Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

DC-RR: Turning Points: Ashwin's Wicket; Warner's 3 Lives

May 12, 2022 15:14 IST

IMAGE: Jos Butler grasses a catch to hand David Warner the second of three lives on Wednesday evening, off Yuzvendra Chahal's bowling. Photograph: BCCI
 

Put in to bat by the Delhi Capitals, the Rajasthan Royals got off to a shaky start losing the in-form Jos Buttler cheaply at the D Y Patil stadium on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.

But then in came Ravichandran Ashwin, who along with Yashasvi Jaiswal steadied the ship. The duo scored briskly, finding the boundaries and rotating the strike to launch a fightback.

Ashwin and Jaiswal went after the DC bowling and at the end of the Powerplay RR were sitting nicely at 43 for 1 with a steady partnership building.

Two quiet overs later, Mitchell Marsh came on to bowl his second over and had Jaiswal caught out for 19.

Thereafter, Ashwin and Devdutt Padikkal were threatening to build a big stand as the former took on the bowling at will and got to his 50. Marsh came back into the attack and then took out Ashwin, putting the brakes on Rajasthan's free-flowing scoring.

Rajasthan lost wickets in a heap, getting just 21 runs in the last 3 overs to get to 160 for 6.

Chasing 161 for victory, Delhi lost opener Srikar Bharat early.

But that didn't deter David Warner and Mitch Marsh who launched a superb counter-offensive. While Warner was tearing into Yuzvendra Chahal in the 9th over, he got 3 reprieves!

His first attempt at a pull shot wasn't timed well and he got it just over the head of Padikkal at deep square leg.

Warner was beaten by a Chahal googly, the ball flew into the air, but Jos Buttler dropped the catch at long off.

His third life came astonishingly when the ball hit the stumps, the bail lit up and fell back into place!

Warner made use of his luck and saw his team home as DC won by 8 wickets and 11 balls to spare.

NORMA GODINHO