IPL 2019, SRH vs RR - Turning Point: David Warner hands Sunrisers Hyderabad the perfect start to run chase
A whirlwind half-century by David Warner, coupled with cameos from Vijay Shankar and Rashid Khan, helped Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 5 wickets.
Chasing a target like 199 is never easy in T20 cricket. Although the pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad was not doing much for the bowlers, it was still going to be a steep chase for the hosts after Sanju Samson notched his second IPL century to guide RR to a commanding position in the encounter.
However, David Warner has some other plans for the match. Warner looked in brilliant form from the very first delivery and sensing the demand of the situation, he started playing in his trademark aggressive manner. The Aussie slammed fours and sixes at will and as a result, Sunrisers rushed to 54 for no loss after five overs.
Dhawal Kulkarni was his first victim as he scored a four and a six off his bowling in the very first over and then followed it up with two boundaries off Krishnappa Gowtham in the next over. Rahane tried to change things up with Ben Stokes in the fifth over but Warner was not bothered as he slammed him for three boundaries.
READ: IPL 2019: Samson’s ton in vain as Warner, Bairstow power SRH to 5-wkt win
Dhawan continued to play his shots freely and was able to bring up his half century in just 26 deliveries. It was an absolute masterclass from the Aussie batsman as he slammed Gowtham for a four and a six in the seventh over to bring up the 100 run partnership for the opening innings. Together with Jonny Bairstow, Warner shared 110 runs in just 58 balls for the opening stand and that provided the perfect foundation for the run chase.
But just when it seemed Warner would run away with the game, Ben Stokes dismissed him with a slower delivery as his innings ended on 69 off 37 deliveries.However, the damage was done and after his dismissal, Vijay Shankar and Yusuf Pathan played whirlwind knocks to clinch the game for Sunrisers Hyderabad.