Fri, 15 Apr 2011 - IP Rajasthan vs IP Kolkata, IPL 2011, 12th Match - Bulletin

Gambhir, Kallis partnership takes Kolkata to easy win

Kolkata are peaking up this season as they successfully chased down a target of 160 without much of problem and sending a strong message to the opponents. Kolkata completed the chase with nine balls to spare as many wickets in hand as Gautam Gambhir and Jacques Kallis produced one of the best partnerships of the IPL to take their side to lop-sided victory.

The experienced pair put on undefeated 152 runs for the second win after Manvinder Bisla was run out with team score reading eight runs to make Rajasthan to taste their first defeat in the season.

It was Gambhir who took the attack to the Rajasthan camp mixing some risky strokes with classic strokes of his and was lucky in the early part of his innings as some of his aerial strokes missed the fielders by whisker. His colleague Kallis was in sublime touch cracking some gorgeous square and cover drives to muster runs with all the ease in the world.

Once Gambhir settled at the crease, trademark strokes of his flowed as runs were looted off every Rajasthan bowlers. He used his nifty footwork to hit against spinners remaining not out on 75 off 44 balls including 11 fours and a six. None of the bowlers could trouble the duo as things were made worse with fielders giving away many runs in the field.

Owner of orange cap after surpassing Paul Valthaty as the highest scorer in the tournament so far, Kallis was in murderous mood against both pace and spinners as he collected runs at his own pace. He used all his experience to let Gambhir to go for the shots but attacked himself in the end on his way to 80 off 65 deliveries including seven hits to the fence and two sixes.

After opting to bowl first, Kolkata bowlers did a good job to restrict Rajasthan to a gettable score getting wickets at the regular intervals to halt acceleration of the batsmen. Most of the Rajasthan batsmen got starts but couldn’t carry on to a big score losing contributing to score that in the end proved to be very small in the end.

After losing Amit Paunikar early for Shaqibul first wicker in the IPL, Rahul Dravid and Ashok Menaria were involved with a 52 run partnership but runs were scored at a slower pace than what Rajasthan would have liked.

During their partnership both did hit some terrific strokes but couldn’t give innings the kind of tonic it needed as Shane Warne, for reasons known to him, decided not to open with or bat Shane Warne at number three.

His opposite number Gambhir was very innovative ringing in bowling changes and not letting the batsmen to settle against a particular bowler and was rewarded with two wickets in one over when Yusuf Pathan in his solitary over accounted for Dravid and Menaria for 35 and 27 respectively.

Watson finally appeared at the crease and alongwith Ross Taylor gave run scoring a much needed impetus. Both showed their attacking intents putting on a quick fire 46 for the fourth wicket with Watson consuming only 13 balls for his 21 including two sixes. After he was clean bowled by Shaqibul for his second wicket, Taylor opened up his shoulders to score a 25 ball 35 punctuated with two fours and as many sixes. He had a crucial partnership of 35 runs with Johan Botha who hit a run a ball 12 to take his team to 159.

All Kolkata bowlers performed well keeping batsmen under check with Saqibul and Pathan taking a wicket each.