World Of T20 Cricket

MS Dhoni and S Badrinath added an unbroken 109-run stand from 65 deliveries to push Chennai Super Kings to a competitive total before their bowlers turned in an inspired performance to bowl them to a surprisingly facile win at the Eden Gardens. It was Chennai who had ended Kolkata’s winning streak after the first two games in 2008 and history played out yet again.

Chennai were wobbling at 55 for 3 in the 10th over when Dhoni joined Badrinath to slowly change things around on a track with slightly variable bounce. It wasn’t the traditional hit-everything-in-sight Twenty20 innings from them as they first strived to settle in with dabs and nudges before freeing their arms at the end.

Match Meter KKR Early blows: The wicket of Raina in the 10th over, bowled by Hodge, rounded up a successful first ten overs for Kolkata as they struck three blows to peg Chennai back. CSK The decisive surge: Dhoni and Badrinath began their assault in the 15th over off Mathews; He was scooped over short fine, and smashed over long-on for a six. The last six overs fetched 83. CSK Star batsmen fail: Kolkata lost two batsmen, who had starred in their victory in the first game, in the first nine deliveries of their chase. Hodge was smartly caught by Ashwin, while Tiwary was bowled by Gony. CSK Kemp’s double-strike: There wasn’t going to be a recovery. Ganguly, who limped to 11, mistimed one to midwicket off Kemp in the ninth over. Thirteen balls later, Mathews was trapped in front and Kolkata were shut out. Advantage Honours even

It was off the final delivery of the 15th over that Dhoni managed his first big hit – a six over long-on. And it wasn’t till the 18th over that he really went berserk, hitting Laxmi Ratan Shukla for two fours and another six over long-on as he started to work his bottom hand over time.

In the next over, bowled by Shane Bond, he looted three boundaries that included a scorching flatly-pulled six. Badrinath too got in the act, pulling Ishant Sharma for a six in the final over.

Until the final assault from the Chennai duo, nearly everything went according to Plan A for Kolkata. Bond got to swing it at pace, Ishant probed with his seam movement, Murali Kartik was at his canny best, Angelo Matthews was at his nagging self and Shukla kept it really tight as well. But Dhoni’s knock proved the difference between a below-par total and a defendable one.

Kolkata needed a similar partnership but with wickets falling at regular intervals, the chase lacked any momentum and fizzled out very quickly. Within nine deliveries, their heroes from last game, Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary, were dismissed – Hodge pulled Albie Morkel to square-leg and Tiwary was bowled, going for an expansive on-the-up drive against Manpreet Gony. And when L Balaji produced the delivery of the game – it kicked up from short of length even as it straightened outside off stump – to catch the edge of Owais Shah, Kolkata were struggling at 46 for 4.

It required someone to seize the game but there weren’t any inspired bursts lower down. Sourav Ganguly dawdled along for a while, unable to break free against a relentless attack of short deliveries into his rib cage, and he fell, swinging Justin Kemp to deep mid-wicket. Much depended on Matthews if Kolkata were to effect a jail break, but he was trapped in front trying to paddle sweep a straight delivery from Kemp. The tail couldn’t produce any miracle and Chennai wrapped up the win with five balls to spare.

	Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	M Vijay	b Shukla	33	26	5	0	126.92
	8.4 bowled him! Shukla has his own back, bowls full, just short of being a yorker, Vijay looks to go through the off side, gets an inside edge, and the off stump goes for a walk 53/2
	ML Hayden	b Sharma	1	8	0	0	12.50
	3.1 played on! no time for Mongoose again! looks to cut at the short delivery but it’s too close to him, perhaps straightened a touch, and the underside edge hits the stumps, and Ishant is ecstatic 16/1
	SK Raina	b Hodge	18	20	2	0	90.00
	9.1 and bowled him first ball! plays all around a nice flighted delivery on the leg stump! Was looking for the trademark hit over midwicket, and played down the wrong line 55/3
	S Badrinath	not out	43	33	3	1	130.30
	MS Dhoni*†	not out	66	33	6	3	200.00
	Extras	(lb 2, w 1)	3
	Total	(3 wickets; 20 overs)	164	(8.20 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	SE Bond	4	0	33	0	8.25
	I Sharma	4	0	38	1	9.50
	3.1 to Hayden, played on! no time for Mongoose again! looks to cut at the short delivery but it’s too close to him, perhaps straightened a touch, and the underside edge hits the stumps, and Ishant is ecstatic 16/1
	AD Mathews	3	0	29	0	9.66
	LR Shukla	4	0	37	1	9.25
	8.4 to Vijay, bowled him! Shukla has his own back, bowls full, just short of being a yorker, Vijay looks to go through the off side, gets an inside edge, and the off stump goes for a walk 53/2
	M Kartik	4	0	21	0	5.25	(1w)
	BJ Hodge	1	0	4	1	4.00
	9.1 to Raina, and bowled him first ball! plays all around a nice flighted delivery on the leg stump! Was looking for the trademark hit over midwicket, and played down the wrong line 55/3

	Kolkata Knight Riders innings (target: 165 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	BJ Hodge	c Ashwin b Morkel	0	2	0	0	0.00
	0.2 the highest scorer in t20 is gone! short ball, pulled away in the air, and one of the tallest men of the field, R Ashwin, times him jump to a nicety and off goes Hodge 0/1
	MK Tiwary	b Gony	8	3	2	0	266.66
	1.3 bowled him! Gony has come right back, with an in-coming delivery. Tiwary hits through its line, but the ball moves in and takes the inside edge onto the middle stump. Chennai right on top 8/2
	SC Ganguly*	c Morkel b Kemp	11	20	1	0	55.00
	8.1 Eden is quiet! length ball, Ganguly looks to go over mid-on, who is up in the circle, but the ball doesn’t quite come on, and he ends up dragging it to deep midwicket, where Morkel takes a smart catch 55/5
	WP Saha†	b Balaji	22	13	5	0	169.23
	4.6 bye bye middle stump! Balaji finishes off what Gony started! Heaves at one again, and plays around a straight delivery 34/3
	OA Shah	c †Dhoni b Balaji	5	4	1	0	125.00
	6.2 big big wicket! Shah was looking in prime touch. Superb ball, back of a length, lands on the seam, holds its line, and takes the hanging bat’s edge, neatly taken by Dhoni too, to his right 46/4
	AD Mathews	lbw b Kemp	6	13	0	0	46.15
	10.2 it’s all over for Kolkata – barring a miracle. Mathews looks for the scoop, misses, and is this time hit inside the line. Dead duck if ever there was one 69/6
	LR Shukla	c Morkel b Muralitharan	19	16	3	0	118.75
	13.2 sweeps right down the throat of Albie Morkel at deep backward square leg, and Chennai two good balls away from a win here 82/8
	RS Gavaskar	c Vijay b Kemp	2	8	0	0	25.00
	12.3 and one more gone! Gavaskar pulls, not that shot perhaps, and the top edge is a pretty healthy one that makes it to the fine leg boundary, where Vijay takes it safely 79/7
	SE Bond	b Ashwin	1	2	0	0	50.00
	14.1 Bond takes a big swipe down the ground, misses by a long away, and the off stump is struck 84/9
	M Kartik	run out (Badrinath)	21	20	2	0	105.00
	19.2 Balaji to Sharma, and how it finishes! Karthik is strolling through for a single to point, and Badri hits the only visible stump direct. Karthik knew he wouldn’t have made it 109/10
	I Sharma	not out	6	15	0	0	40.00
	Extras	(lb 5, w 3)	8
	Total	(all out; 19.2 overs)	109	(5.63 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	JA Morkel	2	1	6	1	3.00	(1w)
	0.2 to Hodge, the highest scorer in t20 is gone! short ball, pulled away in the air, and one of the tallest men of the field, R Ashwin, times him jump to a nicety and off goes Hodge 0/1
	MS Gony	3	0	33	1	11.00
	1.3 to Tiwary, bowled him! Gony has come right back, with an in-coming delivery. Tiwary hits through its line, but the ball moves in and takes the inside edge onto the middle stump. Chennai right on top 8/2
	L Balaji	2.2	0	9	2	3.85
	4.6 to Saha, bye bye middle stump! Balaji finishes off what Gony started! Heaves at one again, and plays around a straight delivery 34/3 6.2 to Shah, big big wicket! Shah was looking in prime touch. Superb ball, back of a length, lands on the seam, holds its line, and takes the hanging bat’s edge, neatly taken by Dhoni too, to his right 46/4
	M Muralitharan	4	0	16	1	4.00	(1w)
	13.2 to Shukla, sweeps right down the throat of Albie Morkel at deep backward square leg, and Chennai two good balls away from a win here 82/8
	JM Kemp	3	0	12	3	4.00	(1w)
	8.1 to Ganguly, Eden is quiet! length ball, Ganguly looks to go over mid-on, who is up in the circle, but the ball doesn’t quite come on, and he ends up dragging it to deep midwicket, where Morkel takes a smart catch 55/5 10.2 to Mathews, it’s all over for Kolkata – barring a miracle. Mathews looks for the scoop, misses, and is this time hit inside the line. Dead duck if ever there was one 69/6 12.3 to Gavaskar, and one more gone! Gavaskar pulls, not that shot perhaps, and the top edge is a pretty healthy one that makes it to the fine leg boundary, where Vijay takes it safely 79/7
	R Ashwin	4	0	22	1	5.50
	14.1 to Bond, Bond takes a big swipe down the ground, misses by a long away, and the off stump is struck 84/9
	SK Raina	1	0	6	0	6.00

written by Swapnil \\ tags: Chennai Super Kings, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders