Rajasthan Royals 142 for 6 (Hodge 52*, Rahane 52) beat Otago 139 for 7 (Neesham 32, Shukla 3-23) by four wickets
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Fancy beating Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur? Forget it. Royals extended
their winning streak at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium to 12, beating the
confident Otago by four wickets to keep the semi-final options open in
Group A. Royals progressed briskly initially in their chase of a
middling 140, stuttered after their middle order fell to rash strokes,
before Brad Hodge
played the rescue act with an electric 52 to stall Otago's spirited
recovery. Though Royals had already booked their place in the knockouts,
there was still some context in this match, for this victory means they
will stay back in Jaipur for their semi-final.
A further 15-20 runs could have made the difference for Otago. Having
scored a mammoth 242 earlier in the tournament, their impressive top
order was blown away by the relatively unknown Rahul Shukla.
The Jharkhand seamer came in as a replacement for Vikramjeet Malik and
in the space of six balls, he proved it to be an inspired selection.
Bowling the fourth over, he struck with his first ball, removing Hamish
Rutherford's middle stump as the batsman looked to play across the line.
Two balls later, he got rid of the captain Brendon McCullum trapped in
front with one that came in. There was room for one more wicket in the
over and it came via a bizarre shot by Derek de Boorder.
It got worse for Otago when the in-form Neil Broom perished to a top
edge off Shane Watson, leaving them reeling at 21 for 4. Otago's
progress in the tournament was orchestrated by meaty contributions by
the top order. Now they found themselves in a situation they weren't
accustomed to, and it was up to the lower order to cover the slack.
James Neesham gave the innings some impetus with a quick 32, but he was
lucky to have been let off on 0, when the umpire Paul Reiffel failed to
notice a thick inside edge on the way to the keeper. Nathan McCullum and
Ian Butler ensured Otago played out 20 overs, their cameos pushing the
score to 139. While it was below par, from 21 for 4, it was an
improvement.
What Mumbai need to do to qualify |
Ajinkya Rahane got Royals off to a rapid start with some exquisite shots
through the off side off the seamers. Rahane got his timing and
placement perfect, taking Royals to 43 at the end of the Powerplay.
Nathan McCullum's sharp reflexes at point, running backwards to pluck a
catch to send back Rahul Dravid, was temporary relief, but Rahane's was
the wicket they needed.
The middle order needed to bat around Rahane but Royals put pressure on
themselves with some questionable shots. Sanju Samson played on to his
stumps and both Shane Watson and Stuart Binny departed quickly edging
behind. Rahane passed his fifty but fell chipping a full toss to
mid-off. The boundaries dried up and the drought lasted five overs
before Hodge released the pressure with a boundary over cover. Two balls
later, he slogged a slower ball and got a lucky top edge that cleared
the keeper.
Hodge ensured at least one boundary off every over. He made room to
James McMillan and carved a six over third man and in the same over
smashed one over extra cover, beating Neesham's dive. With 24 needed off
the last three overs, it was still even and Ian Butler did well
conceding only four runs off the first four balls. Hodge changed the
complexion of the over with a six and four off consecutive balls to
bring the equation firmly back in Royals' favour.
Dravid later described it as a nerve-wracking period in the game, but it was Hodge's experience that made the difference.
As for Otago's semi-final hopes, they will wait on the result of the
Mumbai Indians-Perth Scorchers match on Wednesday. If Mumbai win, it
will come down to a net run rate scenario between Mumbai and Otago.
Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: Kanishkaa Balachandran
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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