Sport

Chargers contrive to lose again

— Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

IMPORTANT WICKET: A jubilant Praveen Kumar is mobbed by his Royal Challengers teammates after taking the wicket of Deccan Chargers’ Herschelle Gibbs.

Bangalore: V.V.S. Laxman walked quickly towards the pitch, swapped smiles and a quick high-five with an equally effusive Rahul Dravid before the rival skippers went for the toss.

And as the evening wore on at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, only one man managed to hold his smile, a tired one, as Rahul Dravid’s Royal Challengers Bangalore snatched a three-run victory over Deccan Chargers in the DLF-Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.

Chasing Royal Challengers’ 156 and needing 20 runs in the last over bowled by Anil Kumble, Sanjay Bangar and Arjun Yadav scrambled two singles. Bangar then hoisted two consecutive sixes and it all boiled down to six of two deliveries.

Bangar and Yadav flailed their bats and managed only a single each as Kumble flung his arms skywards. Deccan Chargers was grounded at 153 for six in 20 overs.

Royal Challengers has now four points from six matches while Deccan Chargers stays at the bottom with two from six outings. The script on a muggy evening was seemingly easing into the visitor’s pocket as Deccan Chargers skipper Laxman (52, 44b, 7x4) and Rohit Sharma (57, 42b, 5x4, 3x6) shared a 96-run third-wicket partnership off 70 deliveries after Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs found grateful fielders in the deep.

Laxman, left in the familiar terrain of stitching partnerships, found the perfect foil in Rohit. Laxman, despite the hop-skip-and-jump miscued pull off Kallis that almost ballooned onto his stumps, was a picture of aesthetic pleasure. Rohit played with the typical cheekiness and calmness associated with Mumbaikars, as he threaded Kallis past short third-man for four and pulled Praveen for six.

Laxman whetted his appetite in a Kumble over, driving on the up, flicking and lofting and along with Rohit, seemed set to whittle down the target. The duo found their fours in every over and topped it with singles to keep pressure at bay.

But pressure did return as Rohit found a waiting Jaffer at long-on while he tried to dent Kallis. Rohit’s dismissal in the 17th over turned the tide and with Praveen rapping Laxman’s pads and finding his appeal yielding the nod, Royal Challengers was buzzing all over again. Dale Steyn’s diving catch to dismiss Afridi, also turned out to be a catalyst.

In the afternoon, Royal Challengers frittered away the initial impetus gained through a 72-run second-wicket partnership spanning 54 deliveries between opener Wasim Jaffer (44) and Virat Kohli (38).

After Laxman opted to bowl, Royal Challengers opener Bharath Chipli cut and whipped R.P. Singh for fours before driving away from the body and chopping on to his stumps. The innings though was up on its feet as Kohli, light legs and strong arms, cut R.P. Singh for four.

Jaffer meanwhile was bleeding the rival attack with a touch of elegance and even scooped Sanjay Bangar over fine-leg for four. Kohli hoisted Bangar and Pragyan Ojha into the stands but the innings hit a snag when Jaffer miscued while attempting to hustle Ojha.

The left-arm spinner then castled Jacques Kallis and Kohli swatted R.P. Singh straight down sweeper cover’s throat. Misbah-ul-Haq failed against Afridi and it was left to skipper Rahul Dravid’s big hits against Scott Styris, to help the home side go past the 150-mark.

The scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: B. Chipli b R.P. Singh 10, W. Jaffer c Gibbs b Ojha 44, V. Kohli c Bangar b R.P. Singh 38, J. Kallis b Ojha 6, Misbah lbw b Afridi 3, R. Dravid c Yadav b S. Styris 26, M. Boucher b R.P. Singh 16, Praveen Kumar (run out) 8, Zaheer (not out) 0; Extras: (lb-3, w-2) 5; Total: (for eight wickets in 20 overs) 156.

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-85, 3-102, 4-104, 5-111, 6-135, 7-150, 8-156.

Deccan Chargers bowling: Vijay Kumar 3-0-18-0, R.P. Singh 4-0-41-3, Styris 4-0-29-1, Afridi 4-0-23-1, Ojha 4-0-28-2, Bangar 1-0-14-0.

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist c Jaffer b Zaheer 10, V.V.S. Laxman lbw b Praveen 52, H. Gibbs c Kumble b Praveen 5, Rohit c Jaffer b Kallis 57, Afridi c Steyn b Praveen 1, Styris lbw b Zaheer 2, A. Yadav (not out) 3, S. Bangar (not out) 17; Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-2); Total: (for six wickets in 20 overs) 153.

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-31, 3-127, 4-128, 5-132, 6-132.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Steyn 4-0-20-0, Zaheer 4-0-24-2, Praveen 4-0-23-3, Kumble 4-0-47-0, Kallis 4-0-35-1.

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