Deepak Chahar’s all-round display helped Rajasthan overcome Jharkhand by four wickets in their opening Group A Super League match in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy all-India Twenty20 tournament in Kolkata on Monday (January 22).
Photo by Rahul Gulati- IPL – Sportzpics
Jharkhand v Rajasthan
Deepak Chahar starred with bat and ball as Rajasthan made a winning start at the Jadhavpur University Second Campus ground, consigning Jharkhand to a second successive loss.
Chahar’s medium pace fetched him 2 for 35 in Jharkhand’s 157 for 5 on a somewhat sluggish surface, and he then saw his team through a tricky final phase with an unbeaten 20 that hauled Rajasthan to 158 for 6 with five deliveries to spare.
There was no rhythm to Rajasthan’s chase despite 43 at the top of the tree by Aditya Garhwal, and a quickfire 34 from Salman Khan, which came off just 23 deliveries. Varun Aaron’s twin strikes in the 15th over pegged Rajasthan back and when the otherwise profligate Jaskaran Singh accounted for Tajinder Singh in the next over, Rajasthan were in a pickle at 123 for 6, needing 35 in 25 deliveries.
Chahar and Chetan Bist then stepped up. The former struck three fours in his 13-ball knock, the latter hammered a four and a six in an 11-ball 18, and their stand was worth 35 in just 20 balls. Rajasthan’s cause was helped by wayward Jharkhand bowling, which contributed 12 runs through wides.
Jharkhand had begun strongly in the morning on being put in and looked headed for a bigger total but found it hard to get the big shots away as the ball got soft. As is his wont, Ishan Kishan got away briskly, adding 59 for the second wicket with the promoted Shahbaz Nadeem. Upon Kishan’s dismissal for 39, Virat Singh uncorked two fours and as many sixes while making 43 off 28, but the rest struggled to get a move on. A late flurry netted 40 in the last four overs, but their modest total was always well within Rajasthan’s sights.