Ahead of its clash against Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals head coach Kumar Sangakkara was asked a question about the team’s decision to hold back Shimron Hetmyer in its failed chase against Punjab Kings a few days ago.
Hetmyer, along with impact substitute Dhruv Jurel, almost pulled off an improbable chase, eventually losing by five runs.
“Hetmyer has a very specific role and he is very happy to do that role as he did last season. He is one of the best players going around in that position and we are very excited to see that he almost won the game from a very difficult position for us along with Jurel. So, we will keep believing in our strategy,” said Sangakkara.
Even though the Sri Lankan legend didn’t explain what he meant by the specific role, his side’s usage of Hetmyer on Saturday against Capitals provided us a window into their thought process.
After a rollicking start, courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, Royals’ innings lost its footing in the middle.
After skipper Sanju Samson followed Jaiswal back into the hut for a duck, at least a few would have expected Hetmyer to walk in, especially in the absence of the dropped Devdutt Padikkal.
But out came local boy Riyan Parag. A clear sign the side was holding back Hetmyer.
Parag’s stay too was short-lived and Royals were finally forced to play their Caribbean card, considering that they only had fresh-faced Dhruv Jurel left in their arsenal.
Why did Royals though attempt to shield a batter who has an IPL strike rate of 156 and an average of 41?
It comes down to one simple factor – Hetmyer hates playing spin bowling
Over his T20 career, Hetmyer has a strike rate of 147.8 when facing pace. But that number jumps off a cliff when he encounters spin bowling, falling to a lowly 112.8.
Against pace bowling in T20, the left-hander strikes a boundary every 5.1 deliveries on average, while against spin that rises to 8.2.
On Saturday, when Parag was dismissed, Capitals had just an over of spin remaining, from Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled the 15th.
Almost as if it was pre-planned, Buttler faced four of the six deliveries, leaving Hetmyer to deal with the last two. The first of which was duly defended, while the last was a loosener, pulled away by the 26-year-old for a single.
That left Royals, and Hetmyer, with five overs of pace bowling to feed on and that, was what they did.
From over 10-15, Royals were crawling, scoring just 27 runs, as a previously certain-looking 200 run-mark looked a distant dream.
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But from there on Hetmyer sparkled, scoring four sixes on the way to a 21-ball 39, as Royals harvested 69 runs in the last five overs to set a winning total of 199.
Ever since Royals nabbed him in the 2022 mega auction, Hetmyer has been used as a lower-order propellant, who ignites in ideal circumstances, helping his side both in setting totals and chasing them down.
With its clever player and game management, his team has, more often than not, ensured that he enters the game in such ideal situations, like against Capitals.
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