Dubai: When it pours it rains. The metaphor can rightly be attributed to Rajasthan Royals (RR) team today who not only won the crucial toss in batting friendly conditions but were also able to solve the last puzzle of jigsaw, swapping their two crucial players -- Robin Uthappa and Jos Buttler here at Dubai International stadium.
Especially Uthappa, who came to his old self today with wide array of shots all over the ground against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), hammering for four boundaries in Washington Sundar's over early in his innings.
Such was the blitz that the RR team raced to 52-1, with Uthappa (32) scoring the bulk of runs in just 16 deliveries in the powerplay. None of the bowlers were spared as the 34-year-old batsman clubbed Udana for boundaries and a six in the third over itself.
Uthappa (41 off 22 balls) was dismissed in the eighth over by Yuzvendra Chahal after he tried to slog sweep a delivery that took the outside edge of the bat and pouched by Aaron Finch.
Ben Stokes (15 off 19 balls) had to anchor the innings in the face of Uthappa's raining boundaries, but could not stay at the crease for long as his team would have wanted and was removed by Chris Morris. He was done in by by the change of pace from Morris while trying to pull and was caught by the wicket-keeper.
Yuzvendra Chahal proved why he is the stand out in RCB's bowling as he took two consecutive wickets of Uthappa and Sanju Samson (9 off 6 balls) who was caught by Chris Morris in the eighth over. Samson seemed to be timing the ball well but a miscued shot resulted in his dismissal at long-off.
This brought Steve Smith and Jos Buttler to the crease with a responsibility to take the team to a good total. Both the batsmen looked iffy at the start. In the tenth over, Chahal weaved his magic again conceding only four runs, a remarkable effort by T-20 standards.
Buttler, all for his big shot abilities, opened up in the eleventh over, smacking Shahbaz Nadeem for an 89 metre six over long-off. But Chahal's flight, pin point accuracy and control over his length was hardly providing any breather to Smith and Buttler as he conceded just four runs in the 12th over, meaning the duo had to take others to the cleaners to keep the score moving.
By the end of 13th over, Smith-Buttler looked in control with their partnership gaining momentum at 37 runs from 34 balls.
Smith cut loose in the fifteenth over with two back-to-back upper cut off Udana that went for four. The shot reflected his desperation to get back to the groove and the world's best test batsman again showed his intentions in the next over, going for massive six with a flick over mid-wicket off an in-form Morris.
But Morris came back with the important wicket of Buttler who had trudged to 24 runs from 25 deliveries. This brought to the strip Royal's most celebrated youngster in the current season -- Rahul Tewatia.
The dismissal didn't affect Smith's batting today who seemed to be middling everything whatever came his way. And an unusual reverse-sweep came off in the first ball off Chahal in the 18th over, and with a boundary in the fourth ball, Smith brought his 50 off just 30 balls in style.
Tewatia (19 off 11) soon joined the party scoring 12 runs in the 18th over, studded with a brilliant six over mid-wicket.
Smith dismissal was as beautiful as his dimissal. In the last over of the innings, he played an inside out shot that looked like crossing the boundary for maximum but a flying Shahbaz Nadeem came from nowhere pouching the ball just inches before ropes. Morris had the last laugh with two wickets of Smith and Archer in the last over of the innings.
