Ben Rohrer struck a fine half-century under trying conditions as Delhi Daredevils posted a competitive 154 for four against Rajasthan Royals in their Pepsi Indian Premier League match, here today.
Rohrer's aggressive unbeaten 39-ball 63 was laced with nine fours and one six while Mahela Jayawardene (34) and Kedar Jadhav (23 no) also chipped in with useful contributions.
Rohrer put on display some innovative shots to single-handedly guide Daredevils past 150 runs, which looked unlikely at one stage with the visitors struggling at 78 for four.
He found an able ally in Kedar Jadhav (23 no, 21 balls, 2x4) and together in his company added an unbeaten 76-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The last five overs yielded 53 runs for the Daredevils.
Electing to bat under scorching heat, Delhi were off to a poor start as Virender Sehwag (11) and CM Gautam (2) were sent back to pavilion in quick succession with scorecard reading 22 for two.
Sehwag looked in good touch, hitting James Faulkner for two consecutive fours, before the lanky Australian pacer flummoxed him with a slower ball which swung in uprooting the off-stump.
Sehwag, as usual, committed himself to the shot a tad too early playing across the line.
Gautham, playing his first IPL match, departed in the very next over as he chased a wide delivery outside his off stump to give a simple catch to wicket-keeper Sanju Samson off Shane Watson.
Skipper Jayawardene held one end strongly and, in the company of David Warner (13), tried to resurrect the innings while picking up a few occasional boundaries. That included four hits to the fence off Shaun Tait's second over.
However, Warner failed to contribute much to the team's cause and was caught by Sachin Baby off Stuart Binny at extra cover just before the first strategic time-out.
Rohrer tried to break the shackles with two successive fours off Mumbai leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, who became the oldest IPL debutant at 41 years and 212 days.
Jayawardene too tried to free his arm and hit Siddharth Trivedi for a six over mid-off before he ran out of patience and gifted his wicket at a crucial juncture.
Jayawardene failed to read the line of the ball and landed Dravid an easy catch at mid-wicket off Trivedi.
