Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag
Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag (Credits: Twitter)

Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag starred with the bat, helping Rajasthan Royals beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets on Saturday. With the win, the Royals also ended their four-match losing streak. The Royals were reeling at 78 for 5 at one stage before Tewatia and Parag joined hands to take their side home.

Tewatia remained unbeaten on 45 while Parag remained unbeaten on 42 as the duo shared a match-winning stand of 85 runs. The Royals were off to a disastrous start with the bat.

They tried out another opening combination as they paired Stokes with Jos Buttler in pursuit of 159. But their move backfired once again as Stokes departed in the very second over after scoring only 5. He was castled by left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed.

Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes (Credits: Twitter)

Buttler and captain Steve Smith could not do much with the bat either as they both departed cheaply to leave their side reeling at 26 for 3 in the fifth over. Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa then stopped the rot with a 37-run stand.

But just when it looked like they would rescue the Royals, they departed too as their side found themselves five down for just 78. Leg-spinner Rashid Khan sent back both the batsmen.

David Warner
Rashid Khan [Photo-Twitter]
At that stage, it had looked all over for the Royals before Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag joined hands to revive their team’s hopes. After playing cautiously early on, the duo launched a stunning counterattack to turn the game on its head. The duo shifted gears from the 16th over when their side needed 65 runs from the last 5 overs.

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In the final over, the Royals needed only 8 runs bowled by Khaleel Ahmed. After collecting six runs from the first four balls, Parag ended the game with a six on the fifth delivery.

SRH innings:

Earlier in the game, SRH posted 158 for 4 after electing to bat first. Manish Pandey starred with the bat, scoring 54 while skipper David Warner scored 48. Kartik Tyagi gave the Royals a good start by dismissing in-form Jonny Bairstow cheaply before Warner and Pandey steadied the ship.

David Warner
David Warner (Credits: Twitter)

The duo added 73 runs for the second wicket before Jofra Archer ended the stand by castling Warner. The SRH skipper’s 48-run knock came off 38 balls and was studded with three fours and a couple of sixes. Pandey, on the other hand, went on to complete his fifty before being sent back by Jaydev Unadkat.

Manish Pandey
Manish Pandey (Credits: Twitter)

After Pandey’s dismissal, Kane Williamson (22* off 12) and Priyam Garg (15 off 8) played fine cameos to help SRH cross the 150-run mark. Archer was the pick of the bowlers for the Royals with figures of 1 for 25 from four overs.

Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Stokes
Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Stokes (Credits: Twitter)

Here are the reactions to the match:

 

 

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