Spinners Pandya, Suyash shine as RCB restrict Punjab to 157/6
Mullanpur, Apr 20 (PTI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma bowled stifling spells to restrict Punjab Kings to an under-par 157 for six in the IPL match here on Sunday.
The left-arm spinner Krunal (2/25) and leg-spinner Suyash (2/27) were at their crafty best after Royal Challengers opted to field first on a pitch that had a hint of slowness.
In fact, the Punjab side made a good start to their innings with Priyansh Arya (22) and Prabhsimran Singh (33) adding 42 runs in 4.2 overs.
There was no sign of an impending storm when Arya made his runs through those short-arm pulls and hit-through-line shots.
The left-hander was harsh on pacer Yash Dayal whom he carted for a six and two fours, and sensing the comfort of PBKS openers against quick bowlers RCB skipper Rajat Patidar turned to Pandya in the fifth over.
It proved a captaincy master-stroke as Krunal immediately fetched the desired result getting rid of Arya, who could not time the shot well of a slower delivery. Tim David took a simple catch at the edge of the circle.
It opened the floodgates as the hosts lost three wickets in the space of 14 runs, slipping to 76 for four, and Nehal Wadhera’s horrific run out added to their misery.
It reminded one of their collapse to 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders a few days back at the same venue..
However, the most disappointing dismissals were that of skipper Shreyas Iyer and Josh Inglis.
Shreyas went for an on-the-up shot off RCB debutant Romario Shepherd, but could only toe-end a catch to a diving Krunal.
Inglis, who looked set with a couple of scooped fours off Shepherd and a six over long-on off Pandya, perished to Suyash.
The Aussie gave himself too much room while trying to carve Suyash over the covers, but the side-spin on the ball ensured that it reached out of his bat’s arc.
Shashank Singh (31 not out), who was dropped on 27 at short third by Dayal off Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Marco Jansen (25 not out) added 43 runs for the seventh wicket as PBKS sneaked past the 150-run mark.
Jansen finished the innings with a six off Josh Hazlewood as PBKS could only make 38 runs off the last five overs.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
