Brief scores:
Rajasthan Royals 154/6 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 36; Jason Holder 3-33)
lost to
Sunrisers Hyderabad 156/2 in 18.1 overs (Manish Pandey 83*, Vijay Shankar 52*) by 8 wickets
Manish Pandey (83*) and Vijay Shankar (52*) forged together an unbeaten 140 to anchor Sunrisers Hyderabad's 155-run chase against Rajasthan Royals, tormentor Jofra Archer's breathtaking initial spurt notwithstanding. Procuring two vital points keeps SRH in the mix for the play-offs as they usurp Kings XI Punjab to the fifth spot courtesy better net-run-rate on Thursday, October 22 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Nowhere to hide versus Jofra's thunderbolts
Going for the kill upfront was RR's best bet against an order boasting of tonnes of explosiveness. The boxes were ticked like a dream with Jofra Archer spearheading the new-ball charge and two personnel manning the slip cordon, a sight as rare in the shortest version as hen's teeth. The speed demon has for long had Warner on toast, and tonight was another rendition of his undisputed hegemony as Ben Stokes in second slip plucked a stunner to grab hold of the southpaw's timid waft.
Smith left pondering what-ifs
Jonny Bairstow was bowled neck and crop soon after to a bewitching inducker that had his name written on it. Generally, the wiser when marshalling his troops, Steve Smith's tactics came under the scanner as he decided against giving Archer a third over inside the PowerPlay, where a couple of further dents could've pushed RR in the driving seat. "Should've gone for it in hindsight", expressed the losing captain when enquired about his thought process behind the seemingly game-changing moment.
Make some noise for the desi boys
Manish Pandey's name probably isn't high on the agenda when rival teams host a meeting to devise the bowling plans ahead of a tie against SRH. Rest assured, that won't be the case from now onwards. He welcomed Kartik Tyagi into the attack with consecutive flashes to the cover fence before hoisting Ben Stokes for a pair of sweetly-timed maximums. Shreyas Gopal's zooter did wrap him on the back pad while creating room for a cut, although the impact being outside the off-stump saved his nose.
Meanwhile, Vijay Shankar furnished his designated role of an enabler to absolute perfection. He kept the good cherries at bay and ticked the scoreboard along with a steady accumulation of ones and twos, scampering hell for leather when the ball grazed its way into the empty pockets. The lofted inside out drives he caressed off Shreyas Gopal would have done his confidence a world of good.
The curtains were drawing thick and fast on RR's vigil as the partnership stretched beyond the 100-run mark in the 15th over. The equation of 37 runs sought from 30 deliveries was reduced to a joke by Shankar, who peeled three mesmerizing boundaries with a free-flowing swing of the willow. It was only fitting that he pulled Tyagi via cow corner to not only raze his team home but also acknowledge his first half-century of the ongoing edition.
Holder dons the SRH match jersey
Lynchpin Kane Williamson being unavailable for unspecified reasons led to Jason Holder registering his maiden exploit of the season. And boy he made his presence felt. RR refrained from heedless chopping and changing and staked money on the winning combination.
Robbie is his own worst enemy
Robin Uthappa was granted a fair crack to prove that the fire is still burning during the early days of the campaign. The faith wasn't repaid and he was assigned to shuttling drinks. He got some runs under his belt last week, but nothing that could be termed as earth-shattering. Today was another chance to prove his mettle and cement his position in the side, and it came at the expense of Jos Buttler at the top, but Uthappa kicked the gift horse in the mouth. Having oozed class for his 13-ball 19, he jetted off in pursuit of a non-existent single as Holder spelt doom with an agile direct hit in follow-through.
Frailing Rajasthan cop triple whammy
Ben Stokes blew hot and cold en route his scratchy 30, bidding goodbye to the serene shores of timing and placement to enforce his authority. He flirted with danger, quite unabashedly, surviving a missed run-out and a bungled chance in the deep. A few jaws must've dropped to the floor when Sanju Samson biffed Holder over mid-wicket, but the overseas signing deceptively rolled his fingers across the seam to clip the zing bails off. Rashid Khan cleaned up straggler Stokes while Vijay Shankar hit a jackpot with Buttler's dismissal to leave RR in the quest of a surge at 110/4.
Cometh the hour, cometh Holder
Riyan Parag hoarded 15 off Thangarusu Natarajan's 18th over, albeit Holder prizing out both the youngster and skipper Steve Smith in the momentum-thwarting penultimate to bring tears to RR's eyes. Jofra Archer's flexed his muscles to a quickfire 16, but a skimpy total was all they could muster given the incompetence of their big guns.
Next on the menu-card
SRH have a day's space to bask in the glory before duty calls again on Saturday afternoon to wrestle cuffs with Kings XI Punjab, a chalk horse which has almost supernaturally transformed into an all-flaying unicorn of late.
RR should leave the mathematics to statisticians and focus on emerging victorious in whatever they have remaining on the plate. The centre of the points table is no less than a fish market at this point and each rubber from here on awaits with a do-or-die tag attached. Mumbai Indians, beware of Jofra Archer's rage on Sunday, October 25.
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