The Hindu : Sport : Raina’s fireworks sinks Rajasthan Royals

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Raina’s fireworks sinks Rajasthan Royals

IPL / CSK has five points from six games

— Photo: AFP

UP, UP AND AWAY: Chennai Super Kings’ Suresh Raina, unlucky to miss a well-deserved century by just two runs, carts this one to the fence.

Centurion: Suresh Raina’s stroke-filled 98 and disciplined bowling fetched Chennai Super Kings a 38-run win over Rajasthan Royals in a key duel of the Indian Premier League at the SuperSport Park on Thursday. Both teams now have five points each from six matches.

Pursuing 165 under lights, Royals was dismissed for 126; paceman L. Balaji picked up four for 21. The defending champion had elected to field.

After Raina’s heroics, Super Kings made early inroads. The left-handed Graeme Smith (2) departed, chasing a widish delivery angled across by Albie Morkel. Swapnil Asnodkar (10) clipped the bails while completing a pull off the impressive Morkel.

Quiney falls

Southpaw Robert Quiney (28 off 31 balls) was adjudged leg-before to one skidding in from round the wicket from Raina.

The in-form Yusuf Pathan (20 off 13 balls) was finding his range when Balaji’s fuller length and change of pace induced a fatal miscued hit.

This was the defining moment of the match.

Earlier, Raina (98, 55b, 10x4, 5x6) harnessed the speed of the pacemen, generated immense power to belt the slower deliveries and created width with sound footwork against the spinners.

Kamran was struck for three sixes in his third over — the 18th of the innings — before limping away with a suspected muscle pull after sending down four legitimate deliveries in the over. Dhoni (22 not out off 19 balls), who played a largely supporting role in a crucial 71-run fifth-wicket partnership, clipped Kamran over the fine-leg ropes.

Raina, then, struck the left-arm paceman beyond the point and extra-cover ropes.

Raina was held well in the deep by Smith off Munaf in the final over after a premature celebration for a hundred; the scoreboard got it wrong.

SCOREBOARD

Chennai Super Kings: Parthiv c Kamran b Yusuf 3, M. Hayden b Yusuf 1, S. Raina c Smith b Munaf 98, S. Badrinath st Rawat b Warne 29, J. Oram c Mascarenhas b Munaf 2, M.S. Dhoni (not out) 22, A. Morkel (not out) 4; Extras: (lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 5; Total: (for five wickets, in 20 overs) 164.

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-17, 3-84, 4-88, 5-159.

Rajasthan Royals bowling: Mascarenhas 3.2-0-26-0, Yusuf 3-0-17-2, Kamran 2.4-0-35-0, Munaf 4-0-25-2, Trivedi 3-0-35-0, Warne 4-0-24-1.

Rajasthan Royals: R. Quiney lbw b Raina 28, G. Smith c Badrinath b Morkel 2, S. Asnodkar (hit wicket) b Morkel 10, R. Jadeja c Hayden b Balaji 37, Yusuf c Raina b Balaji 20, D. Mascarenhas c Muralitharan b Oram 8, S. Warne c Badrinath b Balaji 3, M. Rawat (not out) 8, Munaf c Parthiv b Oram 0, S. Trivedi c Raina b Balaji 2, Kamran absent hurt; Extras: (lb-5, w-3) 8; Total: (in 19.3 overs) 126.

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-29, 3-55, 4-86, 5-98, 6-114, 7-117, 8-117, 9-126.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Tyagi 2-0-8-0, Morkel 4-0-21-2, Oram 4-0-27-2, Muralitharan 4-0-33-0, Raina 2-0-11-1, Balaji 3.3-0-21-4.

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