CSK vs RCB: Hitting masterclass
CHENNAI: Glenn Maxwell was getting ready to bowl the penultimate ball of the innings. He had just taken the wicket of Chennai Super Kings’ Ravindra Jadeja, inducing a roar from the packed M Chinnaswamy Stadium that engulfed the garden city. From Silk Board junction to MG Road, every vehicle stuck in traffic would have had people glued to streaming devices. Not to watch the wicket, but to cheer for the next batter — MS Dhoni.
Through the innings, the chants had varied from Aar see bee, aar see bee, to Kohli Kohli to Dhoni Dhoni on various occasions. When Dhoni walked out to bat, the response from the fans at the stadium was such that it was the biggest moment of the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and CSK and everything that has happened in the 90 minutes leading up that moment was irrelevant.
What had happened so far? Everything one could expect and ask for in a IPL clash between these two teams at this venue. A terrific spell from Mohammed Siraj, a CSK opener smashing bowlers, former RCB batters going berserk against them, heavy dew on the field, poor tactical calls from the home team and panic from the bowlers. You name it, the innings had it all.
In all, there were 17 sixes as all sides of the Stadium were peppered with hits. Opting to bowl first, Siraj continued his superb form in the powerplay, particularly against left-handers, finishing his first two overs for just six runs and the wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad. As has been the case with CSK over the years, this season too a seemingly peripheral player has held his ground. Ajinkya Rahane. After his innings against Mumbai Indians, he set the tone for Devon Conway with a 20-ball 37. Conway and Shivam Dube took charge after the powerplay. Maxwell was launched into the stands and so was Harshal Patel. Wanindu Hasaranga, too, wasn’t spared as Conway raced to his half-century in 32 balls. Dube joined the party as he became the second batter to hit the roof of the stadium after Rahane.
Vyshak Vijay Kumar, who was the star for RCB on debut, saw the other extreme on Monday as the Karnataka pacer was taken to the cleaners by Conway and Dube. Such was the carnage that RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was left searching for the bowlers. Every pacer who was brought on was trying to take the pace of the ball travelled the distance. Perhaps where the home team missed the trick was not bringing back the spinners, especially Hasaranga after his first two overs. Conway got out to Patel for 83 runs from 45 balls but Dube kept the innings going along with Ambati Rayudu. The southpaw smashed 52 runs from 27 balls for his part, putting his power-hitting to display — a role that has been designated to him by the head coach Stephen Fleming.
Once he got out, Siraj finished a clinical 19th over, but the innings was not going to end without drama. Patel was removed from the attack in the final over for bowling two over waist-high full tosses. Maxwell replaced Patel and promptly conceded a six but did hold his own keeping Dhoni’s only ball to a single. It was as anticlimactic as it could have been, but it would have been a surprise if nothing anticlimactic happens in a RCB-CSK game. The yellow team, however, wouldn’t mind Dhoni’s one-ball one for everyone else had contributed to what actually mattered, taking their team to 226/6.
That total proved to be enough as the visiting team won by eight runs.
Brief scores: CSK 226/6 in 20 ovs (Conway 83, Dube 52; Siraj 1/30) bt RCB 218/8 in 20 ovs (Maxwell 76, Du Plessis 62).