Chennai: Skipper Rajat Patidar rode on his luck to make a vital 51 and, along with Tim David (8-ball 22), lifted Royal Challengers Bengaluru to 196 for seven against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL match in Chennai Friday.
Patidar was dropped thrice by CSK fielders, but he made the most of the reprieves to score 51 off 32 balls (4x4s, 3x6s), providing his side a much-needed impetus in the middle-overs, while David’s late burst made up for a mid-phase slump.
Early fireworks from Phil Salt (32 off 16 balls, 5x4s, 1x6s) and Devdutt Padikkal (27 off 14 balls, 2x4s, 2x6s) had masked Virat Kohli’s (31, 30 balls) struggle, but their dismissals left RCB in doldrums.
Despite aggressive knocks from Salt and Padikkal, RCB appeared to be struggling for momentum as Kohli’s failure to accelerate — he had crawled to 14 off 20 balls by the ninth over — troubled the visiting side.
However, an eventful 11th over of the innings saw Kohli and RCB getting some sort of move-on after the India batter was hit flush on the helmet by a lifter from Matheesha Pathirana (2/36).
Kohli attempted a pull but was beaten by the pace and the skiddy nature of the surface. He looked a bit surprised, but responded with a pulled six and a loft over midwicket for a four.
In the next over, RCB had luck favouring them when Deepak Hooda spilled a regulation catch at long-on off Ravindra Jadeja to give a reprieve to Patidar.
He got another lifeline when Rahul Tripathi failed to grab a tough chance, for which he had to move several paces forward at deep cover off left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad.
Amid all this, the Afghan spinner got the bigger prize in the form of Kohli’s wicket, getting the struggling RCB batter caught at deep midwicket.
Patidar got another lifeline when an outside edge off Noor was spilled by Khaleel Ahmed as he reacted a tad late at short third man, but from there on the RCB skipper took charge.
The right-handed Patidar thereon connected well to make the biggest impact with the bat in RCB’s innings.
However, a late slump saw RCB lose their way again with all-rounders Liam Livingstone (12) and Krunal Pandya (0) falling in quick succession.
But David (22 not out off 8 balls, 1x4s, 3x6s) smacked three sixes on the trot in the final over bowled by Sam Curran to give his side a boost.
PTI
