Don't want Rajasthan Royals to go down same path like 2023 where they started brilliantly and then fell in the hole: Tom Moody

Kuldeep Yadav was the star of the night in the Lucknow vs Delhi clash as he was responsible for getting crucial breakthroughs for the visitors and finished with phenomenal figures of 3/20 in four overs. Tom Moody lauded the spinner's performance and called him an absolute gem.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sports Cricket Live, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody spoke on Kuldeep Yadav’s performance last night. “Yeah, the delivery to Nicholas Pooran was an absolute gem. You're talking about one of the most informed players, not only inside the field but over the last 12 months in this format of the game. And to get him first ball was an absolute peach of a delivery. And great to see him back into the side. And I think it's important for Delhi as well because he's such a significant part of their bowling attack. 

And you can really see when he wasn't playing when he was out with a slight groin injury, they were nowhere near the side. They just didn't have the teeth in their attack, particularly in those middle overs, which he owns. So a great result for him to come back and strike straight away with some wickets and also get a win.”

Michael Clarke spoke on the importance of having Kuldeep Yadav in the team. “Yeah, for sure. I think Delhi brought him back earlier as well. I'm not sure he's 100% fit. When he walked off the field, you could see he was limping a little bit. But it showed us where Delhi is at. And I think it's the right call. If he's close enough, he's fit enough. I think they are a different team from him. He's been growing for a long time, I reckon. I think he's not a big spinner of the ball. It's when he uses his wrong'un and it's his control.

Bowling out the back of the hand is the hardest art as a spin bowler. You've got a lot more control out the front. But he's so accurate for someone out the back of the hand. That's such a weapon to have. And then his wrong'un is hard. I don't think many players pick his googly at all. Marcus Stoinis didn't pick it tonight. Obviously, Pooran didn't pick it either through the gate. So many weapons, but he's so accurate.”

Clarke spoke on Prithvi Shaw’s importance in the side, “Yeah, look I think him being back in the team again helps Dave Warner or helps him as Fraser McGurk comes in on the threshold. Those two were really good today. Sort of running off each other, both looking for the boundary. You know, a bit of that competition. If you can hit a four, I'm going to hit a six. So, yeah, I think he's an important player, Prithvi Shaw. There's no doubt about it. Everyone wants to see him be more consistent. I think we love the way he plays. He's so talented, so gifted. It's just now that consistency, the more he can do it, I think, again, the better Delhi will continue to go.”

Tom Moody added, “Yeah, for me, if he can get a 30 or a 40 off 15, 25 balls, he's done his job. That's the way the game's going. I think too often people look at this game and think, oh, well, he hasn't got a 50 or he hasn't got a 100. To me, you know, Shaw's best role is an impact player. Go in there, go at a strike rate of high hundreds, if not into the 200s, and do the damage early because you're then going to put the opposition on the back foot. 

You're going to raffle them and we've got the cavalry behind to be able to make sure we can take advantage of that. And that's the way he should be celebrated. You know, he's got the game to be able to do that. If he's questioning playing that positive brand, he's then going to be questioning the way, should I start, should I go, where should I go with my game? So keep doing what you're doing because, you know, it's good to see him out there scoring runs.”

Moody spoke on Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals. “Yes, absolutely, and whenever I think of Punjab, all I think of is Shashank, and what he has done over the last couple of years. The one that played at Sunrisers Hyderabad a few years back. But isn't it a great story, that? And, you know, got one over the line against GT, just fell short against Sunrisers. I think it's going to be a really interesting game because Rajasthan, I think, were shocked at their loss.

You know, they're running high, and I don't want to say too early, but it's nearly... You don't want them to go down the same path that they did last year where they started the season so brilliantly well and then just fell in the hole. I don't think that's going to happen as such. They've learned a lot from last year. But this is a threat because Punjab are punching above their weight at the moment, and they're at home. They like playing at this new venue. Arshdeep is back in some form, swinging that new ball. So there's a few things going in Punjab's favour here.”

Clarke spoke on Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals. “They’re expected to win Rajasthan, which creates pressure. So I think that allows Punjab to go and play with freedom. Again, leave nothing in the tank. Try and win the game from ball one, whether you bat first, or bowl first. Rajasthan need to perform better than they did in their last game, and they'll want to get back to their winning ways. Again, no matter how good your team is, momentum goes both ways. When you're winning, you want it. When you're losing, you don't want to go back-to-back losses. So, yeah, I think Rajasthan will turn up in the right attitude, and they'll want to make things right after their loss the other day.”