Rajasthan Royals’ fast bowler Trent Boult humorously shared his plan for dismissing Rohit Sharma in the MI vs. RR game at Wankhede Stadium on April 1st. Boult excelled in the powerplay, removing Rohit for a golden duck, contributing to RR’s third straight win.
After putting pressure on Ishan Kishan from the outset, Boult faced off against Rohit in the penultimate delivery of the first over. With a history of success against the star batsman, Boult quickly induced an outside edge, which RR captain Sanju Samson brilliantly caught diving to his right.
“Yeah, I had planned that ball, I’m joking. I have played against Rohit many a time and I am pretty sure he knows what I do and I think I know what he does. So, just mix it up. Nice to see the nick and it was a great catch by Sanju as well,” Trent Boult told Riyan Parag in a post-match interaction.
Boult continued his impressive performance by dismissing Naman Dhir LBW on the following delivery. He then claimed the wicket of Dewald Brevis for a golden duck, completing three wickets within the powerplay itself.
“It was nice to see the ball swinging around a bit, nice facilities here in Mumbai. A little different than our beautiful Jaipur. We had to win the toss and put the ball in the right areas, and get some early wickets, so that is always our recipe to succeed and it is a crucial two points, it was a good game,” Boult added.
Boult received the Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance, finishing with figures of 3-22, which limited MI to a modest total of 125-9 in the first innings.
“The situation felt quite familiar to me, given my experience playing for Assam”- Riyan Parag on rescuing RR
Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag found himself in a familiar challenging position once more at his new No. 4 position. Coming in with the score at 42-2 in the fifth over, Parag faced an over from Jasprit Bumrah immediately to end the powerplay for RR.
Similar to his innings against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in Jaipur, he took his time to get accustomed to the conditions. With the required run rate not posing an immediate threat, he had the luxury to settle in and accelerate later on.
“I think I found the situation very familiar, because of where I play for Assam. So, I have faced a lot of situations like this, and the wickets in domestic are a lot trickier than this.”
“So, when Jos bhai got out and then Ash bhai got out later, I was like, ‘ Okay, this is what I have been doing for the last three to four months,” Parag said.
Parag topped the run-scoring charts and recorded the most sixes in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy towards the end of 2023. He also performed well in the Ranji Trophy leading up to the IPL season.
Despite favourable batting conditions, Parag had to restrain himself from attacking the bowlers due to the circumstances. Another wicket during the middle overs, particularly after Buttler’s dismissal, could have provided MI with an opportunity to stage a comeback in the match.
“It is difficult to rein it in and respect the scoreboard. Piyush was my matchup tonight and for the first three overs, I did not try to hit him for even one six.”
”So, it is tough, you have got to keep that temptation to yourself because there is a bigger picture here. Winning two points is way more crucial than me satisfying my ego by hitting a six,” Parag added.
RR will take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their upcoming match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, April 6th.
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