Bangalore on winning track
Johannesburg: Jacques Kallis hit an unbeaten 58 and pace bowler Praveen Kumar took three wickets Tuesday to guide the Bangalore Royal Challengers to a seven-wicket victory over the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League.
Kallis struck two boundaries and two sixes in 56 balls to take Bangalore to eclipse Delhi's 134-7 with one over to spare.
In Images: Kallis scripts Bangalore's seven-wicket win
The South Africa allrounder completed a fine all-around performance having bowled accurately to take 1-17 in four overs.
Kallis shared a second-wicket stand of 70 off 69 balls with Rahul Dravid (38 off 34 balls) after opener Robin Uthappa nicking Yogesh Nayar's outswinger to wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik to be out for 1 in the first over.
"He (Kallis) is a superb cricketer with a great attitude," Bangalore coach Ray Jennings said. "I respect him as a legend ... I'm privileged to work with four legends - Kallis, (Mark) Boucher, Dravid and (Anil) Kumble."
Nagar, a 19-year-old offspinner playing in his first IPL match, was the pick of the Delhi attack with 2-20 in two overs.
Nagar got his first wicket when he caught Dravid off his own bowling in the 13th over.
Ross Taylor came in and scored briskly, smashing a boundary and three sixes in 12 balls on his way to 25.
He departed in the 15th over trying to hit another boundary off Nagar and was caught at long on by Daniel Vettori.
Kallis and Mark Boucher (10 not out) then took Bangalore home, putting on an unbeaten stand of 39.
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Captain Virender Sehwag, who continued to underperform after getting out for a duck, was forced to defend his personal form and shrugged off suggestions that his team was losing its early rhythm.
"As long as we are winning, my form is not important," Sehwag said. "It's a team game. If it's not me performing, then it's someone else. It's part and parcel of the game."
"I don't think we have lost momentum ... we haven't lost two games in a row. (The) momentum is still with us. It's just a matter of the openers getting a good start and we will be fine."
Earlier, Kumar took 3-30 in four overs, while captain and legspinner Anil Kumble claimed 2-24 in four overs to restrict Delhi.
Dinesh Karthik top-scored for Delhi with 31.
Source:- Sify
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