IPL 2020| DC vs RR: Hits and Flops as Rahul Tewatia becomes an anti-hero for the first time in a Rajasthan chase

Rahul Tewatia, the find of this season fired blanks along with Robin Uthappa to ruin a simple chase for the Rajasthan Royals as the team went down to Delhi Capitals by 13 runs in one of the important games of their Indian Premier League 2020 campaign. 

At one stage needing 39 runs off 30 deliveries with Uthappa well settled and Tewatia having gotten used to the game situation, the Royals scored only two runs in the 16^th over. If that was not disastrous already, they further scored just four runs in the 18^th over. With that kind of impetus, there was no chance of them winning the game and that’s exactly what happened. 

For Delhi Capitals, their bowlers, especially Anrich Nortje and the two spinners in Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin stood out as they helped the team bounce back and win the game from such a situation which seemed impossible at one point. Tushar Deshpande, the debutant was brilliant with the ball for the Capitals as well. 

In the batting department, both the captain and the acting captain in Shreyas Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan respectively looked good and provided Delhi with a foundation after their early debacle against the pace sensation Jofra Archer.

On that note, here are the hits and flops of the game as Delhi Capitals moved to the top of the table after their 13 run victory against Rajasthan Royals.

Hits

#1 Anrich Nortje

We are halfway through the 13th edition of the IPL and many new stars have been born. But the one that has taken all the limelight with his pace and the sheer pace is the South African replacement of Chris Woakes - Anrich Nortje of the Delhi Capitals. Along with the express pace, he has an understanding of the game as to what to bowl in which situation. And today’s game was the best example of that. 

Having come to bowl at a time when both the opening batsmen of the Royals, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler were going crazy with the bat, Nortje too was hit for a string of boundaries by Buttler down the leg. The ball which was hit for the boundary was also the fastest of the tournament at more than 156 KMPH. But did Nortje cut the pace after that? No! But what he did was, change the line a bit, get the bowl to swing by bowling a bit fuller, and Bam! He got Buttler bowled off a 155KMPH ball.  That was one of the turning points in the game. 

Coming back to bowl in death, the 26-year-old speedster once again showed his class as he got the wicket of well-settled Robin Uthappa and gave just four runs in the 18^th over of the game when the chasing team required 29 of the last three overs. He finished with the figures of 2/33 in his four overs and was rightfully adjudged Man of the Match. 

#2 Ravichandran Ashwin

Ashwin has over the games emerged to be one of the safest bets for captain Iyer and whenever the team seems to be in trouble, he reaches for the Tamil Nadu born. In this game too, the spinner was introduced to the attack in the fourth over and within his first over, picked the all-important wicket of opposition captain Steve Smith. 

It was also Ashwin, who in the 16^th over of the game gave away just two runs when the team needed 39 from 30 deliveries, making the required rate go higher and the pressure to rise in the batsman’s mind. He bowled four consecutive dots to Rahul Tewatia, the chase master from the last game. The Tamil Nadu born finished with the amazing figures of 1/17 from his four overs. 

#3 Shikhar Dhawan

Criticised for his slow innings in the last game against Mumbai Indians, Shikhar Dhawan changed his approach and went in all attack mode even as the wickets fell at the other end. From 10/2 in 2.3 overs, Dhawan built a partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer as they steadily reached to 95 in the 12^th over. 

In that partnership, the 35-year-old Delhi born was the aggressor as he went on to make 57 off just 33 balls in an innings which included six fours and two sixes and the runs came at an amazing strike rate of 172.73. He eventually got out playing a shot which at best shouldn’t have been tried by him. But his runs came out to be handy as the team defeated in the death overs and couldn’t achieve as much as they had wanted. 

Apart from batting, Dhawan also did a brilliant job as a stand-in captain, rotating the bowlers in the best possible manner and more importantly helping the team get those two crucial points. 

Flops

#1 Rahul Tewatia

For once, just once in the tournament, Rahul could not do a Tewatia. Considered to be the hero of the run chases for his teams, after two sensational victories from positions of no hope, Tewatia turned out to be an anti-thesis of himself as he not only ate away deliveries but couldn’t connect any shot putting undue pressure on his fellow batsmen. 

The Haryana player made 14 runs off 18 balls as he played for consecutive dots in the 16th over of the innings, managing just two runs off it. From requiring 39 off 30 balls to 22 of the last six, there was a Tewatia in there who mounted dot deliveries after dot deliveries every over and failed to create anything out o the 20^th over as well.  

#2 Robin Uthappa

When the tournament had not yet started, Uthappa said in interviews that he wanted to make a comeback into the Indian team and IPL was the right platform for it. With the kind of performances that he has put out, the Indian dream seems out of reach. What’s even more surprising is that he has been chances by the RR management even after failing continuously. 

In this game too, he along with Tewatia were the prime reasons for their team’s defeat. Uthappa not only got Riyan Parag, the last game’s hero run out, but also failed to finish the game having got settled down. It was him and Tewatia who were at the crease when the team needed just 39 off 30 deliveries at a required rate of less than 8 which is considered peanuts in the modern era. 

Although Uthappa scored 32 off 27 balls at a strike rate of 118.52, that was of no use as he couldn’t win the game for the team

Special Mention: Tushar Deshpande    

The debutant might not have made to the Hits in the game as the list could only include three names, but his contribution in the first-ever IPL game needed to be told, and that’s why we chose to have him in the Special Mention category. 

Having made it to the highest form of domestic cricket in India where one is rubbing shoulders with international stars, Deshpande wasn’t afraid in his methods or approach as he go9t rid of the best all-rounder in the world right now- Ben Stokes, that too at a juncture where the English man was settled and the Delhi team needed a wicket badly.

Not only that, the young man held his nerve in the last over against someone like Tewatia, who has made a name of himself for hitting bowlers in the last few overs of the games and winning matches for his team dramatically.  The Mumbai lad’s spell of 4-0-37-2 was just a glimpse into what all he can achieve if nurtured properly. 

With this win in Dubai, the Capitals, who have now reached the top spot in the table, would take on Chennai Super Kings, who are looking for a revival in their fortunes. Rajasthan Royals though would take on Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next encounter.       

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