Rajasthan beat Deccan in IPL
HYDERABAD, India, April 9, 2011 (AFP) - Johan Botha showed rare skill
with the bat to guide Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic eight-wicket
victory over a listless Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on
Saturday.
The South African spinner hit eight fours and a six in his unbeaten
67 off 47 balls as Rajasthan overhauled Deccan's 137-8 with seven balls
to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Botha, a surprise promotion to number three in the batting order,
shared 52 runs with veteran India batsman Rahul Dravid (28) and another
58 with New Zealand's Ross Taylor (21 not out).
Earlier, Deccan were off to a confident start after being put in to
bat by Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne but lost their way against
Siddharth Trivedi and Amit Singh, each picking three wickets.
Australian spin legend Warne, who led Royals to a surprise title
triumph in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008, chipped in with two
wickets, including that of dangerman JP Duminy (14).
Kumar Sangakkara's new stint as Deccan skipper got off to a poor
start as he edged Trivedi behind the wicket for a duck.
Australian Daniel Christian, one of the most expensive buys in the
auction this year with a price tag of $900,000, hit two sixes in his
19-ball 26 before falling to Trivedi.
Brief scores:
Deccan Chargers 137-8 in 20 overs (D. Ravi Teja 28, D. Christian 26;
S. Trivedi 3-15, A. Singh 3-35)
Rajasthan Royals 141-2 in 18.5 overs (J. Botha 67 not out, R. Dravid
28) by eight wickets.
|