Suryavanshi sparkles as Royals finish season with victory against CSK
In their last match of the Indian Premier League season, Rajasthan Royals recorded a six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, with 14-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi again showing his potential with a measured half-century.
Suryavanshi took 33 balls to score 57 runs for his second half-century in six matches of his debut season. He had posted 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans and 40 off 15 balls against Punjab Kings. However, on Tuesday, he took his time to settle down while his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal (36 off 19) went after the bowlers.
Suryavanshi got into his usual destructive rhythm, hitting four sixes and as many boundaries. The youngster raised a 98-run stand for the second wicket with captain Sanju Samson (41 off 31 balls).
Suryavanshi sent the ball soaring into the stands off Ravindra Jadeja twice and completed his half-century with a six off Noor Ahmad. Once he got going, the 188-run target turned into a stroll for the Royals and the other batters added the finishing touch.
The Royals did have a minor scare as they slid from 135/2 to 158/4. Having lost many games from winning positions this season, the Royals came under some pressure but Dhruv Jurel (31 off 12 balls) and Shimron Hetmyer (12 off 5 balls) ensured the Royal ended the season with a win.
Earlier, CSK had a shaky start with 12/2 on the board as Yudhvir Singh grabbed both the wickets. However, young Ayush Mhatre once again proved his worth and his 20-ball 43 helped CSK recover from the early losses.
Mhatre’s wicket was followed by the dismissal of Ravichandran Ashwin (13) and Jadeja (1). Dewald Brevis (42 off 25) and Shivam Dube (39 off 32 balls) helped CSK rebuild their innings. Skipper MS Dhoni managed only 16 off 17, failing to provide a late flourish. Dhoni though became the fourth Indian batter to smash 350 sixes in the T20 format. The 43-year-old achieved the feat after Rohit Sharma (542), Virat Kohli (434) and Suryakumar Yadav (368). Overall, Chris Gayle holds the record for most T20 maximums with a tally of 1,056.
Pacers Yudhvir (3/47) and Akash Madhwal (3/29) shared six wickets between them.
With many young players excelling this season, Dhoni advised them to strive for consistency. “They have to try for consistency, but if you are looking for 200-plus strike rate then consistency is hard to get... they have the ability to hit sixes at any stage,” he said.
“Don’t take pressure, when the expectations rise... learn from senior players and coaching staff... it’s about reading the game... this would be my advice to all the youngsters who have done well,” he added.
