Rajasthan lead the table. Pune have lost six on a trot. Rahane - take a bow. Pacy length ball outside off, with the entire field inside on the off. Rahane finds the gap easily with a steer and motors across for the winning run. He then leaps in delight and fist-pumps as he looks at his jubilant dug out. Well done RR!
Warriors vs RR, 38th match at Jaipur, IPL, May 01 2011 - Ball by Ball Commentary
RR won by 6 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
Well, it is still Mayday, and the distress signals for Pune Warriors are getting louder. They are in deep trouble. No trouble for Rajasthan, who have turned things around superbly after three on-the-trot losses in the second week. CSK v DC is under 10 minutes away, so do jump across to that card. On behalf of the crew, this is Nitin Sundar checking out of this game. Cheers!
Presentations
Ross Taylor is the Man of the Match. "It was a pretty good performance today. It is good to come to a new franchise and get a Man of the Match in a win. Loved the way Menaria and Rahane took the pressure off me. Long way still to go in the competition..."
Warne: "Fantastic win for us, young Ajinkya Rahane and Ross Taylor who is such a good finisher in the end. Very happy with the way the group came through. We have a good environment in our team, not a tight leash but a very open leash and it helps the youngsters. Good to win all but 4 games in 4 years, hope we can keep it going in the remaining games here."
Yuvraj: "We lost the game due to fielding, we dropped their three main batsmen. In the World Cup I could concentrate just on my bowling, here I have to focus on the whole team and hence I am not bowling so much. One more loss and we are possibly out of the competition, so we will go all out in the remaining games."
While we wait for the presentations, Chennai have won the toss v Deccan and will bat first at Chepauk. Deccan have dropped Steyn. I am flummoxed, again.
I thought we had cleared this up when Randiv bowled that no-ball to Sehwag. The game ends the moment Rahane completes the single. If he hadn't run, it would have been a four. But the fact that the ball reached the fence is of no consequence now. The moment Rahane and Rossco completed the single, the game was over. You can't hit a four after the game is over. Strong logic, no?
Arun: "Maybe the timing of my question is not appropriate, but I would really like to know the origin to the word 'cata-blast'!" Haha! I saw it first being used by Andy Zaltzman, and I guess it conveys the impact of heavy explosives being catapulted in Asterix style, if you get what I mean.
Puneet: "I am surprised the winning shot has been given as a '1'. I don't think it was fielded, and the extra three runs may matter a lot at the end if it comes down to NRR."
Rachit: "Its official now..Pune Warriors are the Deccean Chargers of IPL 1!" That's not a bad place to be, it means they will be the champions next year.
consider this. It is a high-pressure finish. All we have seen so far is heaves, slashes, whips, murderous slogs etc. What does Rahane play? The late cut! What nerve! It is a slow offcutter outside off, comes in slowly, Rahane keeps his cool and charms it away very fine. Short third man did not have a chance. That's that then for Pune.
full and fast low fulltoss on the pads, Rossco can't flick it away and gets a leg bye.
Taylor v Taylor to decide the game.
Rossco retains strike for the final over. He's calmly worked a full ball through the leg side for a single.
how well has Rahane played here? Length ball on the leg stump and he drives to long on for one.
what's happened there? Uthappa has really lost the plot. Nice yorker on off stump, Rossco inside edges as he looks to dig it out, and the inside edge goes to square leg. Rossco wants the second, Rahane responds, they decide late not to go for it, the throw comes in to Uthappa who collects and instead of removing the bails, looks to throw to Taylor's end. Rahane was a metre out and was diving in, Uthappa should have had a go at the batting end!
slower ball, again on a length! Taylor flicks with a vengeance into the deep. It went so fast to the outfielder, Taylor had to hare back for the second. He did.
the crowd is bringing down the roof. Or is it Rossco's shot? They have to stop bowling length to this man. Alfonso lands one on the murder zone, Rossco lines him up and cata-blasts it over midwicket. It lands on the shamiana over the second tier. Humongous.
uh oh, Alfonso's banged this in too short and it is called wide for height.
good ball, full and straight, Rahane bunts to long-on for one. What can Rossco do.
Alfonso to bowl out.
Naresh: "Taylor to Taylor :) Wondering how many taylors are there in cricket.Mark,Brendon,Jerome,Ross,Peter,Bob..."
Sandy: "Situation is tailor-made for the Taylors.." Was waiting for this one.
full toss to end the over, he gets away with just a single as Rahane flicks to deep midwicket for a single. Good work from Manhas running in, ensures they don't go for the second.
Rahane comes to the party with a nerveless four! Slower ball from Jerome, Rahane picks it up early and carves over the cover cordon.
almost a yorker, nothing Ross can do with it, he digs it out to point for a single.
Uthappa! Wake up! Length ball, slowish offcutter, Ross swings and misses, it bounces again on the way to Uthappa, who tries to get the pads in the way, but it rebounds off the pads and goes away for two byes.
can't get this away, Taylor plays it back to his name sake, very full and no runs conceded.
another heave, another one lands safe! Taylor gets a length ball outside off, and looks to play his bread and butter slap across the line. It goes nowhere, McCullum runs in from long on and this time can't reach it with his dive. Manish Pandey does well to back him up, running behind and saving the boundary.
Taylor comes on now. Taylor to Taylor.
length ball to end the over, Taylor bunts through midwicket for another single
if Nathan McCullum doesn't hold on to a catch, it can't be your day. Length ball angling in onto the pads, Taylor shovel slogs it into the deep, McCullum runs across from deep square leg, has it in his reach as he slides, it is in his grasp as he falls and rolls and then it bounces out on impact, hits the chest and thigh before hitting grass. Oh boy.
good bouncer from Alfonso, Taylor decides not to pull as it hurries through
length ball outside off, Rahane gets forward into the check-drive and gets a single wide of mid-on.
and now a full toss on the pads, Taylor whips it square for a single.
Rahane does the wise thing, defends Alfonso from a length into the off side and goes to the bowler's end.
Alfonso comes back on.
Over 20 • RR 144/4
RR won by 6 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)