RR's top 3 batting highlights in IPL 2021 so far
With three wins and four losses, Rajasthan Royals are currently stuck in the middle of the IPL 2021 points table at fifth. Though they are in a difficult position, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity, and RR will be banking on its batters to pull the team out of a tricky situation.
Let's dive into three innings of RR batsmen from the first leg of IPL 2021 from which their batters can draw some inspiration heading into the UAE leg.
#1 Sanju Samson - 119(63) vs PBKS
The newly-appointed IPL captain of Rajasthan Royals led with example in the team's opening fixture of the tournament. As RR won the toss and put the Punjab Kings in to bat, KL Rahul's 91(50), Deepak Hooda's 64(28) and universal boss Chris Gayle's 40(28) helped PBKS post 221/6 on the board.
RR endured a shaky start to their chase as Ben Stokes was dismissed for a duck. Luckily for Rajasthan, they had Sanju Samson on their side. Coming out to bat in a tense situation with the added pressure of captaincy, Samson took the match to the Kings by scoring a century.
With just five runs needed off the last delivery, the wicketkeeper-batter whacked the ball over cover off Arshdeep Singh's bowling. But he was caught in the deep by Deepak Hooda. Unfortunately, Samson's side couldn't get over the line despite his brilliant knock but he sure gave PBKS a run for their money.
#2 David Miller - 62(43) vs DC
South Africa batter David Miller was bought by the franchise ahead of the 2020 IPL season, but he played just a single game. He was then retained by RR for IPL 2021, keeping in mind his ability to single-handedly change the game.
In game seven of the 2021 IPL, Delhi Capitals posted a target of 148 for RR to chase. David Miller walked in at five with all of the batsmen above him in the order, walking back with single-digit scores.
Miller went on to score 62(43) with seven fours and two sixes, anchoring the innings from one end to help RR get over the line by 3 wickets.
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#3 Jos Buttler - 124(64) vs SRH
The destructive English batsman registered his career-best IPL score against Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier this season.
After being put in to bat, Jos Buttler opened the innings for RR and put on a show of a lifetime. He scored 124 off 64 deliveries, including 11 boundaries and eight maximums.
RR put up 220 runs on the board and managed to restrict SRH to 165, winning by 55 runs.