"That was baffling" - Deep Dasgupta on RR not bowling Obed McCoy in the 19th over of SRH run chase

Deep Dasgupta feels Rajasthan Royals (RR) erred tactically by not bowling Obed McCoy in the 19th over of SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) run chase in their IPL 2023 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, May 7.

The former cricketer emphasized that RR missed the trick by handing the ball to the inexperienced Kuldip Yadav over McCoy, who has done well in the death overs for them in the past.

Dasgupta suggested that Sanju Samson and Co. failed to utilize the left-arm pacer's overs well in the contest. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo after RR's four-wicket defeat, Deep Dasgupta explained:

"The biggest talking point would be the utilization of Obed McCoy. For the 19th over, you have got Obed McCoy, who is a death-over specialist. He doesn't bowl the 19th or the 20th over. The 19th over was the crucial one, and you get a youngster to come in and bowl. That was baffling. I thought it would be either Sandeep Sharma or Obed."

The penultimate over brought SRH back into the contest. Hyderabad required 41 runs in the final two overs. Glenn Phillips took left-arm pacer Yadav to the cleaners, hitting a hat-trick of sixes followed by a four. While he was dismissed on the fifth ball, the team accumulated 24 crucial runs.

Obed McCoy, who came into the RR side as an impact player after the end of 13 overs, conceded 13 runs from his single over.

During the discussion, former Australian cricketer Tom Moody pointed out that McCoy bowled well for Rajasthan at the back end in the previous season. He opined that RR need to give the seamer at least one over early on, elaborating:

"He [McCoy] had a good campaign last year and was part of helping them get to the final with some excellent death overs that he produced. He has been out of the tournament up to this point.

"I think he carried an injury for the early parts of it, but he has been up and running and has been ready to go for some time now. If I am a captain or a coach in that situation, I'd be thinking, 'Well, it's really important that I get him into the contest quite early'. So I'd be giving him at least an over in the first ten."

Sanju Samson and Co. ultimately suffered a heartbreaking loss after Sandeep Sharma bowled a no-ball when SRH required five runs to win from the final ball. Abdul Samad hit a stunning six under pressure on the free hit to steer his team to victory.

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"After breaks, you want to set the tone and take control" - Tom Moody on RR bringing Murugan Ashwin into the attack after timeout

Tom Moody further highlighted that Rajasthan missed a trick by bringing in leg spinner Murugan Ashwin into the attack straightaway after a strategic timeout. He gave away 19 runs from the 14th over, which shifted the momentum back in Hyderabad's favor.

The veteran coach claimed that RR should have given the ball to someone like Yuzvendra Chahal or Obed McCoy at that stage. He emphasized that it is important to bring in your best bowler after a break.

"The baffling over for was straight after the strategic timeout, I think it was the 14th over, where Murugan Ashwin bowled," Moody said. "Yuzvendra Chahal had only bowled two overs at that point. Generally, after breaks, you want to set the tone and take control of that moment.

"The options for that over would have to have been Yuzvendra Chahal or Obed McCoy. No one else on that list needed to bowl that first over after that strategic timeout because they had the overs to burn and they are the specialists. That over went for 19 and changed the momentum of the game."

Notably, Rajasthan have lost five of their last six fixtures. They are currently placed fourth in the points table with five wins and six losses to their name.