A Royal WARNEing

Posted by Abhijeet in IPL on 03 27th, 2010 | no responses

yusuf The IPL teams competing for a berth in the semis were given a warning on Friday by the Rajasthan when they crushed the defending champions Hyderabad with a thoroughly clinical performance. It was a good all-round show by the Rjasthan; first restricting the star-studded DC batting line-up to a modest 148 and then chasing it down in a hurry. The performance showed that RR is a team which cannot be considered as weak side despite the loss of some key players.

The bowlers did the job for the Rajasthan picking up wickets at regular intervals. Their bowling performance once again reiterated the importance of picking up wickets and that picking up wickets is the best way of restricting any batting line-up. Shaun Tait seems to be back in form with a brilliant spell of 3 for 22 in his 4 overs. Warne was brilliant as ever slowing his pace down and inviting the batsmen into foul strokes. The wicket of Gibbs where he got him stumped was a delight to watch. Also, Hyderabad let themselves down by poor running between the wickets and lost two of their key batsmen through run-outs.

Having been restricted to a small total, it was always going to be difficult for the Hyderabad to force a win. Their bowling does not have the fire power to deliver the goods in such situations. They needed someone like Keamer Roach who can dislodge the batsmen with his fiery pace. It will be interesting to see if he gets selected for Hyderabad’s next match.

Lumb and Ojha provided a rollicking start by putting up a partnership of 55 in quick time. After the opening stand there was no looking back for the Royals. Lumb seems to be improving with each game and has easily stepped into Graeme Smith’s big shoes. Yusuf Pathan was promoted up the order and he didn’t disappoint the crowd, smashing 34 ball 73 with 8 monstrous hit over boundary ropes. He sealed the game for Rajasthan. Rajasthan took just 15 overs to chase down the score and the win would certainly help their net run rate which will be crucial as the tournament progresses.

Three consecutive wins and the momentum is back with Rajasthan. They are a dangerous unit now and are blending brilliantly. Each player seems to be clear with his role in team. One area where the Royals can improve is to identify a batsman who can anchor the innings and can stay till the end. Hope Warne and his men continue to create the magic as in last 3 matches. There is still a long way to go but their winning run has certainly made the IPL more interesting.

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