A STAFF REPORTER
Calcutta: The Rajasthan Royals have been on a roll in the Indian Premier League. At the Eden on Tuesday, they steamrolled. The six-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders confirmed their semi-final berth.
Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re has been a fading anthem for long and after their seventh loss in the tournament on Tuesday it sounded almost farcical. The Kolkata Knight Riders’ hopes are fading fast as they dug themselves a little deeper into a hole with 10 points from 12 matches. Technically though, they are still in with a chance of progressing in the tournament if they win the remaining two matches.
Once Ajit Agarkar gave away 16 runs in his first over, the stage was set for the burial. Umar Gul brought some cheer with two wickets in the next over, Wriddhiman Saha’s brilliant diving effort sending back Graeme Smith. But that was only a flicker of hope.
The Rajasthan Royals, pegged back slightly in their chase at 69 for four in the 10th over, carried on gallantly through Mohammed Kaif (34 off 31 balls) and Yousuf Pathan (48 off 18 balls). Once Sourav Ganguly gave away 17 runs in the 12th over, the curtain had been drawn. The visitors never looked back.
Pathan, who hit five fours and three sixes, took the fight out of the opposition with a brutal innings. It ended all lingering hopes for the Knight Riders. The unbroken fifth wicket pair added 81 runs in 40 balls.
Something seemed to be amiss at the Eden on Tuesday evening. This was like Diego Maradona without his No. 10 jersey or Roger Federer missing from Wimbledon action. The rumour doing the rounds since afternoon that Shah Rukh Khan would give this match a miss turned out to be true.
If that was not enough, the injured Shoaib Akhtar was forced to sit out. After a prolonged discussion it was decided that Gul would play. The Knight Riders, having already been pushed to the wall, needed an inspirational performance at the top of the order to find the right momentum.
The modest crowd turnout in comparison to previous matches, though, could have been prompted by the uncertain weather. Shane Warne also didn’t wish to take any chances, preferring to chase a target in the event of a curtailed match.
The Knight Riders needed a solid contribution from either Sourav or David Hussey, two of their most consistent performers, to set the ball rolling. Salman Butt provided the first ray of hope when he seemed to carry on with his form from the previous game.
Butt (24 in 20 balls) doesn’t bat in the conventional Twenty20 mode but has still been successful. Relying more on his conventional cricketing instincts, his 33-run stand in 30 balls with Sourav for the second wicket had things going in the right direction.
Sourav (32 in 34 balls) was circumspect at the start. He was his usual self once he settled down, picking Warne for special treatment. Shielding Hussey from the wily leg-spinner, he took the responsibility of carrying the momentum.
Mind games were also being played out in the middle, Warne delaying the deliveries to upset the batsman’s rhythm, especially when Sourav was on strike, by changing field placings and interacting with teammates.
He brought third man up into the 30 yard circle in Watson’s second over, but Sourav responded by guiding it past the fielder. The battle resumed when Warne brought himself on with the Riders captain punishing him over the square-leg fence and following it up with a boundary.
Sourav’s 34-ball 32 was cut short by an over-ambitious heave at long on. He, though, found an able partner in Debabrata Das. The Siliguri boy impressed and was undeterred against the likes of Warne and Watson.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Wriddhiman Saha tried to step up the scoring rate towards the end but the regular fall of wickets restricted their score to 147. But the surge in the middle overs helped them recover from 59 for two after 10 overs. In the end, though, they fell short by at least 20 runs.
Calcutta: The Rajasthan Royals have been on a roll in the Indian Premier League. At the Eden on Tuesday, they steamrolled. The six-wicket victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders confirmed their semi-final berth.
Korbo, lorbo, jeetbo re has been a fading anthem for long and after their seventh loss in the tournament on Tuesday it sounded almost farcical. The Kolkata Knight Riders’ hopes are fading fast as they dug themselves a little deeper into a hole with 10 points from 12 matches. Technically though, they are still in with a chance of progressing in the tournament if they win the remaining two matches.
Once Ajit Agarkar gave away 16 runs in his first over, the stage was set for the burial. Umar Gul brought some cheer with two wickets in the next over, Wriddhiman Saha’s brilliant diving effort sending back Graeme Smith. But that was only a flicker of hope.
The Rajasthan Royals, pegged back slightly in their chase at 69 for four in the 10th over, carried on gallantly through Mohammed Kaif (34 off 31 balls) and Yousuf Pathan (48 off 18 balls). Once Sourav Ganguly gave away 17 runs in the 12th over, the curtain had been drawn. The visitors never looked back.
Pathan, who hit five fours and three sixes, took the fight out of the opposition with a brutal innings. It ended all lingering hopes for the Knight Riders. The unbroken fifth wicket pair added 81 runs in 40 balls.
Something seemed to be amiss at the Eden on Tuesday evening. This was like Diego Maradona without his No. 10 jersey or Roger Federer missing from Wimbledon action. The rumour doing the rounds since afternoon that Shah Rukh Khan would give this match a miss turned out to be true.
If that was not enough, the injured Shoaib Akhtar was forced to sit out. After a prolonged discussion it was decided that Gul would play. The Knight Riders, having already been pushed to the wall, needed an inspirational performance at the top of the order to find the right momentum.
The modest crowd turnout in comparison to previous matches, though, could have been prompted by the uncertain weather. Shane Warne also didn’t wish to take any chances, preferring to chase a target in the event of a curtailed match.
The Knight Riders needed a solid contribution from either Sourav or David Hussey, two of their most consistent performers, to set the ball rolling. Salman Butt provided the first ray of hope when he seemed to carry on with his form from the previous game.
Butt (24 in 20 balls) doesn’t bat in the conventional Twenty20 mode but has still been successful. Relying more on his conventional cricketing instincts, his 33-run stand in 30 balls with Sourav for the second wicket had things going in the right direction.
Sourav (32 in 34 balls) was circumspect at the start. He was his usual self once he settled down, picking Warne for special treatment. Shielding Hussey from the wily leg-spinner, he took the responsibility of carrying the momentum.
Mind games were also being played out in the middle, Warne delaying the deliveries to upset the batsman’s rhythm, especially when Sourav was on strike, by changing field placings and interacting with teammates.
He brought third man up into the 30 yard circle in Watson’s second over, but Sourav responded by guiding it past the fielder. The battle resumed when Warne brought himself on with the Riders captain punishing him over the square-leg fence and following it up with a boundary.
Sourav’s 34-ball 32 was cut short by an over-ambitious heave at long on. He, though, found an able partner in Debabrata Das. The Siliguri boy impressed and was undeterred against the likes of Warne and Watson.
Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Wriddhiman Saha tried to step up the scoring rate towards the end but the regular fall of wickets restricted their score to 147. But the surge in the middle overs helped them recover from 59 for two after 10 overs. In the end, though, they fell short by at least 20 runs.
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