IPL 6: PWI vs CSK - Quick Flicks
In a very one-sided encounter, CSK brushed aside a clueless PWI side at the Subrata Roy Stadium in Pune, as they comfortably won the game by 37 runs. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni were the batting heroes for CSK, scoring 63*(50) and 45*(16) respectively, while Mohit Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief for the men in yellow, picking up 3 wickets. As for PWI, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was impressive once again with his accurate swing bowling, while Steve Smith was the highest run-getter for the blues, scoring 35 off 39 balls. Here are the quick flicks of the game:
Umpiring woes continue
The first ball Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled pitched outside off and came in viciously into Wriddhiman Saha, catching the batsman plumb in front. However, umpire Subrat Das kept his finger down, much to the shock of the PWI fielders. After yesterday’s no-ball decision off Dhawal Kulkarni’s bowling which proved to be the game-changer in the closely-contested MI vs KXIP match, the poor umpiring decisions continue. Admittedly, the use of technology has ensured that each decision the umpire makes comes under the scanner of any layman watching the match on TV; however, one can’t help but wonder how such glaring errors continue to occur despite the fact that the umpires have the authority to refer to the third umpire as per their discretion.
It’s a numbers game
Quite a few milestones were breached today during the CSK innings. With the dismissal of Michael Hussey, the IPL recorded its 500th wicket in the 42nd game of the tournament. In the 18th over of the innings, Suresh Raina reached his half-century, thus becoming the first-ever batsman to score 2500 runs in the IPL. In the same over, captain Dhoni pummelled Ashok Dinda for a huge six to bring up the 350th six of IPL 6.
No Country for Old Men
A striking feature of the latest edition of the IPL has been the remarkably high quality of fielding we have witnessed thus far; and today was no exception. While Luke Wright bruised himself as he saved a sure-shot boundary by brilliantly pushing the ball a few centimeters away from the rope, Suresh Raina was, as usual, brilliant on the field, effecting a Jonty-esque runout of Robin Uthappa along with saving quite a few runs thanks to his athletic fielding. With the adage ‘catches win matches’ proving to be more crucial in the shortest format of the game as compared to any other, it is clear that the IPL, and T20 cricket, is a game of the young and the agile. Veterans be warned. Only the fittest will survive.
PWI – Running blind
Another match, another abysmal performance. PWI are figuring out new ways to make life easier for their opponents. If it was an embarrassing collapse against SRH that led to their undoing, today it was the turn of the batsmen to showcase their utter lack of communication. Out of the nine wickets that Pune lost, three were runouts. Even though the dismissal of Luke Wright was an unlucky one, the other two were simply due to lack of coordination between the PWI players. Moreover, at no point did they ever look even close to threatening the CSK bowlers. Allan Donald’s team now find themselves at the bottom of the table, and it is going to take some serious motivation and luck for the team to avoid the wooden spoon for the second time in a row.
Mohit Sharma – the quiet performer
While the Husseys, Dhonis and Ashwins have been stealing the headlines for CSK in the last few games, medium-pacer Mohit Sharma has been quietly chipping in, picking up important wickets and bowling economical spells. In the 7 games he has played so far, the 24-year-old has picked up 9 wickets, including 3 early wickets today. His spell of 4-0-21-3 ensured that the PWI batting line up had almost no chance of staging a comeback. Opposition teams will have their task cut out finding a way to tackle his accuracy and variations.
CSK end PWI jinx
PWI has sort of become a thorn in the side of CSK in the recent past. PWI won the last game the two sides played against each other, and have always given CSK a run for their money, irrespective of form. However, a clinical all-round performance by the men in yellow proved to be too much for the hapless Pune outfit, who were outplayed in every single department. This win will no doubt give CSK a big boost of confidence, as they now find themselves at the top of the table.