IPL 2018: Rajasthan Royals missing Steve Smith's presence

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) have had a topsy-turvy season thus far in the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). They are hanging midway in the league table, having drooped in three out of their six games. Their next game is against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who have been in red-hot fort recently. They still have chances to qualify for the playoffs, but the road ahead won’t be a cakewalk.

They lost Steve Smith as their leader prior to the tournament, which turned out be a massive jolt for the Royals. Ajinkya Rahane was appointed as the skipper and has done reasonably well. Recently, he admitted to the fact that Steve Smith’s presence is definitely being missed by the team, but expects the team to park the disappointment aside and deliver the goods as a unit.

“I respect Steve Smith”- Ajinkya Rahane

“What’s done is done, we can’t control these things. Smith is a quality and an experienced player. Definitely, I respect Steve Smith and we miss him at RR but I always feel that cricket is a team sport and every player is equally important.” Rahane was quoted as saying by The Times of India (TOI).

Captaining is a massive responsibility and it’s not a cup of tea for every other cricketer. Apart from taking care of the interests of the team, one also has to keep the morale of the players in a healthy state. Rahane, in the exclusive interview, also spoke about the challenges encountered by a captain.

“Definitely, not only the captain, but all the players have to deal with pressure. But being a captain is definitely a bigger responsibility. Especially as an IPL team captain because there are players from all over and they have different cultural backgrounds. So you need to deal with bringing out the best in each of them while understanding their cultural background” he added.

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Here is the squad of the Royals

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