Rajasthan Royals improved their chances of reaching the Indian Premier League playoffs by defeating Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets on Monday. It was a clinical performance by the RR players as they dominated CSK with both bat and the ball. However, the day did not finish without a little controversy.
There was an incident during the match that became the talk of the cricketing world. Usually when an umpire raises the finger during an LBW, player knows if he has nicked the ball. Batsmen confidently ask for DRS as soon as the decision is finished. But that did not happen on Monday.
RR captain Steve Smith had shuffled across the crease to flick Josh Hazlewood but the ball struck his pads. The umpire, however, was not convinced and denied the appealing CSK team. They asked for DRS and it showed that Smith was caught plumb in front of the stumps. Knowing his fate, Smith started his long walk back to the pavilion. But there was a twist in the tale.
The third umpire saw the faintest of nicks, something which even Smith did not feel, on Ultra Edge. So eventually umpires decision was upheld and he was given not out. Smith commented on the incident after the match.
“I didn’t know I’d nicked the ball (LBW call), but I was relieved to see that I had,’ Smith told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
With this win, Steve Smith-led Royals has moved to the fifth position in the IPL points table with 8 points from 10 matches while CSK is now languishing at the bottom with just six points.
Rajasthan Royals chased down a total of 125 with seven wickets in hand and 15 balls to spare. Jos Buttler played a match-winning knock of 70 runs while skipper Smith played an unbeaten innings of 26 runs.
“Sharjah is a little different from here. The wicket was not the best for batting, and good to be on the winning side. I thought we bowled well in the powerplay. The spinners bowled good lengths, with the googlies and leggies, building a lot of pressure. Tewatia and Shreyas have been sensational for us. Buttler took the pressure off me. I just knocked it around, and he just batted the way he usually does. He always maintains a good strike-rate,” Smith continued to say.
Rajasthan Royals will next take on SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday, October 22 at the Dubai International Stadium.
(with ANI inputs)
Source: IPLT20.com