Rajasthan Royals thrashed Mumbai Indians by a huge margin of 87 runs at Sawai Man Singh Stadium on Wednesday. Ajit Chandila outplayed Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting with his magical spin bowling. James Faulkner and Stuart Binny also chipped in with three and two wickets respectively.
Earlier, it was the opening duo of Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson who gave RR an electrifying start which was carried on with the cameos of Dishant Yagnik and Brad Hodge.
Here we bring you the hits and flops from the match.
HITS
Ajinkya Rahane: Rahane started off brilliantly as he smacked Johnson and Malinga for couple of boundaries in second and third over. He played with much more freedom and was trying to get those biggies in the power-play itself. He went on to play a steady knock of 68 runs off 54 balls and stayed till the last ball of the innings.
Ajit Chandila: Chandila bowled exceptionally well against the batting giants Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting. He got both of them out and gave away just six runs in his two overs. He simply turned the tables in favour of RR with his brilliant spin bowling.
Shane Watson: Watson started off on aggressive note and kept dealing in boundaries coipled with quick singles. His ability to take on bowlers made him look very dangerous as he smacked Malinga for three boundaries in his second over.
Dishant Yagnik: Rahul Dravid surprised everyone by sending Yagnik in and Yagnik did full justice to his captain’s decision. He scored 34 runs off 24 balls which was studded with four fours and one six in his innings.
James Faulkner: Faulkner bowled brilliantly and picked up three wickets in his spell of four overs. He bowled exceptionally in the death overs and was looking for getting the wickets rather than to restrict the batsmen.
Stuart Binny: Binny turned out to be the biggest surprise package as he picked up two wickets for just 14 runs. He got the big wicket of Keiron Pollard to put the last nail in the coffin for Mumbai Indians.
FLOPS
Sachin Tendulkar: Tendulkar has been the biggest flop this season and he continued his miserable run against RR by getting out for just one run. A player of his stature should not have any issue issue with the format of the game. May be rest in two-three game might get him back into the groove.
Ricky Ponting: Ponting has been very disappointing in his all the five matches. He got out after scoring just four runs and his soft dismissal showed that he is not feeling comfortable on Indian tracks. Though he is a good leader, but he is not leading with an example which is a big worry for MI.
Rohit Sharma: Sharma got out after scoring just two runs. He should have batted more sensibly especially after the loss of opening pair. He tried to pull the ball but it didn’t come on to bat nicely and he paid the price by losing up his wicket.
Keiron Pollard: Pollard disappointed with the bat as well as with the ball. He gave away 24 runs in his two overs and scored just one run off seven deliveries. He has been not so good with the ball this season and it’s a high time when he pull up his socks and get ready to take on opposition with the ball.
Mitchell Johnson: Johnson went for 41 in his four overs. Track was offering assistance to his bowling but he didn’t exploit that and paid the price. Rahane and Watson didn’t allow him to bowl at consistent line which ensured that he will be having a very bad day on the field.
Rishi Dhawan: Dhawan was expected to do some meaningful things for MI but he gave away 20 runs in his two overs. He didn’t contribute with the bat too and departed for a golden duck off Stuart Binny.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network