3 things we learnt from the RR vs RCB game

It was battle royale as Rajasthan took on Royal Challengers at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium. A match that was expected to go down to the wire ended up in a convincing victory for the team from Bengaluru. Batting first, RCB looked in a spot of bother losing 3 wickets in quick succession, but it was AB who stole the show. Later Appanna steam-rolled the Rajasthan batsmen with his off-spinners claiming 4 wickets. All in all it was a dominant RCB performance and they seem to be back in contention for a semis spot. RR on the other looked to have lost the plot after a great start to their campaign. However 3 key points to note:

1. RCB is not a one-man team.

‘If Gayle fires, RCB fire’ was the mantra. Most people felt that if Gayle doesn’t contribute then RCB are certain to lose. But RCB proved their critics wrong by putting up a great team show. Gayle, having an upset stomach, didn’t open the innings for RCB and instead batted at 4. However, he failed to fire with the bat, getting out LBW to Brad Hogg. When it all semmed over, AB stepped up stringing a 130+ partnership with Dilshan, taking RCB to an above par score of 189.

2. Silent Killer, AB de Villiers.

When he’s hitting boundaries he doesn’t smash them. They all look elegant and soothing to the eye. You never realise the damage until you look at the scoreboard. A strike rate of 256 is well phenomenol and AB did it with absolute ease. From reverse sweeps to classic straight drives he showed them all in a nutshell. Whether it’s Test cricket or ODI or T20, AB is arguably the best.

3. Whether it’s T20 or Test cricket, Rahul Dravid is Mr. Dependable.

Chasing a stiff target of 190, Royals needed a good start. Rahane was expected to give them the needed but encountered a rare failure. The man who stepped upto the occassion was THE WALL, Rahul Dravid. Scoring a quickfire 50, he showed everyone that class is enough to succeed in any format. No big heaves or slog sweeps, it was just glorious cover drives and on-drives with a great piece of timing. Rahul Dravid you are truly legendary.

On the whole, great entertainment and everybody look in contention for a semis spot except DC. With still a long way to go, a few more thrillers will definitely spice up the title race. Cheers!!