"Short cameo, but absolutely incredible" - Twitter lauds Rahul Tripathi's 37(15) cameo in SRH vs RR Qualifier 2 match

Rahul Tripathi played a phenomenal knock for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their must-win Qualifier 2 game of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday (May 24). The two sides squared off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for the high-intense encounter.

SRH’s start to the innings was shaky, as they lost their opening batter Abhishek Sharma on the final delivery of the first over, courtesy of Trent Boult’s brilliance with the ball. But Rahul Tripathi did not let the early wicket harm SRH’s momentum.

The stylish top-order batter, who walked in to bat at No. 3, took charge of the run-scoring as Travis Head played second fiddle. RR’s move of giving Ravichandran Ashwin an over in the powerplay backfired, as Tripathi hit the ground running and got some crucial runs against the spinner.

Though the Chepauk Stadium happens to be Ashwin’s home ground, he couldn’t create an impact in the powerplay and ended up conceding 25 runs in two overs. Tripathi, who looked set for a half-century, mistimed a shot and ended up giving away his wicket to Boult.

Tripathi looked to go for an uppish shot when Boult came up with a slower bouncer on the third delivery of the fifth over. But a slow delivery meant Tripathi failed to pace the shot as the ball landed straight into Yuzvendra Chahal’s hands at short third.

Fans took to X and shared their views on Tripathi’s innings, which ended at 37(15). Robin Uthappa, for one, was satisfied with Tripathi’s knock and called it a ‘worthy cameo’, saying:

“Rahul Tripathi on fire🔥Smashing Boult and Ashwin for fun 🔥🔥,” wrote a fan.

“It doesn't matter which bowlers you are, how big you are, everyone seems to be clueless in front of Rahul Tripathi. It's really tough to show this kind of courage in knockouts when SRH lost the intent of merchant Abhishek Sharma early on,” wrote another fan.

“Rahul Tripathi played like a dream but unfortunately couldn’t make it big. Well Played,” chimed in another.

“Clutch blood @rahultripathi🙏,” said another.

Trent Boult strikes thrice in powerplay as SRH finish at 68/3

RR’s pace spearhead Trent Boult showcased a brilliant bowling display in the powerplay against SRH. Even after being hit for the big runs by the opposition batters, he came up with plans to get the crucial breakthroughs for his side.

After dismissing Abhishek Sharma in the first over, the New Zealander struck twice in the fifth over to dismiss a well-set Rahul Tripathi and the dangerous Aiden Markram. While the former SRH batter walked back after scoring a noteworthy knock, the Proteas sensation was dismissed cheaply, for a 1(2).

Even after losing three wickets, SRH managed to end their powerplay with 68 runs on the scoreboard.