Super Kings steal victory

April 14, 2013

Super_KingsChennai, Apr 14: Royal Challengers Bangalore relived their worst nightmare as Chennai Super Kings pulled off yet another stunning victory from the jaws of defeat under the most dramatic circumstances at the MA Chidambaram stadium here on a pleasant Saturday night.

Playing in front of a packed stadium, Chennai were struggling to scale down RCB’s 165 at several stages of the match but in the end a combined effort from their batsmen helped them notch their second win on the trot, this time off the final ball.

After Suresh Raina (30), Subramaniam Badrinath (34) and skipper MS Dhoni (33) had contributed in good measure, CSK required 16 runs to win off the final over. Ravindra Jadeja (38, 20b, 3x4, 1x6) edged a four and smacked a six off Rudra Pratap Singh in the first two balls to take the equation to six to win from four balls.

The left-arm pacer did well to bring it down to two to win off the final ball and when Jadeja edged the ball straight down the throat of Ravi Rampaul at third man it seemed like RCB had won.

But what RCB players hadn’t noticed amidst all the commotion was that umpire Anil Chowdhary had signalled a no-ball, handing CSK a four-wicket win.

Slow start

Earlier, Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal opened for RCB, and the West Indian left-hander started off slowly, seeing off the first five balls, and his four off the final delivery off Dirk Nannes, easing some nerves.

The burly left-hander looked to take on Chris Morris in the second over and the South African, spotting Gayle move to his left, bowled wide and the edge carried to Dhoni’s outstretched hands.

At six for one, Kohli walked in and forged a solid partnership with Mayank. The duo managed to keep the run-rate going by finding a boundary in almost every over and added 51 runs for the second wicket before the Mayank (24, 21b, 2x4, 1x6) fell to a brilliant ploy from Ashwin and Dhoni.

Fiery batting

Upon sighting Mayank step down the track, Ashwin fired a ball down the leg-side. Premeditating the line of the delivery, Dhoni slid to his left, collected the ball and whipped off the bails in a flash as Mayank looked on in disbelief.

But the arrival of AB?de Villiers (64, 32b, 8x4, 1x6) only added further momentum to RCB?innings, and Kohli was once again in his elements as they carted Super Kings bowlers to all areas of the park.

They added 82 in 49 balls to take RCB to a point (133/3 in 16.4 overs) from where they could accelerate further but the loss of Kohli in the 17th over to Morris dented their hopes. De Villiers, however, stood up to the test and was the primary reason behind RCB, reaching a good total even as the South African failed to find a solid partner towards the end.

Chasing a competitive total, Chennai got off to the worst start possible. For a mere ten runs – which took them four overs to get -- the hosts lost their opening pair of Michael Hussey and Murali Vijay to a clinical R Vinay Kumar and Ravi Rampaul respectively.

Following which, there was a period of stability in Raina and Badrinath as the duo joined hands and carried CSK to 64 for two in 10 overs – the same score RCB had achieved at that stage in their innings. Even as RCB’s bowlers and their fielders continued to shine under lights, CSK had too much firepower on the day as history repeated itself at the Chepauk.

score board

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Morris 4 (10b, 1x4), Mayank Agarwal st Dhoni b Ashwin 24 (21b, 2x4, 1x6), Virat Kohli c Dhoni b Morris 58 (47b, 2x4, 2x6), AB de Villiers c Bravo b Nannes 64 (32b, 8x4, 1x6), Daniel Christian c Raina b Morris 2 (2b), Ravi Rampaul c Dhoni b Bravo 0 (4b), Arun Karthik (not out) 5 (5b); Extras (LB-1, W-6, NB-1) 8; Total (for 6 wkts, 20 overs) 165.

Fall of wickets: 1-6 (Gayle), 2-51 (Mayank), 3-133 (Kohli), 4-135 (Christian), 5-138 (Rampaul), 6-165 (de Villiers).

Bowling: Dirk Nannes 4-0-31-1 (w-1, nb-1), Chris Morris 4-0-40-3, Mohit Sharma 2-0-13-0, R Ashwin 4-0-28-1 (w-1), Ravindra Jadeja 2-0-20-0, Dwayne Bravo 4-0-32-1 (w-4).

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Michael Hussey c Mayank b Vinay 6 (16b), Murali Vijay c Arun b Rampaul 2 (5b), Suresh Raina c Kartik b Mohammad 30 (22b, 5x4), S Badrinath c Mayank b Mohammad 34 (29b, 4x4), MS Dhoni c Arun b Rampaul 33 (23b, 1x4, 2x6), Ravindra Jadeja (not out) 38 (20b, 3x4, 1x6), Dwyane Bravo lbw Rampaul 8 (3b, 1x6), Chris Morris (not out) 7 (4b); Extras (LB-1, W-4, NB-3) 8; Total (for 6 wkts, 19.5 overs) 166.

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Vijay), 2-10 (Hussey), 3-66 (Raina), 4-78 (Badrinath), 5-137 (Dhoni), 6-146 (Bravo).

Bowling: Ravi Rampaul 4-0-31-3, Rudra Pratap Singh 3.5-0-41-0 (nb-2), R Vinay Kumar 4-0-36-1 (w-2), Christian 2-0-13-0 (nb-1), Kartik 3-0-29-0, Mohammad 3-0-15-2 (w-2).

Home ground advantage gives RR upper hand against KXIP

rajasthan_royals

Jaipur, Apr 14: There is something about the Pink City that brings out the best in Rajasthan Royal s. Even in the worst of times, they have invariably raised their game here.

This year too, they have started with a bang at home, beating defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The result of their last match may not have gone their way, but Royals are always a different unit at home. They will be the clear favourites against Kings XI Punjab, who are coming after a no-show against Chennai Super Kings, on Sunday.

The Royals have struck all the right notes this season and with the next two encounters at home - they play Mumbai Indians on Wednesday, they have every chance to put some valuable points on board. Shane Watson and Shaun Tait did not play in the losing cause against Pune. But even without these two key players, Royals looked comfortable on the field. And that is where the Royals' strength lies.

They have strengthened their squad with the addition of the likes of James Faulkner, Fidel Edwards, and some domestic talents in Harmeet Singh and Rahul Shukla. Whether it is Kevon Cooper, Siddharth Trivedi, or newcomer Shukla, all have contributed to the cause. KKR had a taste of the effective Royals' bowling when they failed to get past a score of 144.

Captain Rahul Dravid has led with firm assurance. At 40, he is the top scorer for the Royals so far. Dravid will want others to bat around him. Ajinkya Rahane, Brad Hodge and Stuart Binny have done that job but he will expect more consistency from them.

For Kings XI Punjab, batting remains a big concern. They did win their opening match against Pune Warrriors, but it was because of their bowlers. They have the variety in bowling and seasoned campaigners in Ryan Harris, Azhar Mahmood and Praveen Kumar.

The batting, though, is heavily dependent on Adam Gilchrist and David Hussey. Youngsters Mandeep Singh and Manan Vohra will need to play out of their skins if they hope to put up a fight against an opponent which loves to draw its strength from the home soil.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 10,2020

Kingston, Jun 10: "Enough is enough", said West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as he opened up on the raging issue of racism and called for "respect and equality" for black people, who have faced discrimination for years.

Bravo joined the likes of his former captain Darren Sammy and Chris Gayle in denouncing racism in the wake of African-American George Floyd's killing at the hands of a white police officer in the USA.

"It's sad to see what's going on around the world. As a black man, we know the history of what black people have been through. We never ask for revenge, we ask for equality and respect. That's it," Bravo told former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa in an Instagram live chat on Tuesday.

"We give respect to others. Why is it that we are facing this over and over? Now enough is enough. We just want equality. We don't want revenge, war.

"We just want respect. We share love and appreciate people for who they are. That's what is most important."

The 36-year-old, who has played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs and 71 T20Is for West Indies, said he wants the world to know that they are powerful and beautiful people and gave the example of greats such as Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan.

"I just want our brothers and sisters to know that we are powerful and beautiful. And at the end of the day, you look at some of the greats of the world, whether it is Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan we have had leaders who paved the way for us," he said.

Two-time T20 World Cup-winning captain Sammy had earlier alleged that a racist nickname was used to address him during his IPL stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad and demanded an apology.

Sammy said he was called 'Kalu' while he was in India. 'Kalu' is a derogatory word to describe black people.

Gayle, who too plays in the IPL, took to Twitter to back Sammy, saying that racism does exist in cricket.

"It's never too late to fight for the right cause or what you've experienced over the years! So much more to your story, @darensammy88. Like I said, it's in the game!!," Gayle tweeted.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 14,2020

Sydney, Jan 14: Retired South African big-hitter AB de Villiers on Tuesday said efforts are on to ensure his comeback in the national team for the T20 World Cup in Australia, a plan in which his IPL form will play a crucial role.

Speaking to Cricket Australia's official website 'cricket.com.au', the 35-year-old swashbuckler said he would love to be back two years after calling it quits internationally. He is currently in Australia to play in the Big Bash League.

"I would love to. I've been talking to 'Bouch' (new South Africa coach Mark Boucher), (new director of cricket) Graeme Smith and (captain) Faf (du Plessis) back home, we're all keen to make it happen," he said.

"It's a long way away still, and plenty can happen – there's the IPL coming up, I've still got to be in form at that time. So I'm thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping that everything will work out," he added.

De Villiers, nonetheless, is keeping a check on his expectations.

"It's not a guarantee, once again. I don't want to disappoint myself or other people, so for now I'm just going to try and keep a low profile, try and play the best possible cricket that I can and then see what happens towards the end of the year," he said.

"There are a lot of players (involved with CSA) who I used to play with. Guys who understand the game, leaders of the team for many years" he said of the present dispensation.

"So it's much easier to communicate than what it used to be in the past. They understand what players go through – especially players that have played for 15 years internationally.

"It doesn't mean that everything is going to be sunshine and roses, but it's definitely a lot easier and it feels comfortable, the language that's being used and just the feel that everyone has at the moment in South Africa about the cricket," he added.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
Agencies
June 4,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 4: Indian men's hockey team defender Harmanpreet Singh is delighted and honoured to be nominated for the Arjuna Award by Hockey India.

The Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal has been nominated for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award while her compatriots Vandana Katariya, Monika and Harmanpreet Singh have been nominated for the Arjuna Award.

"I was extremely delighted to hear the news. It's an honour to be nominated for the Arjuna Award and I am sure the nomination will motivate me to perform even better in the upcoming years. All of us have received tremendous support from Hockey India over the years and I was extremely happy to know that Rani has been nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and Vandana Katariya and Monika have been nominated for the Arjuna Award. They have put up some brilliant performances in the recent past and I would like to extend my congratulations to them," Harmanpreet said.

The 24-year-old dragflick sensation stepped up his role in the team and shouldered the responsibility of vice-captain with aplomb. As a defender-dragflicker, he was instrumental in the team's winning performance in the FIH Series Finals in Odisha. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Test Event, he captained the team to victory in the absence of Manpreet Singh who was rested for the tournament.

Harmanpreet was also part of the Indian team that won the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers against Russia last year. Harmanpreet said that he has been able to perform for the team only because of the support he has received from his teammates.

"I am very happy with the way I have been contributing to the team in the last couple of years. However, I have been able to come up with the goods only because of the way my teammates have supported me. Hockey is a team sport and all of us ensure that we are contributing to the team's cause in some way or the other. If we score a goal, then it's not only the goal scorer, who takes the credit, but the entire team is credited for a particular effort," said the defender.

Harmanpreet added that booking a place in the Tokyo Olympic Games was the biggest achievement for the team in 2019.

"It was simply amazing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in front of our home crowd last year. I will cherish the memory forever. The balance of our side was fantastic and everyone chipped in to make the tournament a memorable one. Now, we will give everything we can to come up with great results at the Olympics next year. It's our sole target at the moment and all of us are up for the challenge. Hopefully, we will become a much better side once we play our first match in Tokyo," he said.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.