Be it five long days of Test match cricket or a day-long match of 50 over cricket, a single moment of brilliance or of foolishness is often what defines a game. T20 cricket is no exception, except that it sometimes has more than one such moment. And that is why the shortest format of the game is often a roller-coaster ride.
The best thing about being a Chennai Super Kings supporter is that, more often than not, you are treated to match-defining moments that go your team’s way. You tend to expect the unexpected – a constant twist in the tale.
When the Super Kings took on the Royal Challengers in Chennai on Monday evening, the home team emerged successful as a result of one such match defining brilliance.
RCB were chasing a modest total of 148. In spite of losing early wickets, RCB skipper Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik regrouped and almost took the game away from the home team.
Kohli was batting with sense. On a slow wicket he anchored the chase well by keeping the scoreboard ticking without taking a lot of risks.
The Kohli-Karthik partnership looked threatening. CSK were heading towards their third consecutive loss. RCB, on the other hand, were looking to extend their winning streak.
The twist: Bravo’s brilliance
And then Bravo was given the ball. He had conceded four runs off the first five balls.
The sixth ball was a yorker aimed at Kohli’s feet. Kohli, a few steps away from the crease, did well to protect his stumps. Bravo jumped and stopped the ball from going past him. In less than a second’s time, he threw the ball back at the stumps. Bravo’s reflexes beat Kohli’s.
He broke the partnership with an extraordinary run-out and triggered a collapse.
Charged up pace battery
Bangalore lost their last seven wickets for 27 runs as they were bowled out for 127 runs in the end. Their batting order succumbed to a wonderful bowling display by Chennai’s pacemen.
Ashish Nehra struck at crucial moments and gave his team the edge over their opponents. For instance, the purple cap holder got the wicket of Karthik immediately after De Villiers’s exit.The 17-year old Safaraz Khan was another victim of Nehra’s.
Bravo, the star of the night, made the RCB batsmen struggle with a constant dose of slower deliveries. Earlier, Ishwar Pandey struck twice and got the important wicket of RCB’s main man, AB De Villiers.
RCB strangely decided to rest their impact player Chris Gayle, opening the innings with the 23-year old Australian batsman, Nic Maddinson. The decision backfired as Maddinson struggled to get his bat to meet the ball.
Dhoni and Raina impress with the bat
After winning the toss on a hot Monday afternoon, MS Dhoni wanted his men to set a target for the Challengers.
CSK’s opening batsman Dwayne Smith was clueless against Mitchell Starc. The Australian speedster ended Smith’s struggle at the crease soon enough. Smith didn’t trouble the scorers and gifted a maiden to Starc’s figures. McCullum fell after failing to capitalise on a decent start.
But it was CSK’s middle order that helped the team post a competitive score on a slow track.
After a string of failures in the last few matches, the middle batsmen showed (except, naturally, Ravindra Jadeja, who has become a deadweight) intent.
Raina delivered a long overdue performance. He played the RCB spinners with considerable ease and scored 52 vital runs for his team, adding 64 runs for the third wicket with Faf du Plessis.
Even after losing Raina and du Plessis in the same over, CSK’s lower middle order, led by MS Dhoni, put up a decent show. The skipper, along with Pawan Negi, accelerated the innings in the last few overs to take the team’s total to 148 at the end of the 20 overs.
CSK missed their ace spinner yesterday. They had batting hiccups. Their skipper continued to cussedly retain a non-performing allrounder. No problems. Super Kings had played the game in their den. They won.
With Monday’s win against the Royal Challengers, Super Kings have extended their successful winning streak at home to ten. Chepauk loves the yellow brigade, and vice versa.
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The best thing about being a Chennai Super Kings supporter is that, more often than not, you are treated to match-defining moments that go your team’s way. You tend to expect the unexpected – a constant twist in the tale.
When the Super Kings took on the Royal Challengers in Chennai on Monday evening, the home team emerged successful as a result of one such match defining brilliance.
RCB were chasing a modest total of 148. In spite of losing early wickets, RCB skipper Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik regrouped and almost took the game away from the home team.
Kohli was batting with sense. On a slow wicket he anchored the chase well by keeping the scoreboard ticking without taking a lot of risks.
The Kohli-Karthik partnership looked threatening. CSK were heading towards their third consecutive loss. RCB, on the other hand, were looking to extend their winning streak.
The twist: Bravo’s brilliance
And then Bravo was given the ball. He had conceded four runs off the first five balls.
The sixth ball was a yorker aimed at Kohli’s feet. Kohli, a few steps away from the crease, did well to protect his stumps. Bravo jumped and stopped the ball from going past him. In less than a second’s time, he threw the ball back at the stumps. Bravo’s reflexes beat Kohli’s.
He broke the partnership with an extraordinary run-out and triggered a collapse.
Charged up pace battery
Bangalore lost their last seven wickets for 27 runs as they were bowled out for 127 runs in the end. Their batting order succumbed to a wonderful bowling display by Chennai’s pacemen.
Ashish Nehra struck at crucial moments and gave his team the edge over their opponents. For instance, the purple cap holder got the wicket of Karthik immediately after De Villiers’s exit.The 17-year old Safaraz Khan was another victim of Nehra’s.
Bravo, the star of the night, made the RCB batsmen struggle with a constant dose of slower deliveries. Earlier, Ishwar Pandey struck twice and got the important wicket of RCB’s main man, AB De Villiers.
RCB strangely decided to rest their impact player Chris Gayle, opening the innings with the 23-year old Australian batsman, Nic Maddinson. The decision backfired as Maddinson struggled to get his bat to meet the ball.
Dhoni and Raina impress with the bat
After winning the toss on a hot Monday afternoon, MS Dhoni wanted his men to set a target for the Challengers.
CSK’s opening batsman Dwayne Smith was clueless against Mitchell Starc. The Australian speedster ended Smith’s struggle at the crease soon enough. Smith didn’t trouble the scorers and gifted a maiden to Starc’s figures. McCullum fell after failing to capitalise on a decent start.
But it was CSK’s middle order that helped the team post a competitive score on a slow track.
After a string of failures in the last few matches, the middle batsmen showed (except, naturally, Ravindra Jadeja, who has become a deadweight) intent.
Raina delivered a long overdue performance. He played the RCB spinners with considerable ease and scored 52 vital runs for his team, adding 64 runs for the third wicket with Faf du Plessis.
Even after losing Raina and du Plessis in the same over, CSK’s lower middle order, led by MS Dhoni, put up a decent show. The skipper, along with Pawan Negi, accelerated the innings in the last few overs to take the team’s total to 148 at the end of the 20 overs.
CSK missed their ace spinner yesterday. They had batting hiccups. Their skipper continued to cussedly retain a non-performing allrounder. No problems. Super Kings had played the game in their den. They won.
With Monday’s win against the Royal Challengers, Super Kings have extended their successful winning streak at home to ten. Chepauk loves the yellow brigade, and vice versa.