RR coach Kumar Sangakkara said recent controversies have been 'addressed' by the franchise and BCCI. He stressed the team's focus on values, praised Riyan Parag's captaincy, and urged him to separate it from his batting ahead of their DC clash.
'Controversy not positive on the team': Sangakkara
Ahead of his side's home game against Delhi Capitals (DC), Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara addressed the recent controversies involving the franchise, stating that the issues have been dealt with and the team continues to emphasise responsibility, discipline and adherence to team values.
RR brought their campaign back on track after three wins in four games by breaking Punjab Kings' (PBKS) unbeaten streak, and now with six wins and three losses, they sit at fourth place in the table with 12 points, not too far away from the playoffs. However, the controversies surrounding the franchise have, to a small extent, overshadowed at times the scintillating performances by the team's young Indian core of cricketers, led by 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal.
However, off-field incidents have drawn attention in recent days. RR skipper Riyan Parag was recently fined 25 per cent of his match fee and handed a demerit point after being caught using a vape in the dressing room. Earlier, team manager Ravinder Singh Bhinder was fined Rs 1 lakh by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Anti-Corruption Unit after being found using a mobile phone in the dugout area during a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Guwahati.
Speaking about these controversies ahead of the match against DC, Sangakkara said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo, "I think it is, of course, a reflection that is not positive on the team, a controversy of any kind. All I can say is that both of those have been addressed by the BCCI and the franchise. And then in terms of the culture, we always try to have a very positive, healthy culture. We have our own values we adhere to. And the constant reminder to the players is to make sure they're responsible to the franchise and to our culture and our values."
Sangakkara backs Riyan Parag's leadership
Despite Parag's fine run as a captain, which has seen him win some nervy moments as a leader and thrive as a unit with a very young Indian core of himself, Sooryavanshi, Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel and Ravi Bishnoi, his batting is under serious scrutiny, having made just 117 runs in nine innings at a sub-par average of 14.62 and a strike rate of 124.46. His most recent cameo of 29 runs against PBKS, which came in 16 balls with two fours and two sixes, is only his second score of 20 or more so far.
However, the coach is full of praise for Parag's leadership and has encouraged him to enjoy his batting and separate it from his responsibilities as a captain. He also pointed out that against PBKS, it was his innings that shifted the game in RR's favour.
"I think he has done really well as a captain. And also in the last game, his little innings is what really shifted the momentum our way. He was fearless, he went out there in tough conditions and really brought the [required] rate and momentum back in our favour. Those are the impactful innings that I want to see from Riyan," he said.
Sangakkara said that Riyan's batting skill is "not questionable at all" and it could take batters a while sometimes to get in touch.
"So all I want to do is enjoy his batting, and you cannot bat like a captain. You have to bat like Riyan Parag, the batter, and you are only captaining when you are fielding. So that separation of roles and to go and bat without any pressure, any expectations, and do what the side requires is what he is concentrating on, and he showed good signs in the last game," he added.
RR will next face Delhi Capitals at their home ground as they continue their push for a playoff spot in the tournament.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals Squad: Sahil Parakh, KL Rahul(w), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel(c), Dushmantha Chameera, Kyle Jamieson, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Auqib Nabi Dar, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Abishek Porel, Lungi Ngidi, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Pathum Nissanka, Rehan Ahmed, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Karun Nair
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Raj Punja, Ravi Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Shimron Hetmyer, Adam Milne, Aman Rao Perala, Vignesh Puthur, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sushant Mishra, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma.
(ANI)
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