'I think Nitish should have been there' - Cheteshwar Pujara questions RR batting lineup vs DC

Pujara questions RR’s super-over strategy

Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara took a dig at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) management for sending in the wrong batters for the Super Over against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 32nd match on Wednesday. In the 20th over, RR required nine runs to win, with Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel at the crease.

They managed to bring the equation down to 2 off 1 ball while facing Mitchell Starc. However, Jurel was run out on the last ball while attempting a second run, and the match went into a Super Over. The audience was thrilled, as it was the first Super Over of the season and came after a gap of four years.

Nitish Rana had a good game, scoring 51 runs off 28 balls and playing at a strike rate of 182.14. But RR sent Hetmyer and Riyan Parag for the Super Over, which didn't seem like the correct decision. They scored just five runs in the over, and Hetmyer was run out again. The former player suggested that they could have gone with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Parag as the openers, with Rana at No. 3.

"I think Nitish should have been there in those three. But I don't know whether he should have started. I would want Jaiswal to start because of the way he bats against Mitchell Starc. I know it was the Super Over, and Starc was just trying to execute his yorkers, but there's a psychological advantage. If Yashasvi had faced a few balls, then Starc would have been under some pressure," Pujara said on ESPNcricinfo TimeOut.

Delhi clinch thriller to move closer to playoffs

Delhi Capitals held their nerve and chased down the 11-run target in just four balls, thanks to KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs’ sensible batting against Sandeep Sharma. It was the Delhi-based franchise’s fifth win of the tournament, bringing them closer to qualifying for the playoffs. Now, they need to win just three out of their remaining eight matches to officially secure a spot this season.