Thriller at the Wankhede: Miller and Morris Take Game Away from the Capitals

RR vs DC in 50 Words

Starting trouble led to wicket after wicket from one end, while Captain Pantastic played his natural game to bail DC out. Despite the modest total, our pace attack roared to reduce RR to 42/5. However, Miller and Morris’ gems under pressure handed us our first loss of the season.

Of Early Jitters and a Captain’s Knock

The start was abysmal, and it began right at the toss. Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to chase. Two big changes though, Kagiso Rabada walked into the team and Lalit Yadav earned an IPL debut.

It was a slow start to the innings, with just two coming off the first over and Shaw getting out in the second with a leading edge that lobbed to point. Dhawan and Rahane got a couple of boundaries away, but Dhawan fell soon after. The heroes from match one were back in the dugout just as the fourth over began.

As always, Rishabh Pant got off to a positive start, cutting one away for four off his second ball. Pant wasn’t going to back off from the challenge. He continued playing his natural game, smashing Morris straight down the ground for four.

Alas, there was more trouble to come. Ajinkya Rahane departed towards the end of the powerplay, and Stoinis was deceived by a slower one from Mustafizur an over later. The debutant Lalit Yadav walked in, and it was up to the Dilli boys to consolidate.

Lalit showed no signs of nerves, putting away two beautiful boundaries off Morris. After the halfway mark, Pant accelerated further, putting Tewatia away for three back-to-back fours and another one a couple balls later. When the captain brought up a counter-attacking fifty with a fierce cut, we all thought he was in for a big one.

However, fate was cruel, and it had other ideas as a direct hit from Riyan Parag cut short Pant’s knock on 51 off just 32 balls. Lalit too mistimed one to long on a short while later, and left the Englishmen Woakes and Curran to get us to a fighting total in the last five overs.

Each of them got a couple of boundaries away before they perished looking for more. We ended up with a modest 147/8 on the board from our quota of 20 overs, leaving the bowlers with an uphill task.

M & M Take the Game Away

The start to our batting innings was bad, while the start to our defence was the polar opposite. After two tight overs for just 5 runs, Woakes roared in the third to get rid of both the openers in the space of three deliveries. KG announced his return to DC in spectacular fashion, getting rid of Captain Samson cheaply for 4.

26/3 at the end of the powerplay, the first phase of their chase was well and truly ours. We continued to make inroads, with Avesh getting rid of Dube as Dhawan took his second catch. The scoreboard read c Dhawan b Avesh yet again in the 10th over with Riyan Parag as the victim this time around. The Royals were reduced to 42/5 courtesy of the DC pace brigade.

Despite what the subtext of the scoreboard said, David Miller was still at the crease and was a threat. He got away two quick boundaries before consolidating for a few overs, but launched into Stoinis as soon as he came on. Three fours in a row later, Miller had given the Rajasthan dugout and their fans some hope, and the DC camp a scare.

Rahul Tewatia walked back after a cameo, and Chris Morris walked in. Avesh was brought back into the attack and Miller deposited him into the Wankhede stands twice before Pant walked up to him, hand on shoulder, for some words of encouragement and advice. The very next ball, Avesh had his third wicket - the dangerous David Miller for 62.

With 44 needed from 25, Morris and Unadkat hung in there, rotating strike and getting the odd boundary away till the start of the penultimate. Chris Morris chose his deliveries well, and smashed Rabada over the ropes on the on-side twice to bring the game right back in the balance.

12 needed from 6. Morris needed only four, and he sealed the deal with a double and two sixes. A blitz of a 36 from the IPL’s most expensive buy had won it for the Royals.

Well, in the last couple of years we were quite used to thrillers going our way. Not to be tonight. But, the DC boys will come back and they’ll come back hard.

Brief Scores

Delhi Capitals 147/8 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 51 off 32, Tom Curran 21 off 16, Jaydev Unadkat 3/15, Mustafizur Rahman 2/29); Rajasthan Royals 150/7 in 19.4 overs (David Miller 62 off 43, Chris Morris 36* off 18, Avesh Khan 3/32, Chris Woakes 2/22)

Thriller at the Wankhede: Miller and Morris Take Game Away from the Capitals