Sunday, May 11, 2008

Knight Riders back on track, no stopping to Rajasthan Royals

"Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?" Kolkata Knight Riders’ skipper Sourav Ganguly seems to be a firm believer in these famous lines of Victorian poet Robert Browning. After their blazing start in the tournament, the visitors lost their way and needed to win the grudge match against Deccan Chargers to be in contention for a semifinal berth.
Royals unbeatable at home
It was a battle of minds and Shane Warne won it hands down. Rajasthan Royals skipper-cum-coach came up with yet another "master plan" to edge out strong contenders Delhi Daredevils by three wickets in the edge-of-the-seat entertainer at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Sunday.
Locked in a close battle — Rajasthan needed 7 off the last 10 balls — it was all about keeping their nerves and Warne’s young guns did that with aplomb. Placed at 150/7 in 18 overs, Mahesh Rawat and Niraj Patel did not let the pressure get the better of them, with the former hitting two consecutive fours to reach the target in 19.1 overs.Unrelenting under the worst of conditions, the Royals notched up their seventh victory in nine matches. Warne first introduced Dimitri Mascarenhas as a secret weapon and then demoted in-form batsman Shane Watson to outwit the opponents with his smart tactics.

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