Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, SF 1 - Report: CLT20-2013

On a day when the Afghanistan cricket team wrote a fairytale script to clinch their berth in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the Rajasthan Royals – underdogs in the first semi-final of the Karbonn Smart CLT20 2013 – scripted one of their own as they overcame the formidable Chennai Super Kings by 14 runs to march to the title clash on October 6. After posting a competitive 159 runs, RR restricted CSK to 145/8.(Also Read: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, SF 1 - Stats Highlights: CLT20-2013)

The Royals needed an out-of-the-world performance from their bowlers and fielders to humble the mighty Super Kings. And that is exactly what Rahul Dravid’s men brought to the ground on the day. They were led by their 41-year-old leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, who broke the backbone of the CSK innings with sensational figures of 4-0-10-3. (Also Read: Pravin Tambe: I Hope To Take Sachin Tendulkar's Wicket)

Royals’ bowlers and fielders ensured they made it difficult for the CSK batsmen to get runs. The CSK openers – Murali Vijay (14) and Michael Hussey (9) – had a few nervous moments in running between the wickets. Though the Royals fielders missed a couple of opportunities early on, it did not cost them too much as both batsmen were run-out soon after.

Suresh Raina picked up four boundaries early on – two through fine-leg and two straight down the ground. S Badrinath departed when he attempted to give Tambe the charge but missed the ball altogether to be stumped. Rahul Shukla struck a body blow in the 10th over when he dismissed CSK skipper MS Dhoni leg before wicket.

At 54 for four, CSK were in all sorts of trouble. Things went from bad to worse when Tambe picked up Dwayne Bravo leg before wicket and Shane Watson had Ravindra Jadeja caught behind. Then in the 13th over CSK’s biggest match-winner – Raina – holed out to mid-off; the left-hander made 29 from 23 balls.

However, the Royals found resistance from unlikely quarters. R Ashwin and Chris Morris came together with their team needing 88 runs from 45 balls and put up a brave fight; they added 73 runs in 7.1 overs to take their team to the brink. Ashwin was the more enterprising of the two; by the time he was dismissed in the final over, he had scored 46 from 28 balls. Morris remained unbeaten on 26 from 15 balls. CSK, who needed 23 from the final over, eventually finished their 20 overs at 145/8, 14 runs short.

For the Royals, Pravin Tambe was the most successful bowler, picking up three wickets, while Rahul Shukla, Shane Watson and James Faulkner chipped in with a wicket each. 

Earlier in the evening, after being put in to bat on a track thah had a little bit of green tinge, the Rajasthan Royals rode on Ajinkya Rahane’s 70 to post 159 on the board. The hosts were rocked early when their skipper Rahul Dravid played all over a straight delivery from Chris Morris and had his stumps rattled. The move to promote Kevon Cooper to number four reaped rewards instantly; the Trinidadian hit two boundaries and a six in his seven-ball cameo to wrest back the initiative. Young Sanju Samson could not contribute too much; he top-edged an attempted pull to be caught at midwicket.

Then Rahane found an able ally in Shane Watson. The pair added 59 runs in 6.3 overs to set a platform. The partnership was broken at the start of the 16th over, when Watson miscued one from Morris to be caught at deep cover; the Australian made 32 from 23 balls and hit four boundaries.

Rahane at the other end was all class. His temperament, footwork, choice of shots and match-awareness all came to the fore. The Royals opener impressed as he drove fluently, found the gaps with ease and ran hard between the wickets during the course of his 56-ball 70. His scintillating innings ended in the final over of the innings, when he attempted to hit Dwayne Bravo through the leg-side but only succeeded in miscuing to the man at fine-leg. During the course of his 70 – his third half-century in his last three outings – Rahane became the top run-getter in the Karbonn Smart CLT20 2013.

Though the Royals lost the way towards the end of the innings – adding only 18 runs in the final three overs – they still managed to post a respectable score of 159/8.

For the Chennai Super Kings, Dwayne Bravo was yet again the most successful bowler, picking up three wickets. He was ably supported by Chris Morris (2/25), Jason Holder (2/35) and Mohit Sharma (1/37). Ravindra Jadeja too impressed with the ball, conceding only 19 runs in his three overs.

Trivia: With his 70 in this match, Ajinkya Rahane has contributed 31.5 percent of the runs scored by the Rajasthan Royals in the Karbonn Smart CLT20 2013.

Four bowlers were clocked bowling at speeds in excess of 140 kph. Chris Morris was clocked bowling the fastest delivery of the match at 144.1 kph, while James Faulkner came in a close second at 143.5 kph. Rahul Shukla was clocked bowling at 143.3 kph, while Shane Watson’s quickest delivery was clocked at 142.9 kph.

No team has lost more wickets to run-outs in the Karbonn Smart CLT20 2013 than the Chennai Super Kings; they lost a total of five wickets to run-outs.

The 73-run partnership between Chris Morris and R Ashwin was Chennai Super Kings’ highest eighth-wicket partnership.

Pravin Tambe’s four-over spell had 14 dot balls.

Man of the Match: Pravin Tambe for his bowling figures of 4-0-10-3.

Pravi Tambe is the Man of the Match. I'm very happy when the team does well and we are in the final of the Champions League. I want to thank Rahul bhai and my coaches for believing in me. I dont know why they are not picking me. I just stick to my basics and bowl as well as I can

Rahul Dravid says there is one more game to go and expressed pride in the way his side fought back. He adds that they were 15-20 short but their bowling and fielding was just fantastic. What we have here is something special, we've got a great unit together. Its Tambe's experience, he's been bowling in club cricket for decades and he's very willing to learn. He always talks with Hodge and Watson about what pace to bowl, how to counter when a batsman is going after him. There were a few raised eyebrows when we selected him, but he has the mental strength to come true. I love playing here at Jaipur and its probably my last game here and its been such a fun time and I've got so much support from the crowd here. I haven't talked to Hodge yet, but touch on wood he comes through because we only have four foreign players in the squad

MS Dhoni complimented his bowlers who he thought did a fantasitic job to restrict them to 160. There were looking for a much bigger score. The batting did not stack up. And there were a couple of run-outs that added to things. But the lower order reacted to the situation well. A couple of guys strayed away from their designated roles. Ashwin did very well and Morris supported him. The first few overs, the batsman batted well, and the other team knew the conditions better and I knew their bowlers were going to keep things tight. Its not just enough to just bowl fast, they kept a good line, We did well at the start but we have to think on our batting order

Ajinkya Rahane says Royals know the wicket and the plan was to just see off the new ball and then kick on from there. its very crucial in at T20 game. I was looking to be positive but when wickets fall I just wanted to stay there till the end. My role is to be positive and stay there for as long as possible

source: clt20.com