Virat Kohli hogged the limelight first-up with the third century in his last seven IPL innings. But Rajasthan Royals opener Jos Buttler (100 not out off 58 balls) and captain Sanju Samson (69 off 42 balls) carried out a smooth slaughter of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru attack, leading their team to a comfortable six-wicket win at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday.
Having negated Kohli’s unbeaten 72-ball 113, the Royals registered their fourth win on the trot to take the top spot on the table with eight points. For RCB, they now have four defeats and lie low at No.8.
Despite Kohli’s innings, all that RCB could manage was 183/3. For sure, it was a competitive total, but RCB would certainly feel they fell short by 10-15 runs.
Skipper Samson and Buttler made superb use of the dew factor and were at their steady best as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal off Reece Topley off just the second ball of the Royals’ reply had no bearing on their run chase at all. With RCB being thin in spin in any case, especially on a pitch where the bowl did grip a little bit, it made matters easier for Samson and Buttler.
The England captain did look pedestrian in the first three games. On Saturday too, he took a little bit of time to get into his groove. But bringing his experience into play, he first focused on playing the ball with soft hands and picking the gaps. And once he did that, it was time for the ‘Jos the boss’ show.
Having regained his form, Buttler eventually smashed a hundred, reaching it in style with a pull off Cameron Green over mid-wicket that fetched him his fourth maximum when the Royals needed
just one off the last six balls. Buttler’s ton certainly trumped Kohli’s century.
Kohli didn’t do badly strike rate-wise, finishing at 156.94. But that of Buttler (172.41) was far superior.
Earlier, it was quite baffling to see RCB not send Dinesh Karthik out to bat at all. So far this season, Karthik hasn’t done badly in his role as a finisher. Had he been sent in after Glenn Maxwell’s departure in the 15th over — instead of debutant Saurav Chauhan and then Cameron Green at the fall of the third wicket — the experienced keeper-batter could have done much better in terms of reducing the pressure on Kohli in the closing overs.
RCB needed a cameo in those slog overs, and Karthik was capable of producing one.
The Royals, playing in a pink jersey as part of their Pink Promise campaign (through which the team aims to amplify its support for the empowered women from rural Rajasthan), will also thank their spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yiuzvendra Chahal, for applying the brakes on RCB’s progress after Kohli and captain Faf du Plessis punished left-arm pacers Trent Boult and Nandre Burger.
