Sunrisers Hyderabad opening batsman Jason Roy made an impressive debut for the franchise when he got a chance to play in the final XI against Rajasthan Royals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday. Roy scored a match-winning knock of 60 runs off just 42 balls and helped the team in getting close to the target of 165 runs.
The right-hander took a bit of time in the initial phase of his innings and then changed gears to take the attack on the Rajasthan Royals bowlers. The England opener timed the ball to perfection and got the crucial runs for the team.
Roy brought his second IPL fifty off just 36 balls and gave a much-needed start to SRH. The Orange Army was able to post 63-1 in the powerplay overs and Roy played a key role as he took the attack against Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Morris. Subsequently, Roy catapulted his attack against Rahul Tewatia and thus kept the asking rate under control.
Jason Roy said in the post-match presentation after he was awarded the Player of the match, “Makes me extremely happy. Really thankful and grateful for Sunrisers for the opportunity. I’m extremely happy and even more so because we got over the line. He (Saha) was instrumental in that partnership, allowed me to relax a little bit and really happy with that. We obviously had a tough tournament, but to come out and play like that with a smile on the face, we gotta keep our feet grounded and keep doing the right things”.
Roy had replaced Jonny Bairstow who decided to pull out of IPL 2021 due to personal reasons. The English opener then got a chance to play against RR in place of former skipper David Warner and he was able to grab his opportunity.
The right-hander will look to continue his good form for SRH as they have a slim chance of qualifying for the playoff stages if they win their remaining four matches. The Orange Amry was able to end their five-match losing streak and the credit goes to Kane Williamson and Jason Roy for scoring fifties.
SRH will next face Chennai Super Kings at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on 30th September.
