IPL 2021: 3 Indian batsmen who have scored a century against Chennai Super Kings in IPL
Chennai Super Kings have won the IPL championship thrice in 11 seasons. Every cricket fan would know that a team's bowling attack must perform well consistently to ensure that the team wins the title. CSK have won three titles, highlighting how well their bowling unit has performed in the league.
Mastermind MS Dhoni captains the Chennai Super Kings team. He knows how to rotate his bowlers, and also, he prepares good strategies to dismiss the best batsmen of the opposition.
However, in the last 13 years of the Indian Premier League, there have been a total of six batsmen who have scored a century against the Chennai Super Kings. Three of them - Sanath Jayasuriya, AB de Villiers and Shane Watson - are overseas cricketers, while the following three are Indian names.
1. Paul Valthaty - 120* vs. Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2011
Paul Valthaty is the only uncapped cricketer to feature on this list. The right-handed batsman became the first Indian to smash a century against the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Valthaty accomplished the feat while playing for the Punjab Kings in the 2011 edition of the Indian Premier League. CSK traveled to Mohali to play against Punjab in the ninth match of the 2011 season. The visitors scored 188 runs in the first innings, thanks to half-centuries from Murali Vijay and S Badrinath.
Chasing 189 to win, Punjab got off to a flier, with Paul Valthaty destroying the CSK bowling attack. Valthaty had a 61-run opening partnership with Adam Gilchrist in 5.5 overs, where the latter contributed 19 runs from 15 balls. None of the Punjab batsmen could support Valthaty much, but the uncapped opener continued the attack and eventually guided his team home in the final over.
Valthaty whacked 19 fours and two sixes in his 63-ball 120* that helped Punjab win by six wickets.
2. Virender Sehwag - 122 vs. Chennai Super Kings, IPL 2014
Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag holds the record for the highest individual score in IPL matches against Chennai Super Kings. The right-handed batsman played an incredible knock of 122 runs in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2014 versus CSK.
Sehwag opened the batting for Punjab Kings and relentlessly destroyed the Chennai Super Kings bowling attack. He aggregated 122 runs off 58 deliveries, hitting 12 fours and eight sixes. Sehwag batted at a fantastic strike rate of 210.34 that night.
None of the other batsmen could even touch the 40-run mark, but Sehwag's century ensured that his team finished with 226/6 in 20 overs. Eventually, Punjab won by 24 runs.
3. Shikhar Dhawan - 101* vs. Chennai Super Kings, 2020
Delhi Capitals opener Shikhar Dhawan became the first left-handed Indian batsman to score a century against Chennai Super Kings last year. He scored the hundred while chasing a 180-run target at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Faf du Plessis' fifty helped Chennai score 179/4 in 20 overs. In reply, DC were down to 26/2 after 4.1 overs. Shikhar Dhawan then rebuilt the innings with captain Shreyas Iyer. They had a 68-run partnership, where Shreyas contributed a 23-ball 23.
Although CSK did not allow another big partnership in DC's innings, Dhawan continued to play his game and completed his century. He hit 14 fours and a six. Dhawan remained unbeaten on 101* off 58 as DC won the game by five wickets.