Eyeing 'good game vs CSK', Dravid impressed by Parag's captaincy

Guwahati: They may have lost the first two games of the season, but there will be no lack of motivation for Rajasthan Royals to bounce back and leave Guwahati with a win under their belt.

Speaking ahead of their second and last game here at ACA Stadium before the Royals bandwagon moves to Jaipur, RR head coach Rahul Dravid said on Saturday, "It (motivation) is not difficult at all. We played up to our potential in the last two games. But they were tough games in the sense that in both the games, we did not play particularly well in the first half.

"We gave probably 30 runs extra in the game in Hyderabad on a very flat cricket. And against KKR, we probably could have scored 25 runs more in this match. So, we just need to get both parts of the game right. But it is early days in the tournament, it is just a start. There are a lot of positives as well in the last two games that we have got to see. So, it is good. And hopefully, we can play together a good game against CSK."

Asked about their stand-in skipper Riyan Parag's captaincy, Dravid sounded very pleased. "I think he has adapted really well. It's not easy to captain when your team is chasing 280 runs on a flat wicket. The first game is probably a tough game to be a captain. But I think the calmness that he showed, it didn't seem like our team was panicking," said Dravid.

"Even against KKR, his brave decision to bring himself on, realising that the wicket was turning, two left-handers (Quinton de Kock and Moeen Ali) batting, to bowl the fifth over in the powerplay, was a brave decision and a correct decision. So, he has been very impressive. He's going to learn, all of us learn. As a captain, it's nice for him to get this opportunity till Sanju (Samson) can field again.

"I've really been impressed with him, the way he's conducting, the way he's contributing, the way he's sharing his thoughts and his ideas. He's very clear, he's very sorted in that sense. Very impressive early days and it's nice for us as a team that's looking to develop people and players. It's nice that we were able to give Riyan, who was our vice-captain, a chance to captain in a few games and give him that exposure and experience," concluded Dravid.