SPORTS

RCB-SRH: Top Performers: Hasaranga, Du Plessis

By NORMA ASTRID GODINHO
May 09, 2022 07:02 IST

IMAGE: Royal Challengers Bangalore Captain Faf du Plessis smashed 73 not out in a fine show of counter-attacking batting at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, May 8, 2022. Photograph: BCCI
 

Winning the toss and electing to bat, Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a terrible start, losing Virat Kohli for a golden duck off the very first ball of the innings to the bowling of Jagadeesha Suchith.

But Captain Faf du Plessis and Rajat Patidar put on a solid show of counter-attacking cricket.

In no time, the duo stepped on the pedal and took the singles and twos before Kartik Tyagi was clobbered for 17 runs in the 6th over.

From there on, du Plessis and Patidar were injected with a dose of confidence and they took on Suchith and Umran Malik, clobbering them for 30 runs off the 7th and 8th overs. Faf was dropped off Umran in the 8th over and he made it count.

After putting on a 105 run stand for the second wicket, Patidar was dismissed by Suchith, but du Plessis kept his foot on the pedal. He allowed Glenn Maxwell to take on the bowlers while he took advantage of poor deliveries bowled at him.

Even at the death, du Plessis did well to rotate the strike, getting the boundary when the opportunity came.

Du Plessis allowed his partners to go on the attack while he ensured that he rotated the strike and remained at the crease till the end. He played all around the wicket, stamping his authority and class by staying 73 not out and help RCB get to 192 for 3.

IMAGE: After dismissing Aiden Markram, Wanindu Hasaranga returned to have the wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Jagadeesha Suchith in successive overs before finishing his spell with a double-wicket maiden. Photograph: BCCI

Defending the total, RCB did well to start on a positive note -- having Sunrisers Hyderabad Skipper Kane Williamson run out for a duck without facing a ball and then Maxwell cleaning up Abhishek Sharma in the very same over with SRH two down with nothing on the board.

Once Aiden Markram and Rahul Tripathi came together at the crease, the flow of runs increased with Markram clobbering Maxi for 12 runs in the over.

Markram didn't look too good in the middle expect for those two lusty blows early in his innings and then in came leggie Wanindu Hasaranga.

The spinner wasted no time and took out Markram who holed out to Kohli at mid-wicket.

Hasaranga was brought back for his second spell after three overs and that is when he came to the party.

He took out the well set Nicholas Pooran for 19, and then had Suchith stumped, beaten by the wrong one.

Hasranga reserved his best for the last when he foxed Shashank Singh with a slow, drifter. All that the batter could do was go down the pitch and hole out to long on.

Hasaranga then had Umran Malik LBW first ball off a wrong 'un for his 5th wicket. The over and his spell ended with a double wicket maiden.

Du Plessis's 73 helped anchor the RCB innings while his partners smoked the bowlers at the end to take them to a huge total.

Hasaranga then paid the faith shown in him by du Plessis to finish with spectacular figures of 5 for 18, not allowing the SunRisers batters any gift deliveries, stifling them and finally having them all out for 125 and 67 runs short.

NORMA ASTRID GODINHO

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