KOLKATA: Even in the mad scramble of T20, a KKR-CSK match at Eden Gardens has always had its own subplots, distinguished by their nature of contest and characters.
The first act in on Monday pitted the bowlers of Kolkata Knight Riders against the batsmen of Chennai Super Kings. Using his assortment of spinners and quicks to good effect, Kolkata skipper Gautam Gambhir succeeded in keeping things tight for a long time and kept Chennai to 154/4 – a challenging total leaving both teams in with a chance.
Replacing Morne Morkel in the side and playing his first IPL match, Pat Cummins sent back Dwayne Smith with a cracker of a ball in the second over. Delivered from wide of the crease, it angled in at good pace before straightening. Smith had no clue as the ball rattled his off stump. Chennai withstood the blow and counterattacked when Brendon McCullum opened his shoulders and muscled Cummins for two sixes and a four in the fourth over.
Suresh Raina welcomed Sunil Narine to the crease with a straight six first ball. But Gambhir rotated his bowlers well and kept the total at 35 in the Power Play.
Despite those sixes, Chennai couldn’t force the pace. The bowlers didn’t gift loose balls and there was no width or short ones. McCullum perished for a 24-ball 28 when he tried to break free, Narine having his man caught off a skier.
The slowness of the pitch aided Gambhir’s bowlers. Raina took on Piyush Chawla and hit him for two sixes and a four in the 14 over which produced 19 runs. He completed his 50 off 43 balls. The total was 106 for two after 15 overs and the stage was set for a final assault.
Raina launched the attack straightaway and hit Shakib Al Hasan for a six and a four in the 16 over, which produced 14 runs. At 120 for two after 16 overs, things were evenly balanced. It was a question of which team had the last laugh in this phase, crucial it was as it could make the difference between a big total and moderate one.
A well-set Raina was going to be the key, but he fell in the 18th over for a 52-ball 65. Mahendra Singh and Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja got the big shots in the end to make the way for an interesting second session.