tewatia began rebuilding; however, the task was too much for the duo. The two-time champions not only kept picking wickets but also controlled the run flow. Eventually, the Royals succumbed to a 60-run loss, ending their promising campaign.

“Jofra has been exceptional pretty much every game” : Steve Smith

Steve Smith, who could not make a difference against the Knight Riders’ underlined that losing four wickets in the powerplay did not help their cause and continuously running out of batsmen. The 31-year old was also critical of the batters, who could not take enough responsibility. He felt dejected of their unfortunate end to the tournament after a couple of back to back victories. On the bright side, Smith believed that Rahul Tewatia and Jofra Archer have been exceptional for them; however, they lacked support.

“I thought it was around a 180 wicket. There was a bit of dew. Losing four in the Powerplay, it was always going to be tough from there. Cummins bowled nice lengths, made us play some good shots. We got off to a flier, but then we lost wickets in a clump. Unfortunate way to end. We started off really well, won the last two before this one. In the middle we lost our way. Our batters, the top four or five didn’t take responsibility perhaps. Couple of real positives. Jofra has been exceptional pretty much every game. Tewatia obviously has pulled a few out of the hat throughout the tournament. He has bowled exceptionally well throughout the tournament. Not enough support for them,” Steve Smith told in the post-match presentation.

Also Read: Eoin Morgan Credits His Teams’ ‘Free-Flowing’ Style Of Cricket Following KKR’s Win Over RR