The accidental dogpile
Plays of the Day from the match between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils
Andrew Fidel Fernando
03-May-2015
The accidental dogpile
Delhi Daredevils' catching had been woeful most of the evening, and their most farcical moment came in the 17th over when Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan failed to lay a finger on a descending ball, and finished up in each other's embrace. Ajinkya Rahane's top-edge flew high, in the direction of cover, and Mishra began to give chase, running back from inside the circle. Just as he was lining up the catch, though, he saw Zaheer steaming in from the deep, and both men stalled, expecting the other to commit to the catch. Mishra realised Zaheer had stopped too, and made a vain, belated dive. The two men tumbled to the floor, Mishra positioned on top of Zaheer's stomach.
Delhi Daredevils' catching had been woeful most of the evening, and their most farcical moment came in the 17th over when Amit Mishra and Zaheer Khan failed to lay a finger on a descending ball, and finished up in each other's embrace. Ajinkya Rahane's top-edge flew high, in the direction of cover, and Mishra began to give chase, running back from inside the circle. Just as he was lining up the catch, though, he saw Zaheer steaming in from the deep, and both men stalled, expecting the other to commit to the catch. Mishra realised Zaheer had stopped too, and made a vain, belated dive. The two men tumbled to the floor, Mishra positioned on top of Zaheer's stomach.
The botched bluff
Rahane was batting so sublimely towards the end of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Zaheer resorted to a little sleight of hand in an attempt to get him out. Having been driven down the ground for four in the 18th over, Zaheer pushed square leg back to the boundary and asked long-on to come into the circle, suggesting his next delivery would be short. He went full and slow instead, but Rahane was unperturbed. He lofted Zaheer back down the ground again, and that ball sped to the fence even quicker than the previous one.
Rahane was batting so sublimely towards the end of the Rajasthan Royals innings, Zaheer resorted to a little sleight of hand in an attempt to get him out. Having been driven down the ground for four in the 18th over, Zaheer pushed square leg back to the boundary and asked long-on to come into the circle, suggesting his next delivery would be short. He went full and slow instead, but Rahane was unperturbed. He lofted Zaheer back down the ground again, and that ball sped to the fence even quicker than the previous one.
The catch
Yuvraj Singh has not had a reputation for dealing with the short ball well recently, but having middled a pull off James Faulkner in the ninth over, he was stunned to have to depart. Faulkner's chest-high bouncer was cracked over square leg, but Stuart Binny ran around from the deep, leapt to his left and caught the ball high above his head. He slid after his dive and stopped about a foot short of the boundary, as a disbelieving Yuvraj began to trudge off.
Yuvraj Singh has not had a reputation for dealing with the short ball well recently, but having middled a pull off James Faulkner in the ninth over, he was stunned to have to depart. Faulkner's chest-high bouncer was cracked over square leg, but Stuart Binny ran around from the deep, leapt to his left and caught the ball high above his head. He slid after his dive and stopped about a foot short of the boundary, as a disbelieving Yuvraj began to trudge off.
The double dive
Rajat Bhatia didn't have a lot to do in this game, as he was not required with the bat and only bowled two overs. He did have one industrious moment in the match, even if it was to save one run. Running to his right after JP Duminy pulled Tim Southee towards deep square leg, Bhatia put in a full-length dive to intercept the ball just before it hit the boundary, but found he had not got enough of his hand on the ball to scoop it back infield, and he had just parried it square, where the curving boundary would meet with it a few metres away. Quickly he rose, gave chase a second time, and dove again to haul it back just in time.
Rajat Bhatia didn't have a lot to do in this game, as he was not required with the bat and only bowled two overs. He did have one industrious moment in the match, even if it was to save one run. Running to his right after JP Duminy pulled Tim Southee towards deep square leg, Bhatia put in a full-length dive to intercept the ball just before it hit the boundary, but found he had not got enough of his hand on the ball to scoop it back infield, and he had just parried it square, where the curving boundary would meet with it a few metres away. Quickly he rose, gave chase a second time, and dove again to haul it back just in time.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @andrewffernando