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Yusuf Pathan powers Royals to easy win

G. Viswanath

This win takes Warne’s side to the top of the league with six wins

— Photo: Sandeep Saxena

LAUNCHPAD: Opener Yusaf Pathan got Rajasthan Royals, in pursuit of a fairly modest target, off to a flier.

Jaipur: Batting with gusto, Yusuf Pathan a secured Rajasthan Royals its sixth win in the IPL that has placed the Jaipur team on top of the DLF-IPL table. Graeme Smith seemed glad to play the supporting role, as Pathan went about his business, smashing fours and sixes.

The men in Royal blues have evidently found the conditions at the Sawai Mansingh stadium quite to its favour, and it was no different on Friday. Its home record has been without a blemish so far. Moreover, no other team in the eight team league has recorded six wins, though the Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings may follow suit anytime.

The home team lost the openers, but yet it crossed the finishing line with plenty of overs to spare and notch up its second win against the Deccan Chargers. Indications are that the Hyderabad team will struggle to stage a comeback.

Once Adam Gilchrist was sent back after a stroke-filled half century, it became clear that Royals would put its resources to optimum use. Once the opponent had been restricted to 140, Pathan and Smith completed the job at hand untroubled.

Smart move

Shane Warne made a smart move in choosing to open with the aggressive Pathan (61, 9x4s, 2x6s) ahead of regular opener Niraj Patel. Winning the match was a mere formality once Pathan and Smith had raised 109.

Earlier, Gilchrist had given Chargers a flying start with a flurry of shots that included a towering six over mid wicket. Gilchrist began another crucial match for the Hyderabad team with flowing cover drive and a slash over point off Sohail Tanvir.

When fellow Australian Shane Watson bounded in from the top of his none too long run up, the left-hander brought his bottom hand into play and flicked from front of his pad for the first big boundary of the match. Nothing daunts a man with a 100 sixes under his belt in Test cricket and plenty of it more in one-day internationals. Tanvir suffered as the powerful left hander, intent on dominating the attack, played with common sense after attempting a rash shot off the Pakistani left hander. The pick-up shot off Watson that soared well over the on-side reflected his complete domination over the variety of bowlers Warne tried in the first ten overs.

Admirable captaincy

But once Gilchrist departed in the 14th over, the Chargers’ hopes of a posting a formidable total was wrecked by another spirited undertaking from the home team, once again admirably led by Warne. Chargers made just 43 runs, lost five wickets in the last 39 balls.

Warne’s direct hit to run Rohit Sharma out was the turning point that restricted Chargers to 140.

Probably under instructions to safeguard his wicket in the first few overs, South African Herschelle Gibbs eschewed all wanton displays and proved an ideal foil to Chargers’ bright start. Warne bowled a lovely leg break that drew the right-hander forward. Gibbs survived after third umpire Steve Davis decided that his back foot was sufficiently in before Rawat had flicked the bails off.

Gibbs’s 20-ball essay — Smith had dropped him on five — had two good shots, the second one off Munaf Patel being firmly hit. But the bowled had his revenge off the next ball.

Gilchrist, leading in the team for the second time in the absence of an injured V.V.S. Laxman, had done much of the hard work for Chargers to start off at over seven an over.

But Royals, which did not find a place for Dimitri Mascarenhas, took control of the first session after Scott Styris gifted his wicket to off spinner Yusuf Pathan.

The scores:

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist c Rawat b Trivedi 61, H. Gibbs c Rawat b Patel 19, S. Styris c Warne b Pathan 13, R. Sharma run out 5, S. Afridi c Patel b Warne 1, S. Bangar c Rawat b Watson 3, R. Teja lbw b Warne 6, V. Rao (not out) 23, R.P. Singh run out 2, P. Ojha (not out) 1, Extras (lb-4, nb-1,w-1) 6; Total (for eight in 20 overs) 140.

Fall of wkts: 1-61, 2-88, 3-97, 4-100, 5-105, 6-105, 7-126, 8-130.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Tanvir 4-0-39-0, Watson 3-0-22-1, Patel 4-0-28-1, Warne 4-0-20-2, Pathan 2-0-19-1, Trivedi 3-0-8-1

Rajasthan Royals: G. Smith c Ojha b R.P. Singh 40, Y. Pathan c Gibbs b Ojha 68, M. Kaif (not out) 17, S. Watson (not out) 5, Extras (b-1, w-10) 11; Total (for two in 16 overs) 141.

Fall of wkts: 1-109, 2-133

Deccan Chargers b owling: Vijaykumar 1-0-10-0, R.P. Singh 4-0-24-1, Styris 2-0-14-0, Ojha 4-0-47-1, Afridi 2-0-10-0, Bangar 2-0-20-0, Rao 1-0-15-0.

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