India batting legend Gautam Gambhir reckons that Rajasthan Royals are suffering due to the non-performance of experienced Robin Uthappa and youngster Riyan Parag and feels that unless these two turn it around, they may end up getting dropped.
Uthappa has managed 33 runs in four innings with 17 being his highest score.
“Time’s running out for both Robin Uthappa and Riyan Parag. Uthappa has not looked in any kind of form, to be honest,” Gambhir told ESPNCricinfo.
He continued, “Robin Uthappa has to deliver. There were a lot of expectations that Robin will be able to finish off games, and if not that, at least give them the momentum they need in the middle order. So, Robin needs to deliver on those expectations.”
“Riyan Parag has not looked in any kind of form either. So, obviously they have guys sitting on the bench, plus when Ben Stokes shows in, the combination will be completely different,” Gambhir added.
One of the reasons why Rajasthan have been underperforming is their over-dependency on top-order comprising Steven Smith, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson. Both Smith and Samson didn’t score runs against KKR and RCB after staring the season with successive half-centuries.
“It’s pretty tricky for them, because they are heavily dependent on Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson. If all of them go out early in one game, there are serious issues for them, so they need to rectify their middle order,” Gambhir observed.
