Botha stars in Rajasthan's seven wicket win over Mumbai

Dinesh Sharma
Jaipur, Apr 29 (PTI) Johan Botha produced an all-round
show to enable Rajasthan Royals inflict a seven wicket defeat
on table toppers Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League
match here on Friday.
After spinning a web around the Mumbai batsmen with
impressive figures of three for six, Botha sparkled with the
bat as well, scoring vital 44 runs off 39 balls, during which
he struck two fours and a six, to set the platform for
Rajasthan's victory.
Chasing a paltry 95-run target, Rajasthan batsmen played
sensibly to overwhelm Mumbai's score with 11 balls to spare at
the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here.
Apart from Botha, Shane Watson (26 off 32) and Ross
Taylor (13 not out) made double digit scores while Munaf Patel
(2/18) emerged as the best bowler for the visitors.
Earlier, Rajasthan came up with an inspiring bowling
display to restrict a formidable Mumbai Indians to a paltry 94
for eight.
Opting to field, Rajasthan bowlers picked up wickets at
regular intervals as the star-studded Mumbai batting line-up
fumbled under pressure to slump to their lowest total in the
tournament. Incidentally, it also the lowest total at this
ground.
Only four Mumbai batsmen reached double figures but none
could cross the 20-run mark with Andrew Symonds being the
top-scorer with 17 followed by Davy Jacobs (15).
With figures of 3/6, Botha was the pick of Rajasthan
bowlers while the duo of Maneria (2/20) and Amit Singh (2/14)
scalped two wickets each.
Rajasthan began their chase on a cautious note with
Watson and Rahul Dravid putting on 17 runs for the first
wicket in 4.3 overs before the latter scooped a Patel slower
delivery straight to Tendulkar at midwicket.
Watson and Botha then took Rajasthan past the 50-run
mark, stitching 39 off 43 balls for the second wicket.
But just when it seemed the duo will run away with the
match, Watson edged a Lasith Malinga short ball to Jacobs
behind the wicket.
Botha, however, was unlucky to have missed out on a half
century as he was bowled by Patel just five runs short of the
target.
But that was all Mumbai bowlers could manage on the day
as new man Maneria and Taylor completed the formalities for
the home team without any further damage.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians witnessed a horrible start to
their innings, losing both their openers -- Jacobs and Sachin
Tendulkar -- inside the first five overs after being sent into
bat.

Jacobs scored a run-a-ball 15 before Singh went through
his defence and castled the middle stump.
An over later, Mumbai were dealt with a bigger jolt when
Tendulkar departed, stumped by an agile Dishant Yagnik after
being outsmarted by a witty Maneria delivery to see the
visitors in a spot of bother at 22 for two.
To make matters worse for Mumbai, two more wickets --
Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma -- were also dismissed in a
span of six overs to see Mumbai in serious trouble at 50 for
four at the half-way mark of their innings.
While Rayudu gave a straight forward caught and bowl
chance to Maneria in the ninth over, Sharma was holed out at
long-off boundary by Johan Botha off Rajasthan skipper Shane
Warne in the next.
After the early wickets, Mumbai found runs difficult to
come by and even Andrew Symonds and big-hitting Keiron Pollard
struggled to break loose as Rajasthan bowlers tightened the
noose around their opponents.
Pollard's struggle finally came to an end when Botha got
him out lbw with the West Indian making a miserable 4 off 15
balls, which surely was against his reputation.
Symonds too failed to make much of an impact as Botha
accounted for two wickets in the 18th over to dig the final
nail in Mumbai's coffin.
The South African off-spinner first cleaned up Symonds
and then a ball later gave Yagnik his second stumping of the
day as he outwitted R Sathish.
Harbhajan Singh finished off the Mumbai innings in
style with a six over deep mid-wicket of Shane Watson.