#OTD in 2012: Tendulkar and Smith help MI to secure victory by 10 wickets against RR

On this day, Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith stitched a stand of 163 runs to help Mumbai Indians (MI) to secure victory by ten wickets against Rajasthan Royals (RR) In their last league match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2012.

Mumbai Indians had already qualified for the playoffs with nine wins in 15 appearances ahead of this league match. But, on the other hand, RR had to win this game to make it 8 wins in the league stage and still have a chance to seal the playoffs spot. 

Batting first, RR had a lousy start with Rahul Dravid (5) chasing the widish delivery off Dhawal Kulkarni, which caught the edge and was caught by the wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik. After that, Ajinkya Rahane (13) had a quiet start and hit two boundaries but soon perished in pursuit of playing a pull shot over the mid-wicket area, and Kulkarni struck another blow to RR. 

Then arrived Stuart Binny, who played shots all around the park to accelerate the team's run rate. However, he was run out by Kieron Pollard due to the confusion with his partner Shane Watson for a well-made 30 off 17 balls. 

Watson (45) anchored the innings well and consistently hit boundaries until he was caught at the long-on position by Smith off Pollard. 

Then the pair of Owais Shah (28*) and Ashok Menaria (21) played well in the final few overs to post 162 on the board. 

Chasing a near par total, Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith were the openers for the MI team. Both the batters perfectly timed the ball after setting their eyes on the pitch by playing out the first three-four overs. 

In the first ten overs, the team had scored 79 runs. In the first two balls of the 11th over of Ajit Chandila, Smith was terrific at striking sixes through the long-on area, which enhanced his confidence. He completed his fifty off 34 balls in the same over and continued his onslaught on the opposition bowlers. 

In the 16th over, Tendulkar, who played as a second fiddle to Smith, completed his fifty. The game was completed in 18 overs, with Tendulkar scoring 58*off 51, and Smith remained unbeaten with 87 off 58 balls. 

This fixture marked the 5th 10-wicket win in the IPL history, and Tendulkar crossed the 2000 run mark in the tournament. 

The Royals lost their only hope of qualifying for the tournament's playoffs and finished in the seventh position.