The Hindu : Sport : Warne, Watson fashion Royals's easy win

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Warne, Watson fashion Royals's easy win

G. Viswanath

Another disappointing performance by Kings XI Punjab

PHOTO: R. V. MOORTHY

THE ARCHITECT: Shane Watson guided Rajasthan Royals to victory with a superb knock at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.

JAIPUR: It was the day of the Australians in Royal Blue colours. First, Shane Warne's tantalising spin bowling and cunning outwitted the Kings XI Punjab batsmen and then Shane Watson's fine knock settled the issue for the home team while chasing a target of 167.

It was a splendid display that would have won Watson his captain and coach Warne's approbation. Watson (76 not out, 49b, 5x4, 5x6) amply demonstrated that wrist work was not necessary to flay the bowling and that a batsman such as him, endowed with strong shoulders and powerful arms, could thrash the bowling and unnerve the rival ranks.

After another disappointing performance by the Royals' opening pair, Watson forged a useful 51-run stand with fellow Australian Darren Lehmann and thereafter led his team to a thumping win in the company of Ravindra Jadeja, with the left-hander carting half-a-dozen big blows and staying put in the middle until the task was accomplished.

Kings XI captain Yuvraj brought back Brett Lee for a second spell, but by then Watson had done sufficient damage to make the target less imposing. Yuvraj's team suffered its second defeat and would mull over its inadequacy in the bowling department.

Aussie show

The outcome of the battle between the Royals and Kings XI at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium was firmly in the hands of an energetic bundle of Australians.

The home team had a trio in Warne, Watson and Lehmann as against the visitor's twosome in Lee and James Hopes.

First, the master leg-spinner Warne's exertions were nothing short of the monumental. He posed a challenge and scalped three Kings XI batsmen. Only a brave man, with plenty of self-belief and craftiness, would have dared to do what Warne did today.

The Royals skipper, perhaps, exceeded his own expectations to give his batsmen a less formidable shot at the target. The old fox's wiles and guile may not have been close to the days when he mesmerised the batsmen with a bagful of tricks, but the champion leg-spinner demonstrated courage, skill and grit to dash Kings XI Punjab's hopes of posting a big total.

Warne was on top of his bowling right through the fourover spell. Soon after seamer Siddharth Trivedi was hammered straight down the ground for easy boundaries by Kumar Sangakkara, the spinner grabbed the ball, flicked his hat to the umpire and went through his routine before going to the top of the bowling mark.

After Munaf Patel had made a promising start with five dot balls in the opening over, Karan Goel used his forearms to powerful use, hitting some expansive shots two of which sailed over the line. Soon, Patel hit the base of the left-hander's offstump to celebrate in style, but Sangakkara appeared to have taken command with four super shots that fetched him 20 runs off a mere eight balls.

It was now that the ace leggie took the centre-stage and ripped apart the middle-order, first controlling the swat back by Sangakkara and then inducing James Hopes for a slogsweep and hitting the back leg of the right-hander.

Calculated risk

Warne took the calculated risk of bringing on rookie legspinner Dinesh Salunkhe, who dispatched the Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene in the fourth ball of his first over.

Yuvraj began with a thundering straight drive, but was quite lucky to survive two chances - dropped on 15 by Darren Lehmann off Warne and by Mohd. Kaif at point off Trivedi. Finally, Warne took a gamble and succeeded while bringing himself back in the 17th over. He stopped the rampaging Yuvraj (57, 34b, 6x4, 3x6) who had lofted off-spinner Yusuf Pathan for two sixes.

Yuvraj's departure restricted Kings XI to 166.

The scores:

Kings XI Punjab: Karan Goel b Munaf 26, J. Hopes lbw b Warne 16, K. Sangakkara c & b Warne 20, M. Jayawardene st. Akmal b Salunkhe 2, Yuvraj lbw b Warne 57, I. Pathan b Trivedi 12, S. Sohail (run out) 4, B. Lee c Akmal b Trivedi 0, P. Chawla (not out) 24, W. Mota (not out) 1; Extras (lb-1, w-2, nb-1): 4; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 166.

Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-56, 3-64, 4-73, 5-136, 6-136, 7-136, 8-149.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Munaf 4-0-36-1, Watson 4-0-39-0, Trivedi 4-0-25-2, Warne 4-0-19-3, Salunkhe 2-0-21-1, Pankaj Singh 1-0-12-0, Y. Pathan 1-0-13-0.

Rajasthan Royals: M. Kaif c Sangakkara b Sreesanth 5, K. Akmal c Chawla b Hopes 15, Y. Pathan c & b Lee 7, S. Watson (not out) 76, D. Lehmann lbw b I. Pathan 17, R. Jadeja (not out) 36; Extras (lb-2, nb-4, w-6): 12; Total (for four wkts. in 18.1 overs): 168.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-19, 3-48, 4-99.

Kings XI Punjab bowling: Lee 4- 0-35-1, Sreesanth 3.1-0-38-1, Hopes 4-0-33-1, I. Pathan 4-0-21-1, Chawla 2-0-27-0, Mota 1-0-12-0.

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