Lucknow Super Giants fielding coach Jonty Rhodes said their skipper KL Rahul led from the front to score runs for the team–and set up the perfect platform for the big hitters to finish the innings at the end. The right-handed batter played well to score 74 runs off 56 balls for his side but ended on the losing side against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
The 30-year-old scored his first half-century of the season against Punjab Kings as he was a lone warrior from his team in the batting department.
Speaking to the media, after their close loss against Punjab Kings, Jonty Rhodes said that team was not worried about Rahul’s form in the tournament.
“When the captain’s scoring runs, the way that he plays he lays a really good platform for others to play around them, We always knew that he was just one knock away. He’s been batting in the nets superbly. He’s not the kind of player anybody worries about because we always know it’s one inning away,” Jonty Rhodes said.
Jonty Rhodes believes that KL Rahul would be satisfied with the way he played against his former team Punjab Kings as the wicket was not easy to bat in the middle.
The LSG skipper batted beautifully at one end but found no support from other batters. Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis lost wickets in quick succession in the middle overs.
He’s Led From The Front And I Think It’s Great To See That – Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes reckoned that handling captaincy might not bother KL Rahul as he enjoys leading the team from the front and added many great batters who feel the pressure when handed over the captaincy.
“The captain is someone who likes to lead from the front. He has always been a successful dominating batter in all the IPLs. Captaincy isn’t something that’s ever plagued him because before many great batters when given captaincy doesn’t quite handle it. He’s led from the front and I think it’s great to see that,” Jonty Rhodes added.
The former South African said there is no sign of worry about his form. He asserted that he is looking for fine touch in a practice session and it is only a matter of time before he scores big runs for the team.
“He’s converted some starts into runs and we don’t worry. We know the way that he practices we know what he can do and it’s only a matter of time till he scores runs,” he added.
Lucknow Super Giants got off to a superb start with the ball, but Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza shifted the game’s momentum by taking Krunal Pandya to the cleaners.
LSG had a slim chance after Punjab Kings lost Raza and Brar in the 18th and 19th overs, but their hard-hitting finisher Shahrukh Khan 23* (10) held his nerve in the last overs to win the match for his team.