Rahul Tewatia (left) with Riyan Parag in action against SRH in Dubai on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals have brought their IPL 2020 journey right back on track after strings of defeat as Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag fired the pink-clad outfit to a five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Sunday.
SRH must have thought they did enough on the day to win the game as some sumptuous efforts from Khaleel Ahmed and Rashid Khan (both taking two wickets each) saw the half of the RR batting line-up back in the pavilion by the 12th over for just 78 runs on the board while chasing 159.
However, some late brisk hitting by Tewatia (45 off 28) and Parag (42 off 26) in an 86-run stand saw the match dramatically taken away from the David Warner-led team in the last five overs as the duo shared four sixes and six boundaries between them.
This came after SRH batsmen Manish Pandey (54 runs), David Warner (48) and Kane Williamson (22) took the side to 158/4 in the first innings.
Chasing 159, trouble for RR early as team’s decision to send Ben Stokes up top backfired with the southpaw getting played down for mere 5 runs in the second over. No.3 Steve Smith (5 off 6) and Jos Buttler (16 off 13) soon followed him back to the dugout with just 26 runs on the board.
Sanju Samson (26 off 25) and Robin Uthappa (18 off 15) tried rebuilding the innings with a 30-ball 37 partnership but SRH’s introduction of Rashid Khan in the ninth over quickly took the game away from RR. The 22-year-old Afghan wrist spinner removed the two Indian middle-order in successive overs as RR were left stumbling at 78/5.
However, RR fought right back into the game with Riyan Paraga and Rahul Tewatia turning the game around with some brisk hitting in the last five overs to help the side cross the finish line at the death.
Earlier in the first innnings, disciplined bowling from RR kept SRH in check, restricting them to 158 for four. Jonny Bairstow and David Warner, who had put on a big century stand in the previous match, failed to fire as an opening pair, putting on only 23.
Bairstow made 16 off 19 deliveries while skipper Warner provided the early build-up with a 48 off 38. After the early loss of Bairstow, Manish Pandey (54 off 44 deliveries) and Warner added 73 runs in 10 overs.
But it was Kane Williamson at the back-end who provided the fillip, playing an unbeaten 12-ball 22-run knock to take the team beyond 150. He was well-supported by Priyam Garg, who made 8-ball 15.
Jofra Archer picked one for 25. Kartik Tyagi and Jaydev Unadkat too picked a wicket each.
