IPL 2019: Match 8, SRH vs RR - They Didn't Lose Momentum When Someone Got Out Which Made the Difference - Ajinkya Rahane

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) held their composure in the high-scoring game to beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. Following their defeat, Rajasthan skipper Ajinkya Rahane pointed out that pitch became better in the second half which made the job easy for the opponents.

Meanwhile, batting first Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson powered Rajasthan to 198 runs at the halfway stage. They added 119 runs for the second wicket after losing Jos Buttler early in the innings. Although they took time, they eventually broke shackles to reach individual milestones. Although Ajinkya Rahane got out at 70, Samson continued to bring the first century of the season. The talented batsman from Kerala played some gorgeous looking shots including 24 runs from a Bhuvneshwar Kumar over to guide Rajasthan put 198 runs on the board.

However, the home side bettered the effort to chase down the target with six balls to spare. David Warner and Jonny Bairstow started in fifth gear smashing hard at everything. They added 110 runs within ten overs to set the tone for the batsmen to exploit. Vijay Shankar who looked in great touch in the last match once again showed his class to keep Sunrisers Hyderabad in the hunt. Although he got out with 32 runs required Yusuf Pathan and Rashid Khan they go with a smile.

Following their loss, Ajinkya Rahane noted that pitch changed in favour of the batting side in the second half. However, he also credited the opponent team for not losing the momentum after a wicket. Speaking on his side, Rahane hailed Sanju Samson saying that he is a special talent and will go a long way.

Here is what Ajinkya Rahane said,

First of all, 190+ on that wicket was really good. Initially, when Sanju and me were batting the wicket looked slow – it was stopping and coming – and we thought 150 was a good total. But when players like Warner bat like that there is a very small margin for us. They didn’t lose any momentum when someone got out and they played really well. We all know how talented Sanju is. He will go miles and consistency is going to be the key for him.