Skipper Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik struck fluent half-centuries to guide Gujarat Lions to a challenging 208 for seven against Delhi Daredevils in a crucial Indian Premier League match, here today.
Coming in to bat no. 3, Raina played fluently to score 77 runs off just 43 balls with the help of five boundaries and four sixes and together with Dinesh Karthik (65 off 34) added 133 runs off just 72 balls for the third wicket to set the foundation for a big score.
Sent into bat, Gujarat didn't have the best of the starts as they lost two wickets in quick succession.
Brendon McCullum (1) was the first to depart caught by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant in the last delivery of the second over and then Dwayne Smith (9) was run out in the very next delivery of the same over.
Thereafter skipper Raina and Karthink joined hands and the duo mixed caution with aggression to take Gujarat forward.
The duo rode on their luck, especially Raina, as they brought up 100-run partnership off just 60 balls.
Raina was lucky to have survived in the seventh over when he was dropped by Marlon Samuels off the bowling off Mohammed Shami.
But Karthik was at his attacking best as he smashed Amit Mishra for a six and a four. He was severe on left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem as he smacked the bowler for two sixes and one four to pick up 18 runs off the 12th over.
But an over later, an in-form Raina departed as he fell prey to an unnecessary mix-up. Gujarat were dealt a double blow in the next over as, Karthik too perished, caught by Corey Anderson off the bowling of Pat Cummins in the first delivery of the very next over.
But some big hitting from Ravindra Jadeja (18) took Gujarat past 200-run mark. Jadeja launched his attack on Anderson as he smacked the bowler for two consecutive sixes in the final two deliveries of the last over to take Gujarat past the 200-run target.