Will real Boult and Southee stand up?
Sunrisers Hyderabad
What went right: Yes, David Warner did make short work of chasing down 167 with a breezy and belligerent 57. That too with able assistance from a steady Shikhar Dhawan and a frantic KL Rahul. But the real heroes for Sunrisers were the unheralded members of their bowling attack — the fourth and fifth cogs in the wheel. Karn Sharma might have made a name for himself in SRH colours, but it’s understandable that he gets overshadowed behind the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Trent Boult — not to forget Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn when they play.
But it was Karn who kept the noose on RCB’s mighty batting line-up as it snoozed its way in the middle-overs. He conceded only 20 runs in four overs and got rid of the highly-priced Dinesh Karthik. Ravi Bopara too chipped in with two wickets in two balls, including the match-turning wicket of Virat Kohli after frustrating the Bangalore skipper with his conservative medium-pace. So did Ashish Reddy, who despite being swatted around by AB de Villiers kept his cool and eliminated the destructive Darren Sammy.
What went wrong: Trent Boult had made a habit of striking gold with the new-ball during the World Cup, while that has been Bhuvneshwar’s calling card throughout his career. But for the second match running, the SRH new-ball attack have struggled to cripple the opposition batting line-up. They picked up only two wickets in the first 11 overs, providing RCB an opportunity to create a threatening platform.
Rajasthan Royals
What went right: Steve Smith. Perhaps Shane Watson’s injury which led to Smith’s elevation to captaincy was a blessing in disguise. Smith yet again played the most crucial knock of the game, a 53-ball 79. Set to chase 165 to achieve their third straight win, Smith entered in the fifth over and didn’t take long to get into his groove. It took one shot, against Lasith Malinga, for him to start flowing. It was a slightly short delivery and Smith swivelled around so quickly to spank it through wide mid-on and declared his intent. He was also helped by a slew of short-of-length deliveries from MI’s bowlers – the length that he loves to devour, and he was up and running with a few boundaries. And Smith ensured that he stayed till the end to take his team home in style.
What went wrong: Death bowling led by Tim Southee, who is clearly struggling on Indian pitches. When the ball doesn’t seam around a bit, Southee can look ineffective. Especially in the end overs where he was taken apart by Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson who looted 36 runs from his last two overs. To be fair, it wasn’t just Southee but the likes of Faulkner too who couldn’t raise their game under pressure.
Faulkner leaked 17 runs in the 17th over and Chris Morris was tonked for 15 in the last over. It’s been a regular theme thus far in this tournament with Rajasthan: they start well with the new ball and even manage to control the middle overs with Stuart Binny but they fall apart in the end.
Conclusion
Hyderabad will depend again on David Warner for a fiery start as their middle order batsmen — Kane Williamson and KL Rahul — have yet to prove they can consistently score quickly. Unlike them, the addition of Shane Watson bolsters Rajasthan’s batting line-up and they will fancy chasing even stiffer targets. Rajasthan’s middle order is stronger and it might prove decisive in the end at a venue where neither team has played before. —ENS
Source:: Indian Express
