Rajasthan Royals head coach Andrew McDonald feels that Steve Smith is ready for the captaincy of RR in this edition of the IPL. He has been in contact with the Australian batsman who will tour England for a white ball series and has stated to his coach that was looking forward to stepping back into the leadership role.
Rajasthan Royals had traded captain Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi capitals this term and appointed Steve Smith as the captain. The 13th edition of IPL was originally scheduled to kick off from March 29 was postponed indefinitely after April 15 due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the nation. The postponing of the World Cup to 2021 gave the IPL a window to be conducted in September.
Andrew McDonald trusts Steve Smith’s as the leader of the team
The Australian coach who represented RCB in 11 matches in the IPL is all praises for his fellow countryman captain of Rajasthan Royals and feels he is the right man leading the team. He stated he is looking forward to work with Smith who he has known for long.
“I’ve known him for quite a while now and am really looking forward to working with him. He’s really looking forward to stepping back into that leadership role. It’s an interesting challenge for him too and I feel comfortable that we’ve got the right man leading the charge,” Andrew McDonald stated.
Andrew Mcdonald on England and Australia players:
The RR head coach hopes that the players returning from the England-Australia series will be ready to hit the ground running in top form. RR squad members Steve Smith, Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Tom Curran will travel to UAE on 17th September to join with their squad.
“We’re really hopeful that they turn up in great shape and are ready to go. In theory, it should be a bonus for us because they’d be ready, and that’s one thing the other players will be chasing during this preparation phase -to be skill ready and match ready through practice games and intra-squad games. But we also know that it isn’t always the same as the intensity level of an IPL game,” he added.
The IPL 2020 will begin from September 19 till November 10, a total 53-day campaign will see all the 8 teams play in UAE. The venue this time is UAE and matches will be played in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.