IPL 2022: "His captaincy wasn't up to the mark" - Virender Sehwag pinpoints RCB skipper Faf du Plessis' tactical error in IPL 2022 Qualifier 2

Former India batter Virender Sehwag has criticized Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis after their Qualifier 2 clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday. He stated that the South African did not utilize Josh Hazlewood properly during their seven-wicket loss.

Speaking on Cricbuzz, Sehwag mentioned that RCB gave Josh Hazlewood the second and the sixth over against RR in the second innings. He suggested that they could have given him three overs upfront, as he has the knack of picking wickets with the new ball.

He opined that du Plessis understands the game well and doesn't make such errors on the field. However, as per Sehwag, he might have held Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga back thinking that the game could've gone deep.

Sehwag said:

"Josh Hazlewood bowled the second over and then came back directly in the sixth over, where he prodived the side with a breakthrough. You cannot hold back your wicket-taker like this. If I was the captain, I would have started with Hazlewood and have given him 3 overs upfront because they could have only won the match by dismissing RR's top-order batters."

He added:

"Faf du Plessis' captaincy wasn't up to the mark today as he brought in the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga quite late. He generally doesn't make such mistakes and is a good reader of the game."

RCB managed to post a below par total of 157 after being asked to bat first at the Narendera Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler played attacking cricket in the powerplay and helped their side get off to a flyer during the run chase.

Speaking in the same video, Parthiv Patel said that RCB lost momentum early as Mohammed Siraj conceded 16 runs from the first over. He reckoned that it wasn't a smart move to give him that over as he has struggled for from this season.

Patel explained:

"RCB started with Mohammed Siraj, who hasn't had a great season. They lost momentum because of that as it is important to attack in the first three overs when you are defending a target like this. RCB were a little defensive in their approach."

Siraj gave away 31 runs from his two overs in the crucial tie. The bowler has failed to make an impact in this year's cash-rich league and has bowled at an economy rate of 10.08. He has managed to pick up nine wickets from his 15 appearances.

---

"He must score big runs if he wants to play for India" - Virender Sehwag on RR's Yashasvi Jasiwal after knock against RCB

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 21 runs from just 13 deliveries in the IPL 2022 Qualifier 2 against RCB. The left-hander made his intentions clear right from the very first over as he took Mohammed Siraj to the cleaners.

Virender Sehwag lauded the southpaw for his gutsy knock and stated that he eased the pressure off Jos Buttler with his attacking approach. However, he mentioned that the youngster will have to score big runs to make it to the national side.

He said:

"Yashasvi Jaiswal released the pressure by scoring 16 runs in the first over. There wasn't any pressure on Buttler because of that. Jaiswal's cameo was an important one as he made things easier for the team's main player. He is a player who can make the most of the powerplay by playing fearless cricket. But he must score big runs if he wants to play for India. He has to show that he is hungry to score runs."

RR chased down RCB's target comfortably in the 19th over, thanks to Jos Buttler's fantastic unbeaten century. He slammed 106 runs in the knockout fixture and was the top performer with the the bat for his side.

RR will now face the Gujarat Titans in the final on Sunday, May 29.