JOIN USBangalore go out with a bang
There’s something about slipping into the Royal Challengers colours that brings the best out of the Kiwi right-hander. Already something of a legend among the Challengers faithful, Taylor added a whole new legion of fans with an innings of great style, substance and savagery against the Delhi Daredevils.
That his brutal 65 (38b, 6x4, 4x6) came long after the Challengers’ Champions League campaign had been cut short by the Cape Cobras victory over the Victoria Bushrangers seemed to make no difference to nearly 40,000 rambunctious, merry-minded fans who contributed to the most wonderful atmosphere of the tournament so far.
With decibel levels threatening to bring the roof down, first when Virender Sehwag set about the Challengers bowling, then when Anil Kumble (3/20) celebrated his 39th birthday with a magical spell of bowling and eventually when Taylor set about Glenn McGrath and the hapless Amit Mishra, the Challengers trooped out commanding victors, by eight wickets with 29 deliveries to spare.
Chasing the Daredevils’ 138 for six, the Challengers clattered along to 139 for two, Rahul Dravid signalling victory with a huge six over long-off off Ashish Nehra.
Along the way, the already eliminated Challengers ended the Daredevils’ interest too in the competition, but no one at the Chinnaswamy stadium was complaining.
Kumble’s decision to chase after winning a fourth successive toss was greeted with typical belligerence by Sehwag, who lay into Praveen Kumar and totally dominated an opening stand of 48 with skipper Gautam Gambhir.
With the right-hander in the mood, the Daredevils appeared headed for a massive total, primed at 77 for one after nine overs, when spin twins Roelof van der Merwe and Kumble stopped them in their tracks. The left-arm spin of the South African accounted for Sehwag, caught in the deep, and Kumble then took over, tying up Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Kaarthick and Owais Shah in knots as Daredevils lost their way as well as momentum.
The Challengers lost Manish Pandey to a muscle pull and Robin Uthappa to a mistimed pull off the pacy, aggressive Dirk Nannes, but then began the fun and games as Taylor arrived to a rapturous reception. While Dravid played his customary, almost unnoticed, nip-and-tuck game, Taylor went into overdrive, making the most of dropped chances on 18 and 32 to destroy first McGrath, then Mishra.
Taylor departed after calling the shots in a stand of 93 (58b), only for Virat Kohli to play some delectable strokes off Mishra and round off the fireworks on the field. The lap of the ground in thanksgiving from Kumble and his boys was no more than the loyal fans deserved.
Score Board
Delhi Daredevils
G Gambhir c Boucher b Steyn 11
V Sehwag c Pandey b van der Merwe 47
T Dilshan c & b Kumble 20
D Karthik lbw b Kumble 2
O Shah c B Kumar b Kumble 17
M Tiwary c Pandey b P Kumar 11
R Bhatia not out 17
Extras: (B-3, LB-4, W-6) 13
Total: (for 6 wkts in 20 overs) 138
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-77, 3-81, 4-91, 5-114, 6-138.
Bowling: D Steyn 4-0-24-1, P Kumar 4-0-36-1, B Kumar 4-0-31-0, R van der Merwe 4-0-20-1, A Kumble 4-0-20-3.
Royal Challengers
Manish Pandey retired hurt 3
Robin Uthappa c Mishra b Nannes 9
Rahul Dravid not out 32
Ross Taylor b Nannes 65
Virat Kohli not out 24
Extras (w-6) 6
Total (For 2 wkts in 15.1 overs) 139
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-108.
Bowling: Nehra 3.1-0-23-0, Nannes 4-0-19-2, McGrath 2-0-25-0, Mishra 4-0-59-0, Bhatia 2-0-13-0.