(Cricinfo) On a slow pitch that lacked bounce, Royal Challengers Bangalore restricted Rajasthan Royals to 130 before they knocked it off without much fuss to win a crucial encounter in Jaipur and with this win, Bangalore now move to second position in the points table.
The chase was over in a blink, with Kevin Pietersen taking complete control of the innings with an entertaining and aggressive knock. He looted 18 runs in the fourth over, bowled by Kamran Khan, with the help of four boundaries.
When he collected three more boundaries in the sixth, bowled by Adam Voges, Bangalore were comfortably on course. The only hope left for Rajasthan was whether Warne could produce any magic but Pietersen and Robin Uthappa went after him in style to deliver the killer blow.
Though their bowling lacked bite, it was the batsmen who let down Rajasthan yesterday.
Once the top order collapsed and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala struggled to pierce a packed off-side field, it was obvious that the responsibility of scoring runs would fall on Watson and Yusuf Pathan.
Jhunjhunwala would try to hit out while Watson would drop anchor, but with Jhunjhunwala failing to get any momentum, Watson tried to force the pace, and fell. He pulled Jacques Kallis low to the right of square leg where Pietersen took a sharp catch to leave Rajasthan wobbling at 53 for 4.
Much depended on Yusuf at that stage but he was kept quiet by a barrage of short-pitched deliveries. Some kicked up shoulder high, some reared towards his chest and some jumped just above his waist but, collectively, it was enough to keep him in check.
He edged the pull shots, was late on attempted hooks, couldn’t connect with his upper cuts and his mode of dismissal showed his mindset. Dale Steyn surprised him with a full delivery that curved away gently and Yusuf, rooted to his crease, could not get bat to ball.
It could have been worse for Rajasthan, who were struggling at 72 for 6, but Adam Voges played a calm hand, along with Abhishek Raut, to ensure they crossed 100.
For Bangalore, each bowler impressed with his discipline: Pankaj Singh hit the full length and varied his pace, Vinay Kumar hit the back of length, Steyn troubled with his pace and variations in length, Kallis used his offcutters to good effect and Kumble was his typical nagging self.
They kept Rajasthan down to an under-par score, and Pietersen finished them off.
