"He needed to go in the middle of the game" - Tom Moody on KL Rahul batting at No. 11 vs RCB match
Tom Moody feels that Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul should not have walked out to bat at No. 11 in the team's run chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Ekana Cricket Stadium on Monday.
Rahul wasn't fit to open the innings for LSG, given that he injured his hamstring while fielding earlier in the game. The Lucknow skipper, however, came out to bat after the Super Giants lost their ninth wicket.
Moody suggested that the move didn't make much sense in the context of the game. He claimed that Rahul should have come in a bit earlier when LSG still had a chance of chasing down the 127-run target set by RCB.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after Lucknow's 18-run defeat, Tom Moody explained:
"I can't really understand. If he [KL Rahul] was going to go in, he needed to go in the middle of the game and see if he could hopefully hit three or four boundaries. But walking out when he did, it's more pride. As captain, he's got pride in his performance and his team."
During the video, former Indian cricketer Deep Dasgupta mentioned that it wasn't possible for Rahul to win the match for his team when he came to bat in the 19th over.
"Top of the order, you would imagine that you are going to chase it," Deep said. "You weren't thinking of even KL Rahul batting or needing him to bat. But last over, looking at 23 off six, maybe four sixes if it comes off. You would expect that with KL, he has got that ability, but obviously, it was going to be difficult. He wasn't running so there was no chance."
Not a piece of good news for Lucknow Super Giants, KL Rahul looks in immense pain.
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While Rahul is expected to remain out of action for at least a few matches in IPL 2023, there is still no official update from the LSG camp regarding the status of his injury.
"There will be phone calls to the LSG support staff going from the BCCI doctors" - Deep Dasgupta on KL Rahul's injury
Deep Dasgupta further added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) physios will contact the LSG team management soon to understand the nature KL Rahul's injury.
He opined that there might not have been a muscle tear, as he would not have walked out to bat in such a case, elaborating:
"I am sure there will be phone calls to the LSG support staff going from the BCCI doctors, trying to figure out how KL Rahul is doing and what is the extent of that injury. I hope it is a strain and not a tear. If it had been a tear, I don't think he would be walking out, even for those last six deliveries."
Tom Moody mentioned that if Rahul is ruled out, it will be a massive blow for the Lucknow-based side. He noted that apart from losing their captain, they will also be without a proven campaigner who has scored over 500 runs in a season consistently.
"You are losing a captain first and foremost, and then losing a player who has historically scored 500 plus a year. Forget this injury, if he wasn't injured, there's still no reason why he couldn't reach that 500-mark.
"Some half-centuries and a century in there, he is suddenly in Orange Cap territory again. It is a massive loss. But it creates an opportunity for someone else to grab" Moody added.
LSG will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their forthcoming IPL 2023 encounter at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, May 3.