The Sachin Tendulkar-Rahul Dravid contest may not have gone according to script. But the latter, the Rajasthan Royals skipper, returned the happier man from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday as his side got their first ever Champions League Twenty-20 campaign off to a winning start.
Aided by both pluck and luck, the Royals staved off the challenge from a star-studded Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in the opening Group A game, overhauling a target of 143 with two balls to spare.
If Dravid shuffled his bowlers cleverly to leave the Mumbai batsmen struggling to get over the vagaries of the early season pitch, Sanju Samson (54)and Ajinkya Rahane (33) laid the foundation — with a 59-ball second wicket stand of 74 runs — for their ninth successive win at their fortress. Mediumpacer Vikramjeet Malik took home the Man of the Match award for his three wickets, including those of Dwayne Smith, Dinesh Karthik and dangerman Kieron Pollard. Even while the match went into the final over, RR always seemed to have it under control with Shane Watson and Stuart Binny finishing it off in style.
It was not the most cultured innings young Sanju would ever play, but he kept his composure after walking in nine balls into their chase and did just enough to ensure that RR never went behind the asking rate, keeping the scoreboard moving. He was lucky on more than one occasion, but none more so than the fourth ball he faced. Struck right in front of the stumps by a fast, swinging Mitchell Johnson delivery, the Royals were relieved that umpire Bruce Oxenford’s finger stayed down.
Earlier, a two-paced wicket with a fair sprinkling of grass greeted the Mumbai Indians openers, Tendulkar and Smith, as left-arm spinner Ashok Menaria took the new ball for Royals, after a 15-minute delay due to a wet outfield.
After cracking the first ball for four through cover and stroking an off-drive a little later, Smith fell to a short one that kept low.
The little master looked in ominous form, punching boundaries off either foot through the off side, but then Binny managed to slide one off his outside edge to keeper Sanju.
After Karthik dragged one onto his stumps trying to charge Malik and Ambati Rayudu was run out over a mix-up, it was left to skipper Rohit Sharma and the big-hitting Pollard to salvage a fighting total. Sharma played a few classy shot while making 44 before falling prey to a cleverly paced delivery from Watson, which he tickled to Samson, just a ball after having deposited a full toss into the stands over backward square leg. Royals were sharp in the field, with the likes of Rahane and Menaria cutting off a few crisp shots early on.