“Rubbish, he is a batter” - Simon Doull slams Rajasthan Royals’ poor tactics against KKR

Former New Zealand cricketer and commentator Simon Doull has slammed Riyan Parag and the Rajasthan Royals team management for their poor tactics used in their game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Wednesday, March 26.

Interestingly, RR used their batter Shimron Hetmyer at No.8, which raised the eyebrows of many. While the Rajasthan batters staged a collapse, Hetmyer couldn’t create an impact, coming in at the lower middle-order, scoring only seven off eight balls.

"Why are they protecting Shimron Hetmyer? What was the money they retained him for, they retained him for 11 crore, and he batted at No.8. He bats at No.3 or No.4 at different times for Guyana. I mean, you can get pigeonholed into a position where, 'Oh, he's a finisher'. Rubbish, he's a batter," Simon Doull said on Cricbuzz.

Surprisingly, Impact Player Shubham Dubey, who had a decent time in the middle against SRH, was brought in to bat ahead of Hetmyer, which didn’t go down well with the former Kiwi cricketer. He added that RR should’ve gone with Hetmyer and Archer before using their Impact Player.

"You are using your resources before you need to by sending in your impact sub. It's really poor planning from RR. In the first couple of games, there's been some different strategies and decisions that I have not agreed with at all, and to bring him (Dubey) in ahead of Hetmyer, you are using that resource of yours. What if Hetmyer comes in at No.5 and gets some runs, puts a partnership together with Jurel? All of a sudden, you don't need Shubham Dubey. I mean, nine from twelve, that is not an impact. You can use Hetmyer and Archer before you even consider using your impact sub," he added.

While RR were restricted to 151/9 in 20 overs, KKR finished off the game in 17.3 overs with eight wickets in hand. Quinton de Kock was the star of the show, scoring 97* runs in 61 balls with eight fours and six sixes to take his side over the winning line.

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