The Hindu : Sport : Challengers ambushes Super Kings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 22, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Sport

Sport

Challengers ambushes Super Kings

S. Dinakar

Dhoni’s men come a cropper in a low-scoring encounter

Chennai Super Kings stays on 14 points
Royal Challengers Bangalore now has 6 points

— Photo: V. Ganesan

TEAMWORK PAYS! Jacques Kallis’s athletic effort to dismiss S. Vidyut reflected the focus and determination that Royal Challengers Bangalore showed in the morale-boosting win against Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday.

Chennai: Winning cricket is a lot about handling pressure. When a semifinal place beckoned, Chennai Super Kings dug a hole for itself at Chepauk on Wednesday.

A horrible mess-up saw the side slumping from 60 for no loss in the ninth over to 111 for eight when the final over commenced. Sixteen runs were required off the final six balls.

Then, Suresh Raina managed just a single run off the first three balls from Praveen Kumar. Makhaya Ntini conceded three dot balls and Royal Challengers Bangalore romped home by 14 runs.

The visitor deserved credit for the manner it fought after making just 126 for eight in 20 overs. Then, Dravid led well and his bowlers responded.

Super Kings has 14 points from 12 games while Royal Challengers takes its tally to six from an equal number of matches.

While Royal Challengers displayed great spirit on the field, it still was a match that Super Kings contrived to lose. When percentage batting was required after a solid opening stand of 60 in 9.1 overs between Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel, Super Kings batsmen perished to forgettable lofted shots. Strategically, it was poor cricket.

Dhoni’s dismissal, after he promoted himself to No. 3, was the turning point. He took a calculated risk of paceman Vinay Kumar and holed out to long on.

Brilliant bowling

Anil Kumble’s four overs — he scalped three for 14 — were all about skill, heart and commitment. The champion leg-spinner stump to stump line and variations of pace and angles induced mistakes from the batsmen.

Jacques Kallis roared in to hustle the batsmen with lifting deliveries. His four overs for 15 runs — he was desperately unlucky to see a skier from Parthiv Patel being put down at mid-wicket — pegged back the Super Kings’ run-rate.

And Dale Steyn, sharp and straight, struck in his second spell. From nowhere, Royal Challengers was eying a win. They managed to close out the contest.

Earlier, skipper Dravid displayed character with a 39-ball 47 and Praveen Kumar struck a few lusty blows towards the end but Royal Challengers’ batting disappointed again. M.S. Dhoni led smartly, ringing in the right changes. The bowlers struck at regular intervals and the fielding reflected intensity.

Impeccable line

Manpreet Gony, extracting bounce from short of a good length and bowling an impeccable off-stump line impressed. His spell with the new ball — Dhoni bowled him out — of 4-1-11-2 indicated his control and precision.

He opened up Jacques Kallis with a delivery that straightened and bounced more than the batsman anticipated and found the edge of Sreevats Goswami’s blade.

The young Goswami found Makhaya Ntini hot to handle — he was put down at slip by Fleming and survived a confident shout for caught behind — but displayed great spirit in ‘walking’ after nicking Gony to Parthiv behind the stumps.

Things had once again gone wrong for Royal Challengers that had opted to bat; play started 15 minutes late following a drizzle.

Virat Kolhi attempted to break the shackles, striking Muralitharan to the country, only to find Albie Morkel pull off a spectacular catch on the mid-wicket fence. The South African hurt himself while coming down with the ball but was soon back on the field, bowling. Royal Challengers, 33 for three in 8.1 overs, required momentum like oxygen. The man most likely to provide that could not make an impression.

Misbah-ul-Haq attempted to glide a delivery leaving him from L. Balaji and Parthiv Patel plucked a diving catch behind the stumps. Dravid collected his runs with some crisp strokeplay on either side of the wicket the side continued to lose wickets. Morkel won a leg-before decision against Mark Boucher, who shaped to play across the line.

Morkel, then, had Dravid taken at cover, and bowled splendidly at the death. He missed a hat-trick in the final over but left the field a happy man. That turned to anguish towards the end of a long night.

Fortunes can change quickly in cricket.

The scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis c Fleming b Gony 5, S. Goswami c Patel b Gony 10, V. Kohli c Morkel b Muralitharan 10, R. Dravid c Dhoni b Morkel 47, Misbah c Parthiv b Balaji 4, M. Boucher lbw b Morkel 17, B. Akhil (not out) 6, P. Kumar b Morkel 21, V. Kumar b Morkel 0, A. Kumble (not out) 2, Extras (lb-3, w-1): 4; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 126.

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-22, 3-33, 4-41, 5-76, 6-97, 7-124, 8-124.

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Ntini 4-0-27-0, Gony 4-1-11-2, Muralitharan 4-0-19-1, Balaji 4-0-34-1, A. Morkel 4-0-32-4.

Chennai Super Kings: P. Patel c & b Kumble 24; S. Fleming c Akhil b Kumble 45; M.S. Dhoni c Kumble b Vinay Kumar 4; S. Raina (not out) 21; S. Badrinath lbw Kumble 1; A. Morkel c V. Kumar b Steyn 1; S. Vidyut c Kallis b Steyn 0; M. Gony c Steyn b P. Kumar 4; L. Balaji (run out) 0; M. Ntini (not out) 0; Extras (lb-2, w-8, nb-2) 12; Total (for eight wkts in 20 overs) 112.

Fall of wickets: 1-60, 2-65, 3-85, 4-87, 5-93, 6-93, 7-108, 8-110.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Steyn 4-0-28-2; P. Kumar 4-0-26-1, Kumble 4-0-14-3; Kallis 4-0-15-0; V. Kumar 3-0-23-1, Akhil 1-0-4-0.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport