Warne praises team spirit

Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper Naman Ojha (front) runs out Mumbai Indians' Abhishek Nayar during their IPL match in Durban on Thursday.Photo: AFP

Rajasthan Royals' skipper Shane Warne praised his team spirit after the defending Indian Premier League champions edged closer to the semi-finals on Thursday with a two-run win over Mumbai Indians.
Munaf Patel bowled a tight last over under pressure when Mumbai needed just four runs to achieve their 146-run target, but the Indian seamer conceded just one.
It was Mumbai who folded as three wickets fell in that last over, including two run-outs.
"All credit to the guys who showed great character. It just showed the spirit in our group," said Warne, who was named man of the match.
"I was worried when the master (Sachin Tendulkar hit 40 off 30 balls) was hitting it all around the ground. It was such a big game for both sides."
Mumbai skipper Tendulkar hit a solid 40 and Abhishek Nayar an 18-ball 35 to raise his team's hopes of victory following Warne's triple-strike, but Rajasthan hit back in the closing over.
Former Australian leg-spinner Warne finished with 3-24.
Mumbai's hopes rested on Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya (16), specialist openers batting in the middle order, after three wickets had fallen for 23 runs but skipper Warne removed both the batsmen at the right time.
Delhi lead the eight-team tournament with 16 points from 10 matches, followed by Chennai (13/11), Rajasthan (13/12), Deccan (12/11), Bangalore (12/12), Mumbai (11/12), Punjab (10/11) and Kolkata (3/11).
Australian opener Rob Quiney and Indian middle-order batsman Ravinder Jadeja earlier boosted Rajasthan with a 61-run stand for the third wicket off just six overs.
Quiney top-scored with a 40-ball 51 for his maiden half-century of the tournament, while Jadeja scored 42 off 32 balls.