Wed, 04 May 2011 - IP Chennai vs IP Rajasthan, IPL 2011,43rd Match - Bulletin

Chennai heat melts Rajasthan challenge

MS Dhoni at the start said he doesn’t sweat because he is used to the Chennai heat but none of his team mates had to sweat while they completed a clinical win over Rajasthan and climbed to number three on the IPL ladder.

Chennai batsmen chased down the modest target of 148 without any alarms, losing only two wickets in the process.The Chepauk pitch as usual was dry and dusty, so spin bowlers were expected to rule the roost. With temperatures nearing 40 degrees, it was an examination of players’ fitness and determination to fight it out in the middle. 

Since both the sides were loaded with spinners, batting was going to be struggle. But, the way Chennai Batting looked in control all through their innings, the demons in the pitch seemed to have died down. Murli Vijay’s wicket in the second over was a minor hiccup as Dhoni’s decision to send Suresh Raina at number three paid rich dividends.

Raina combined with Michael Hussey to forge a match-winning partnership of 137 runs.

Under attack from the home batsmen, the Rajasthan fielders were all over the place, missing straight forward stops, throwing unnecessarily at the stumps and conceded the momentum in the match to the batsmen. The Chennai batsmen sensing the disarray in the opposition ranks hit some lusty blows to further dent the visitors’ confidence.

Hussey finished with an impressive 79 runs of 55 balls with eight boundaries and a six to earn him the man of the match. He was particularly severe on left arm bowler Nayan Doshi depositing him into the stands couple of times preceded by a boundary, the eleventh over costing nineteen runs. His partner Suresh Rains was also aggressive scoring 62 runs, the knock full of deft touches round the corner and some full blooded wafts towards mid-wicket.

The comfortable chase apart, Chennai bowlers came in for some stick from the Rajasthan openers. They started brightly with Shane Watson pushing the score with a flurry of boundaries including three from a single Albie Morkel over and by the time fielding restrictions were lifted, the visitors were well placed at 47 for no loss. Dravid, long considered to be a misfit in this format, matched Watson shot for shot and hit some superb boundaries, the best of the lot being an inside-out shot over the covers.

After the end of ten overs, Rajasthan looked set for a big total having amassed 86 runs without anyone back in the pavilion. If the first ten belonged to Rajasthan, the last ten were definitely won by Chennai. Watson had to go back courtesy a blinder from Shadab Jakati, Watson’s straight hit sticking into the bowlers hands. If that was lucky, the next man Ashok Menaria tried to hit too big too soon and holed out in the deep.

From there on, this was the familiar story of all Rajasthan batsmen, trying to up the ante they perished. Dravid was also dismissed playing a big shot and fell for a well made 66. In the end, Rajasthan could only manage 147, which clearly was 20 runs short.

Among the Chennai bowlers, Jakati once again proved to be the difference, grabbing two wickets and conceding only 22 runs of the allotted four overs. Chennai, one of the best fielding units in the tournament had some embarrassing moments in the first ten overs but once the bowling came good, the fielders joined the party.

With this win, Chennai has cemented its position among the top four where as, Rajasthan have to get their act together before they are pushed out of the same.