 The Rajasthan Royals will play the Deccan Chargers in the 22nd game of
the third edition of the Indian Premier League. The match will be played at the
Motera in Ahmedabad and it will be a night game. the Royals have won one game
out of the four that they have played in, whereas the Deccan Chargers had
a slow start when they lost their first match to the Kolkata Knight Riders, but
went on to beat Delhi, Chennai and Punjab in the remaining three games. They now
hold the joint-second position in the points table with Mumbai Indians, who also
have six points.
Click for Live Score Card of Jaipur Rajasthan Royals Vs Hyderabad Deccan ChargersThe Rajasthan Royals performed admirably well in their game against the Kolkata
Knight Riders. They had changed things around, got a couple of new guys, opened
with Yusuf Pathan, had Shane Warne bowling in the death and the things
worked for the Royals. However, they would be the first to admit that this is
only one win in four games and they have a lot of covering up to do.
In fact, given that the opposition is as strong as the Deccan Chargers, the
Royals will need to come out with something special to be able to stop the crusading
likes of Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds. Symonds has been in a specially
good form for the Chargers with the bat and the ball and hence is a vital cog
in the Deccan wheels.
There is also something personal at stake for Shane Warne. Warne and
Adam Gilchrist have never got along in international cricket, a fact that is
no secret. The vital bone of contention for Warne was that Gilly was selected
as the wicket-keeper ahead of Darren Berry, his long-term friend from Victoria.
Rather ironically, Berry is the head of coaching in the Rajasthan side, and
so, it would be an interesting battle ahead between the three!
For the Chargers, the other Indian batsmen have to come to the party and soon.
Rohit Sharma has been ordinary, to say the least, and will probably use
the game to get back to his T20 best, whereas Venugopal Rao is only a game old
in the tournament. VVS Laxman's absence will mean that Rao should be a surety
in the side, but whether he will be able to convert his chance into a good innings
that one had seen him play last season is what needs to be seen.
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