The scoreboard may have misled him to believe that he had got a century but Chennai Super Kings left-hander Suresh Raina’s 98 against Rajasthan Royals was as invaluable as any hundred in the DLF Indian Premier League cricket history. It was the corner-stone on which Chennai Super Kings found their maiden victory over Rajasthan Royals in four starts.
After the Orange Cap holder Matthew Hayden was caught in a tangle by Yusuf Pathan bowling with the new ball and fell early, Raina played the lead role in dazzling fashion. He dominated the repair job with S Badrinath in a 67-run stand for the third wicket and the breezy 71-run partnership with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to help his team make 164 in 20 overs.
Raina then came back to the field to scalp Rajasthan Royals’ opener Rob Quiney’s wicket with his brand of off-spin besides take a couple of catches, including one off the dangerous Yusuf Pathan to put paid to the defending champions aspirations of scoring a fourth win over Chennai Super Kings.
Of course, Albie Morkel bowled superbly with the new ball, dismissing Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar in the second and sixth overs to push Rajasthan Royals on to the backfoot. And L Balaji also came up with sensible bowling in the latter half of the chase to finish with very impressive figures of four for 21.
Yet, it was clearly Raina’s day (and night) out at the SuperSport Park here. The aura of confidence that he wore comfortably around him was to be seen to be believed as he hammered the Rajasthan Royals attack with a forthright approach bordering on disdain. He handled pressure with practiced ease.
After three successive defeats, the victory lifted Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals to a modest fifth place. The top slots are occupied by Deccan Chargers (eight points), Delhi Daredevils (eight), Kings XI Punjab (six) and Mumbai Indians (five),
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