De Villiers delivers again RCB pip DC by one run
Ahmedabad, Apr 27: Royal Challengers Bangalore rode on an AB de Villiers special and a solid final over from Mohammad Siraj to inflict a one-run defeat on Delhi Capitals in the IPL here on Tuesday.
The ever-reliable de Villiers scored an unbeaten 42-ball 75 to power RCB to 171 for five before their bowlers, led by Harshal Patel (2/37), Mohammed Siraj (1/44) Kyle Jamieson (1/32), restricted Delhi to 170 for four.
Needing 14 off the final over, Delhi fell agonisingly short as Rishabh Pant's back-to-back fours off the remaining two balls did not prove to be enough.
Shimron Hetmyer (53 not out off 25) displayed some sensational hitting while batting alongside Pant (58 not out off 48) but they could not take their team over the line.
The victory propelled RCB to the top of the table while the Capitals slipped to the third spot.
Chasing 172, the Capitals were reduced to 28 for two in 3.3 overs as all-rounder Kyle Jamieson and Siraj and sent Shikhar Dhawan (6) and Steve Smith (4) packing respectively.
Just when it looked young Prithvi Shaw (21) and Pant, who survived a leg before scare on 9, were navigating their way, Patel, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, struck, getting rid of the former with the Capitals managing 43/2 in the first six overs.
As boundaries dried up, Pant and new-batsman Marcus Stoinis (22) kept the scoreboard ticking by taking singles and doubles on offer.
With the required run rate increasing both batsmen indulged in shot making. Stoinis took on Washington Sundar in the 12th over, hitting two fours while Pant smashed Patel for back-to-back boundaries in the next over.
However, an edge resulted in the Australian all-rounder walking back to the dug out as wickets continued to tumble at regular intervals.
The big-hitting Hetmyer joined his skipper in the middle. The West Indian was dropped on 15 by Devdutt Padikkal.
With the Capitals needing 46 of the last three overs. The Men in blue plundered 21 runs that included three massive sixes by Hetmyer in the 18th over bowled by Jamiseon but it wasn't meant to be.
Earlier, Delhi bowlers -- Ishant Sharma (1/26), Axar Patel (1/33), Kagiso Rabada (1/38), Amit Mishra (1/27), Avesh Khan (1/24) -- who all picked one wicket apiece, put up a collective effort to restrict RCB.
De Villiers, who hit three fours and five sixes, was the top scorer for RCB.
The veteran South African hit 22 runs off the last over bowled by Stoinis (0/23) that included three sixes.
Rajat Patidar (31) and Glenn Maxwell (25 off 20 balls) also provided valuable contributions.
Put in to bat, Devdutt Padikkal (17) and skipper Virat Kohli (12) were off to a flying start, amassing 30 runs in 3.5 overs.
Pacer Avesh provided the Capitals with the first breakthrough, dismissing the RCB captain for 12 in the fourth over. In the very next ball, Ishant, playing his first match of the season, got rid of the dangerous Padikkal.
With two new batsmen in the middle, the seasoned speedster went on to bowl a wicket maiden to slow down the proceedings as RCB collected 36 runs for the loss of two wickets in the Powerplay.
Maxwell played a short cameo, smashing two maximums and a boundary but was caught at long on by compatriot Smith off leggie Mishra as RCB reached 68 for three at the hallway mark.
Patidar, who hit 31 off 22 deliveries, and de Villiers steadied the ship by stitching a 54-run stand but all-rounder Axar Patel, who accounted for the Indian in the 15th over.
Barring de Villiers all RCB batsmen were guilty off not capitalising on good starts.
Brief Scores:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 171/5 in 20 overs (AB de Villiers 75 not out, Rajat Patidar 31). Delhi Capitals 170/4 in 20 overs (Rishabh Pant 58 not out, Shimron Hetmyer 53 not out; Harshal Patel 2/37).
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India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third women's ODI
Rajkot, Jan 15: Records tumbled like nine pins as the Indian women's cricket team, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana's 70-ball century, demolished Ireland by a whopping 304 runs to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep here on Wednesday.
The result of the match was a mere formality once India set Ireland a massive target of 436, and Ireland could only garner 131 before getting bundled out in 31.4 overs.
India put the first step forward towards a crushing victory through record-breaking Mandhana (135, 80b, 12x4, 7x6) and her opening partner Pratika Rawal (154, 129b, 20x4, 1x6), reaching 435/5, highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.
India men's highest ODI total is 418/5 made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.
Mandhana and Rawal added a whopping 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs and there was no looking back.
Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets among them to decimate the Irish line-up, which was well short on experience.
Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for a fluent third wicket stand that helped Ireland to recover from a shaky 24 for two to reach 88 without further damage.
But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India were all over the tourists like a bad rash, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs.
It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Mandhana’s 10th ODI century came off just 70 deliveries as the left-hander surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball hundred mark against South Africa last year.
It also set the tone for India breaching the 400-run mark for the first time, joining Australia and New Zealand in that elite list.
Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the 'V' and clear the 30-yard circle.
Pratika complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings.
Pratika relied on precise placement and deft touches in the point region and she showed her aggression only after reaching the ton, hitting Freya Sargent for her first six.
Demonstrating hunger for a bigger knock, she powered her way to an impressive 150 — a perfect blend of composure and aggression.
Their 233-run partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.
It was also the third instance of both Indian openers scoring hundreds in ODIs, following Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj’s feat at Milton Keynes in 1999 and Deepti and Raut’s partnership at Potchefstroom in 2017 -- all against Ireland.
The duo added 90 runs during the Power Play and 67 in the subsequent 10 overs, maintaining a brisk scoring rate.
Mandhana reached her first century of the calendar year with an exquisite drive off Arlene Kelly.
Kelly bore the brunt of her onslaught, conceding successive sixes in one over.
Even Kelly’s variations, including back-of-the-hand deliveries, were dispatched with ease, with the Indian batter following a six with another boundary in the 24th over.
Mandhana also took on Ireland’s leading bowler, Prendergast, smashing her for a boundary down the ground and a towering six over long-on.
Promoted to No. 3, Richa Ghosh also returned to form, making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.
