DUBAI: Left-spinner Rahul Tewatia (45 not out of 28 balls) once again starred with the bat and received good support from Riyan Parag (42 not out off 26 balls) as they helped Rajasthan Royals (RR) snatch an exciting win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with one ball to spare here on Sunday.
Chasing a modest 159-run target, half of the RR side, including Sanju Samson, was back in the dug-out with just 78 runs on board. However, Tewatia (4 boundaries and 2 sixes) and Parag (2 boundaries and 2 sixes) shared a match-winning 85-run partnership for the sixth wicket to drive their team home in 19.5 overs.
Defending the total, SRH rode Rashid Khan (2/25) and Khaleel Ahmed's (2/37) brilliant effort to reduce their opponents to 78/5 with RR's top guns -- Jos Buttler (16), Ben Stokes (5), Steve Smith (5), Sanju Samson (26) and Robin Uthappa (18) -- back in the hut.
However, Tewatia showed grit and determination in the middle along with young Parag as the pair denied SRH making any further onslaughts and slowly helped RR approach the target without any further hiccups.
Tewatia's unbeaten 45 contained four boundaries and two sixes while Parag's innings was laced with two fours and as many sixes.
With eight needed off the final over, Parag slashed a Khaleel delivery over deep point for six to seal RR's third win of the season.
Brief scores: RR 163/5 in 19.5 overs (Rahul Tewatia 45 not out, Riyan Parag 42 not out; Rashid Khan 2/25) beat SRH 158/4 in 20 overs (Manish Pandey 54, David Warner 48; Jofra Archer 1/25) by 5 wickets. IANS
Also Watch: #NewsMakers: How Safe Are Women In Assam