Naman Ojha sets up Rajasthan victory

Rajasthan Royals, powered by Naman Ojha's first substantial score of the season, surged to their fourth straight win in the IPL. In Yusuf Pathan and Michael Lumb, Rajasthan possess some awesome firepower, but the pair fizzled in hot conditions on an ideal batting pitch. Lumb, who scored crucial 40s in the last two games, fleetingly cut loose while Pathan followed his audacious 34-ball 73 in the last game with a single-digit score. Thus it was left to Ojha to shore up the innings.

At 47 for 1 after four overs, Rajasthan were off to a flier. At this stage Ojha was on 14. He had made a start in every previous game and today he pushed on to his best score in the IPL. He was keen to play from his crease and more comfortable against medium-pace than spin, though each of his five sixes came against the slower bowlers, two against Muttiah Muralitharan. Ojha played superb shots off the back foot into the arc between cover-point and short third man, they were hit with tremendous bat speed and put pressure on the boundary riders. He played three such shots in a row against Joginder Sharma in the ninth over for 10 runs.

Ojha, after crossing fifty, relied on two areas for the majority of his runs: that same arc square of the pitch when the seamers were on, and down toward long-on, when the spinners were in operation. Two lofted sixes spoiled Jakati's figures as he finished with 15 from his last six balls. Ojha struggled to hit the quicker bowlers down the ground or past cover and, trying to manipulate Thilan Thushara, he got a leading edge on an ugly paddle that short fine leg gobbled up. But he had played his role superbly in this memorable win.