New Chandigarh, April 29 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals (RR) finisher Donovan Ferreira opened up on his on-field conversation with Shubham Dubey, revealing how a simple message of watching the ball properly helped power their match-winning partnership against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the PCA New International Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing a daunting 223, RR were under pressure with the required rate hovering between 10 and 12. However, Ferreira and Dubey stitched together an unbeaten 77-run stand off just 32 balls, dismantling the Punjab Kings bowling attack to seal a six-wicket win in 19.2 overs and hand PBKS their first defeat of the season.

“Especially with Shubham, I just said to him, you know, he’s really talented and really skilful, and it just amazes me how simply he just keeps it out there. So I just kept on telling him to just watch the ball and just back his skills because his boundary-hitting ability is amazing,” Ferreira said in a video released by Rajasthan Royals on X.

Ferreira also revealed there was little time to prepare mentally before walking in to bat. “To be fair, there was no discussion, because I just padded up and then came down, and Sango said I’m in next, and then I think like two minutes later, Yashasvi Jaiswal lost his wicket, so there wasn’t much time to reflect or to think about it. But yeah, I just know for myself… I just need to give myself a bit of time, and the game dictates what needs to happen,” he explained.

Earlier in the chase, 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave RR a flying start with 43 off 16 balls, while Jaiswal added a brisk 51. Despite a brief slowdown triggered by Yuzvendra Chahal, the Royals stayed within touching distance of the target.

Ferreira emphasised that the chase never felt out of control despite the steep target. “No, to be honest, I didn’t, because we kept the rate at around 10 to 12… it wasn’t like the rate was climbing and climbing and didn’t ever get higher than 12, so for us, we didn’t really feel like we were behind the ball.

“I just said… we need to keep our intent up; make sure if it’s a good ball, we could run a two as well. Don’t undervalue that, because sometimes in that situation, you lose your shape when you just try and hit sixes the whole time,” Ferreira added.

Reflecting on the team effort, Ferreira credited the collective mindset in the middle, which never let the pressure build in the chase despite a big target.

“As I say, I think it was really controlled; it never felt like we were under pressure… that was because the guys were putting the team first. And I think it’s important that we just keep the momentum going and, you know, when it’s your day, make sure you put up your hand and win the game for the team,” he concluded.

–IANS

sds/bc