If bowlers bossed the opening match on Saturday, it was the batters who earned plaudits in Rajasthan’s crushing seven-wicket over Chennai at Zayed Cricket Stadium. The men in pink kept their playoff hopes alive thanks to a resounding performance from the batsmen.
The thumping win helped them climb to sixth in the standings. Victories against Mumbai and Kolkata in their remaining games will help Rajasthan seal a place in the top four. Chennai, meanwhile, would have been disappointed not to register a tenth win, which could have put them on the brink of finishing top of the points table.
After some fine knocks in the UAE leg, Ruturaj Gaikwad brought up his maiden T20 hundred. The 24-year-old, who became the seventh Chennai player to hit a hundred, went all guns blazing in the middle overs and reached the milestone with a six in the last ball of the innings. Shivam Dube struck a fantastic 64 off just 42 balls. It was the 28-year-old’s first half-century in the Indian T20 League. Yashasvi Jaiswal set the tone for the run chase after a scintillating 19-ball half-century, the fastest by a Rajasthan player.
Rajasthan slightly ahead
Sanju Samson won the toss and put Chennai in to bat first. The inaugural champions made five changes from the defeat as Glenn Phillips, David Miller, Dube, Mayank Markande, and Akash Singh replaced Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, and Kartik Tyagi. Chennai recalled Sam Curran and gave KM Asif his first start in the 2021 season.
Rajasthan were the happier side at the halfway mark of Chennai’s innings. Rahul Tewatia dismissed Faf du Plessis for 25, while Suresh Raina continued his poor run, lasting just five balls before giving a comfortable catch to Dube at deep midwicket. Moeen Ali and Gaikwad were at the crease, with Chennai 63 on the board. Tewatia grabbed both wickets, and Rajasthan seemed to be in control.
Carnage mode activated
With plenty of wickets in hand, Chennai started to up the tempo. Gaikwad added 12 runs from Tewatia’s third, and Moeen, too, wasted no time as he punished Markande with a four and a six. In the 14th over, Gaikwad reached his fifty and Chennai’s 100. He hit back-to-back sixes in Tewatia’s fourth and final over. However, clever bowling from the spinner saw Moeen stumped by Samson for 21.
Ambati Rayudu had a short stay at the crease, but the 36-year-old witnessed Gaikwad ripping apart Akash. He hit consecutive fours and cleared the ropes in the next delivery. The pacer conceded 17 off his last six balls. Samson brought Chetan Sakariya into the attack. He gave away just eight runs and dismissed Rayudu.
Gaikwad moved to 95 after taking Mustafizur to the cleaners. At the other end, Jadeja, too, was creating havoc for the Rajasthan bowlers. Mustafizur’s final over turned out to be a disaster for his side. Jadeja, who steered the first ball to the boundary, got down on one knee and struck a six and a four too. Gaikwad hit a mammoth six in the final ball of the innings and celebrated his first-ever T20 hundred. Chennai, who scored 126 off the last ten overs, finished on 189.
Too hot to handle
Josh Hazlewood and Sam Curran were at the receiving end of some staggering batting by the Rajasthan openers. Jaiswal got off the mark with a four and crushed three boundaries in Hazlewood’s first over. Lewis, taking a cue from Jaiswal, dispatched Curran for a six and followed it up with a four. The Englishman conceded another boundary in the over as Rajasthan moved 41/0 after just 18 balls.
MS Dhoni threw the ball to Thakur, but Lewis continued the assault. Meanwhile, Jaiswal registered a 19-ball half-century. Hazelwood was torn apart by the youngster, who belted three sixes and a four. The Aussie conceded 22 runs in his second over. The scorecard read 75/0 in five overs. Both openers were dismissed in quick succession as Lewis holed out to Hazlewood at fine leg. Asif grabbed a wicket in his first delivery to send Jaiswal back to the pavilion.
Dube special
Dube, playing his first match in the UAE leg, went after Chennai’s spinners. He took Jadeja and Moeen to the cleaners. Curran, too, was not spared by the all-rounder. Samson focused on rotating the strike and punishing poor deliveries. Dube clinched his maiden Indian T20 League half-century in 31 balls. Despite losing Samson, Rajasthan wrapped up the chase with the help of Dube and debutant Phillips. The duo saw them home with 15 balls remaining.
Chennai 189/4 in 20 overs (R Gaikwad 101*, R Jadeja 32*; R Tewatia 3/39)
Rajasthan 190/3 in 17.3 overs (S Dube 64*, Y Jaiswal 50; S Thakur 2/30)
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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