Cricket

'We’ve waited for this'- Twitter pleased as Rajasthan book a slot in the first Qualifier

Rajasthan defeated Chennai by five wickets in the 68th match of the Indian T20 League 2022. Here is how Twitter reacted.

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Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin (Image source- BCCI/IPL)

Rajasthan defeated Chennai by five wickets in the 68th match of the Indian T20 League 2022. After a strong start, Rajasthan's bowlers did well to limit Chennai to a modest total. Although the Sanju Samson-led side had a few setbacks during their chase, they battled hard to get to the target. With this win, Rajasthan have booked a slot in the Qualifier 1 against Gujarat.

MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first at the Brabourne Stadium. Chennai lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (two) early on, but Moeen Ali walked in and scored a brilliant knock. He showed no mercy on the opposition bowlers. The all-rounder was dealing with boundaries and raced to his half-century with a four in the sixth over. He had smashed eight fours, and three sixes, and had only one run between the wickets by that point. Chennai reached 75 runs within the powerplay itself.

Post that, the team slowed down a bit and lost a few wickets in the middle overs. Conway (16), Narayan Jagadeesan (one), and Ambati Rayudu (three) all departed within 11 overs, bringing MS Dhoni in the middle. He was dropped twice early on, but could not make the best out of this opportunity. The two laboured throughout the innings, accumulating 51 runs until the 19th over. Dhoni (26) was out on the last ball of the 19th over by Yuzvendra Chahal for a team total of 146.

In the last over, Obed McCoy took the wicket of Ali (93) and allowed just four runs. They set a target of 151 runs for Rajasthan. During the chase, Rajasthan also lost an early wicket. However, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson steadied the innings. Jaiswal played with positive intent. They added 51 runs in the partnership before Samson (15) was dismissed in the ninth over for a team score of 67. While Rajasthan lost another wicket, Jaiswal achieved his steady half-century. He did not stay long, though, as he was dismissed in the 15th over.

The equation came down to 47 runs in the last five overs. The next two overs yielded 15 runs, but resulted in the dismissal of Shimron Hetmyer (six). In the end, Ravichandran Ashwin (40) played a brilliant cameo with Riyan Parag to take the team through. Thus, the Rajasthan-based franchise finishes second on the points table.

Here is how Twitter reacted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Indian Premier League 2023 Indian T20 League Chennai Rajasthan ITL 2022