Everyday is Sunday for Rajasthan Royals! If you thought the Rahul Dravid-Ajinkya Rahane show against Pune Warriors was just a fluke, the one on Tuesday evening must have been an eye opener. With the duo doing a repeat of Sunday’s show, Rajasthan Royals kept their fortress intact by thrashing the hapless Delhi Daredevils by 9 wickets at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
The defeat meant that Delhi, who are eighth on the points table with just three wins from 12 games, are now officially out of the tournament and there is no possibility of the team qualifying for the playoffs.
After Australian Ben Rohrer took the Daredevils to 154 for four, it was the Dravid-Rahane partnership that put up 108 runs for the first wicket to help the hosts achieve the target with nine wickets and 13 balls to spare. This was RR’s seventh successive victory at home.
Starting from where they had left off against Pune, the opening pair gave their opponents some lessons in batting, pacing their innings remarkably well. Dravid, who has taken to the T20 format like fish to water, scored a quick-fire 53 off 48. Rahane remained unbeaten on 63 off just 45 balls. Chasing a big total, it was important to keep their cool and ‘Mr Dependable’ ensured that his lieutenant stayed calm throughout.
Of course, Rahane’s innings had a helping hand from Pawan Negi, who spilled a simple catch when the batsman was on 15. With just 30 on board then, Rahane’s wicket could’ve cost the Royals dear. When Dravid fell to Siddharth Kaul, victory was just 46 runs away, and with Watson (28 not out) joining the party, Royals comfortably took their tally to 16 points.
Earlier, Delhi made five changes to the side but it didn’t help. While the top guns flattered to deceive, it was Rohrer (63 off just 39 balls) and Kedar Jadhav who steadied the ship. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (34) tried his best but it wasn’t enough. Rohrer, though, deserves praise for bringing in a whiff of fresh air into the team.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/ipl/news/Dravid-Rahane-fashion-Rajasthans-9-wicket-win-over-Delhi/articleshow/19939517.cms