Centurion: Jacques Kallis starred with an all-round performance as Royal Challengers Bangalore crushed underdogs Guyana by nine wickets in their opening Champions League Twenty20 match here on Sunday.
Kallis captured three wickets for 16 to play a big role in RCB skittling out Guyana for a paltry 103 after captain Anil Kumble put the opposition in and later smashed an unbeaten 43 to help his side overhaul the target with more than seven overs remaining at SuperSport Park here.
Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid, who opened the innings with Kallis, contributed 33 as RCB scored 106 in 12.2 overs to start their campaign on a winning note.
Kallis remained not out on 43 from 32 balls with the help of four fours and a six while Dravid, the only RCB batsman dismissed today, hit three fours in his 34-ball innings.
One-down Robin Uthappa chipped in with an eight-ball cameo of 25 not out which he made with the help of two fours and an equal number of sixes.
The Guyana bowlers, lacking in international exposure, failed to make any impact against the top class RCB batsmen who scored runs almost at will.
With a meager total of 104 to chase, Kallis and Dravid did not take much risk with too many shots before Uthappa ended the match in a flash by taking 21 runs in the 12th over with the help of two sixes and a four off Christopher Barnwell.
Uthappa hit the winning runs -- a four -- in the 13th over to overhaul the target.
Earlier, Kallis led a disciplined RCB bowling attack with three wickets, including two in three balls, as they shot out Guyana for 103.
Kallis claimed Guyana captain Ramnaresh Sarwan's (7) crucial wicket early in the innings before scalping two batsmen in the 16th over after Kumble elected to field after winning the toss.
Kallis (3/16) was ably supported by Kumble, Praveen Kumar and Nayan Joshi by chipping in with a wicket each as RCB bowlers tied down the Guyanese batsmen, most of whom lacking in international exposure, all through the innings.
Barnwell top-scored with a 35-ball 30 while the next highest scorer was opener Sewnarine Chattergoon with an 18.
Kumble's decision to bowl first was proved right by his pacers Dale Steyn and Kumar as the pace duo tied down Guyana batsmen with the help of some early swing.
The Guyanese could not score a boundary till the fourth over and lost their first wicket next over with Kumar removing Travis Dowlin who holed out to fine-leg fielder Steyn. In the same over, the other opener Chattergoon was dropped by Rahul Dravid while on 14.
Kumble brought in Kallis for the first time in the sixth over but he was whacked for a six by Sarwan. But the bowler had the last laugh removing Sarwan with a beautiful off cutter to leave Guyana in trouble at 34 for two.
With boundaries coming far and between, the Guyanese had to run at every opportunity they got and Cameron White pounced on one such oopportunity to run out Chattergoon with a direct throw from the covers in the eighth over.
With their top order coming a cropper against a quality RCB bowling attack, the Guyanese could only score 54 for three at the halfway mark and they failed to accelerate in the seconf half of their innings with wickets tumbling at regular interval.
Kumble, who introduced himself in the seventh over, got his first wicket in the 12th over in the form of Narsingh Deonarine (13) who holed out to Ross Taylor at deep midwicket.
Royston Crandon (5) fell in the 14th over while promising youngster Jonathan Foo disappointed as he fell in the 16th over for just one to Kallis from the six balls he faced and with that Guyana's hopes of a respectable total evaporated. But for a figting 30 from Barnwell, who fell in the last ball of their innings, Guyana would not have crossed the 100-mark. PTI
