Tewatia and Parag added 85 runs for the sixth wicket
If you thought Rahul Tewatia was a one-match wonder, then he proved why he wasn’t. He came to the rescue once again for the Rajasthan Royals, who finally snapped their losing streak to snatch an unlikely win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday (October 11).
He and Riyan Parag added 85 undefeated runs for the sixth wicket to finally give RR a much-needed victory after a four-game losing streak. The arrival of Ben Stokes also marked the arrival of points for them, who achieved their third victory in the tournament, chasing 159 with a ball to spare.
How did RR start that persecution, and SRH, its defense?
Building momentum from his bat finish for a defensible total, SRH came out attacking, believing they could derail the Rajasthan chase early on. Rajasthan, in a surprise move, promoted Ben Stokes, who was playing his first IPL game this season, to the starting position.
Did the move work?
No. Stokes broke a limit directly in the opening, but that was all he could get. He cut one into Khaleel Ahmed’s stumps in the next over as RR’s higher-order problems continued. Steve Smith came up short of his fold after Buttler forced a second run that wasn’t there. Buttler then brought one closer to the goalie when RR found himself reeling at 26 of 3 with the higher order failing once more.
How did the SSR hold off after that?
Robin Uthappa, who was re-elected after being shot down, joined Sanju Samson and the pair stabilized the boat, adding 37 runs for the fourth wicket. This was a golden opportunity for both hitters to dive in and score a few runs under their belt. Samson, with a series of sad scores, stepped forward and it seemed that Uthappa was also finding his feet.
SRH tightened the bolts with Rashid’s punches
With Samson in the middle, a hook joined the attack. Rashid Khan did what Rashid Khan does best: squeeze the opposition and ask questions from the first ball. He caught Uthappa’s leg earlier and broke the budding support. Warner attacked farther, throwing Rashid by a third more, and was rewarded with the window of Samson, who got caught behind.
Since 78/5, how did RR snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?
With half their team in the shed, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia staged a mighty fight for the highest sixth-field association in this IPL. They faced players like Sandeep Sharma and Rashid for costly late overs that gave RR the edge in death overs. Tewatia used the fold, hit offside and even played the ramp shot to get 45 runs on just 28 balls.
Parag, to his credit, kept his cool and took his time getting going and then shifting gears. He knocked out two fours from Sandeep in an 18-run, then crushed all six of Khaleel’s winners to earn his team a five-wicket victory. He was undefeated at 42 of 26.
Win, hit first in Dubai
The Hyderabad Sunrisers followed their established plan of hitting first on slow ground in Dubai. It was the same wicket that was used in the RCB-CSK game. They also took a similar approach as RCB did in terms of hitting in this field, with terrains in hand. They got off to a slow start though, with just 26 on the board in the power play, and they were only 63 in the middle stage.
Who kept them in the middle?
His pair of established hitters in Manish Pandey and David Warner. Although the races were hard to come by, the pair in their 73-race partnership, ran brilliantly between the wickets, keeping the score going. Warner got involved, but Pandey was scratchy for most of his hit.
How did Rajasthan keep sexual and reproductive health in check?
Throwing out immaculate lines and lengths. And with so many variations as shown today, hitters even of the caliber of Warner and Pandey were baffled. Jaydev Unadkat, who returned to the XI, threw his cutters and balls slower and mixed it well. Jofra Archer was used smartly, being brought in by the fifteenth after two early, and RR needed to break the support of the second wicket. It produced the desired effect, returning Warner for 48 of 38.
How did they get to 158 then?
Once Warner went down, Pandey shifted gears and had big hits, but fell at 18th with just 122 on the board. At that stage, even 150 seemed like a hard question for SRH to find. However, Kane Williamson and Priyam Garg secured a late flourish with up to 35 runs coming out of the final two overs when SRH finished with an even score in that wicket.
What’s next for both sides?
Rajasthan faces the capitals of Delhi on Wednesday (October 14) in Dubai, while SRH takes on CSK on Tuesday.
Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 158/4 in 20 overs (David Warner 48, Manish Pandey 54) lost to Rajasthan Royals 163/5 in 19.5 overs (Riyan Parag 42 *, Rahul Tewatia 45 *; Khaleel Ahmed 2-37, Rashid Khan 2-25 ) through five windows.
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