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It was as good a catch as Sourav Ganguly has ever taken, and he has latched on to quite a few blinders in this tournament alone. Yusuf Pathan was warming up after Shane Waston sent to open the innings gave Rajasthan a rollicking start. At 73 for two after 10 overs, the stage was set for Pathan to take the game away from the Kolkata Knight Riders.
But the burly right-hander skied it as he tried to dispatch a Jaydev Unadkat slower delivery over the mid-wicket fence. Ganguly ran backwards from mid-wicket, kept his eyes on the ball, and then dived to complete a stunning catch. In a must-win match, it was the kind of inspiration that Kolkata needed, and they restricted Rajasthan Royals to 132 for 9 in 20 overs. But Ganguly wasn't done yet.
Chasing a modest total, the hosts were in a spot of bother at 22 for two after Kamran Khan removed Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle in his first over. McCullum hit a full toss straight to Watson at square-leg, while Gayle was bowled through the gate. It was then that Ganguly took centrestage. With his unbeaten 75 (off just 50 balls), the captain ensured his team got back to the winning ways.
It was KKR's sixth win in the 13th match and keeps them in the hunt, but only just. With one game remaining, against the mighty Mumbai Indians, they will have to post a massive victory and hope for favourable results from the other matches to make the semi-finals. For Rajasthan, who were playing their last league match, it was game over.
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