Royal Challengers Bengaluru got carried away by the occasion, it has to be said.
The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati had the toss delayed due to rain. However, once the toss happened and Rajasthan Royals put RCB into bat, by then the conditions had become totally bowler-friendly, especially for fast bowlers.
Phil Salt can be excused, for he got out right off the first ball of the match, bowled by tearaway pacer Jofra Archer. Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli had edges in the same over, and that should have made them careful. Instead, they chose to continue playing their strokes, and for a brief period, they were successful too. Kohli played some exquisite drives through the covers. And right there, they got carried away, ignoring the prodigious swing and seam offered by the Guwahati surface.
Archer also removed Padikkal for 16 in the third over; however, once Ravi Bishnoi clean-bowled Virat Kohli for a 16-ball 32, things had started to change for RCB. Kohli, looking for a big shot, totally missed the line of the ball that went straight. Madness took over thereafter. Krunal Pandya, totally ignorant of his team’s perilous situation, found Shemron Hetmyer at long-off off Bishnoi.
Military medium pacer Brijesh Sharma then wreaked havoc with two wickets. A totally innocuous-looking bowler. RCB vice captain Jitesh Sharma missed an incoming delivery and was deemed lbw by the umpire. Tim David, with no lessons learnt, showed no tendency to build the innings. He was Brijesh’s second wicket. Romario Shepherd displayed the same attitude, and he, too, was back in the dugout before long.
150th IPL wicket for Sandeep Sharma!
RCB captain Rajat Patidar was the only batsman who played properly. He was quiet for the large part of his innings, but when there were loose deliveries, he pounced on them. His two sixes off South Africa quick Nandre Burger in the 15th over were particularly eye-catching. Patidar’s 63 off 40 balls was ended by Sandeep Sharma. It was his 150th wicket in the IPL.
RR assistant coach Trevor Penney was really happy with his team’s performance. “They were lucky in the first few overs with so many edges flying around, but we eventually came back. Ravi Bishnoi is a great bowler, and he brings so much to the table, both on and off the field. We have been training really hard, and it has paid dividends so far,” he said on the sidelines during the innings.
It may be noted that the pitch eased out in the second half of the innings. In the last few overs, Impact Sub Venkatesh Iyer (29* off 15) played a good hand. RCB now will have to bowl out of their skin to defend 201. Mind you, there are players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in the opposition team. No total is enough for them.
Whoever loses today will taste their first defeat this season. RR have won all three of their matches so far. Defending champions RCB, on the other hand, have won their previous two.
