Given the nature of the surface in Sharjah, Rajasthan Royals (RR) needed a score in excess of 200 just to feel that much more secure against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this Tuesday (September 22) in Match 4 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
No.3 Sanju Samson provided his team just the sort of innings they needed in order to reach that far and put CSK under more pressure in the second half after being asked to bat first on losing the toss earlier on.
WATCH – Yashasvi Jaiswal greets MS Dhoni with utmost respect before CSK-RR clash
Samson played a blistering knock of 74 runs in 32 deliveries in a crucial partnership with skipper Steve Smith, who himself made a 47-ball 69 in his team's massive total of 216/7 in 20 overs. Samson took a special liking for CSK's spinners Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja, hitting most of his nine sixes against them.
"Sanju Samson, looked like everything he hit went for six. He was incredible, and all I had to do was give him the strike. This should give him a lot of confidence," said Smith after the game.
CSK struggled to get on top of the asking rate from the beginning and played catch-up for most of the run-chase. Even though they struck 62 runs in the last five overs, RR still won by 16 runs at the end.
On a flat pitch with dew around, the game perhaps could've been closer if not for lower-order batsman Jofra Archer's outstanding cameo of 27* in just 8 balls.
"I think the last surge from Jofra was an incredible bit of hitting. MS [Dhoni] smacked a few in the end, and Faf [du Plessis] got going too, but nice to get a W in front of the RRs," said Smith.
In the second half, Royals' spinners Shreyas Gopal (1/38) and Rahul Tewatia (3/37) did better than their CSK counterparts did in the first half, which was also a point of edge for Smith's men.
"It was important for the bowlers to avoid straight hits, and it was important to make him hit the back of a length. The leg-spinners were very good with their lengths - good on them. Shreyas Gopal does what he does pretty well," the captain said.
Smith, who was expected to bat No.3, came out to open alongside youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal in absence of first-choice opener Jos Buttler, who is under quarantine since arrival in UAE from England due to COVID-19 regulations. Smith hinted Buttler will be reinstated at the top of the order from the next match on Sunday (September 27) against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
"Jos is a quality player and we'll see what happens when he comes back. Hard to take the opening slot away from someone like him," he said.
(Inputs from Sportstar)
