Dhoni picks up Rashid at the deep end
The importance of firing Rashid Khan, even though the stakes were very high, was reflected in Stephen Fleming’s reaction: he jumped up from his seat and roared. If anyone could do it – 31 for 10 – on a sluggish pitch where all the batsmen struggled to deliver big hits, it had to be Rashid, an unorthodox but magnificent batsman. He is not just an interesting batsman to watch, but he can get any pitch off balance with his unique wrist play. He can flick his wrist and mow the bat at awkward angles. Dhoni had a plan for him: bowling off the field and a deep square punt in place. Tushar Deshpande threw one ball well outside off, Rashid let it go, but it was legal. The next ball was very close, full and diving, and Rashid had to go for it. He went for that slice-chop of his own, but hit a deep point that didn’t move an inch.
– Sriram Veera
A crooked smile for a bowler who exceeded his authority
Hardik Pandya’s cute crooked smile said it all. How quickly he snapped out of his seat and rushed to his young pacer Darshan Nalkande, who looked frustrated at having overstepped the ball that brought him the wicket of Ruthuraj Gaikwad. The ball curved gently from the length and Ruthuraj unusually put his front foot on, gently guiding him to a joyful Shubman Gill at midwicket. Even as the young Nalcande celebrated by waving his fist, the no-ball sounded. Hardick smiled, walked over to his young pacer and patted him on the back. Still no sign of the pacer’s changing emotions. Pandya walked all the way back to the top of the bowling mark, and we don’t know what was said with a smile, but Nalcande did crack a nice smile. The next two balls erased the smile a bit by flying to the boundary, but it was a promising start, both from the pacer and from the captain.
– Sriram Veera
Gaikwad jumps to an error by Rashid
Within the first four balls, though 2 twos came, one to the squeezed edge and one to the side, Rashid Khan took the lead over Ruthuraj Gaikwad. Over four balls, he changed the pace, degree and type of lead and made Ruturaj feel a bit. The young opener desperately tried to jump out of the trap, and Rashid kept him waiting with long and reverse strokes. One at a pace, the other slower. Then he made a mistake, tohe other day, Kuldeep Yadav, Inst Gaikwad. He, too, troubled Gaikwad for the first two overs and then started bowling more fully and made 3 sixes. This time Rashid tried a fuller one, not too overpowered, but full enough that Gaikwad pulled forward and with a swinging strike sent him to the edge of the cover. It’s a punch he executes well, and the spinners, who stayed away from that arc with great skill, succeeded. Rashid vs. Gaikwad promises to be an exciting battle.
– Sriram Veera
Conway tries to break away
Devon Conway can’t break away yet. Maybe the clue lies in the balls he’s pitching incorrectly and inaccurately. Whenever he tried to pounce on the ball too much, it didn’t work. And when he played along the line, maneuvered the ball – whether against tempo or backhand – he was successful. It’s too early to tell if it’s due to his pitching or if he’s overzealous and losing his form. He is a very good professional who has had tremendous success in Test cricket, and we shouldn’t be surprised if he changes course soon.
– Sriram Veera
A perfect googly
Tough big man of slow bowlers Shivam Dube was destroyed by left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad by a terrific googly. He met all the purists’ requirements: fly, loop, fall, sharp turn. He boldly tossed it upward, and Dube went for a big hit, opening his shoulders and aiming for Marina Beach, but the ball hissed out of bounds and flew between bat and pad, prompting applause from a smiling Pandya. In his four overs, Ahmad gave up just 29 balls.
– Sriram Veera
Sigh of relief at dismissal
Ruthuraj Gaikwad let out a cry of anguish. The moment his intended hit came high on the bat and the ball flew into the air, he realized his fate. Although the spider camera seemed to distract fielder David Miller, his attention did not wane, and he caught the ball without further ado. Rashid Khan, too, came running in from long-on and stared excitedly at the camera, which should have suggested the batsman come out after being dismissed without a ball in the first innings, and breathed a sigh of relief. Hardik Pandya folded his arms and thanked Miller. The celebration was quiet, a few weary hugs and handshakes rather than adrenaline-fueled cheers. After all, Gaikwad had already made enough trouble by providing Chennai Super Kings with a frisky start and depriving Rashid Khan of precious overs quite early. Perhaps the Titans were exhausted and just wanted to see how the back of their tormentor From there was more relief than joy.
– Sandip G
Jinx gone quiet
For a moment, when he turned that trademark pickup shot on a pitch long up the middle and leg over midwicket, fans of Ajinka Rahane could feel it was his day. After a great start to the tournament, he’s been quiet since he was selected to the Indiana national team-a combination of no chances and the kind of hitting that promises but ends. With the next ball after a six, Rahane sent the ball flying off the stump straight at Shubman Gill at the backward point and froze for a while.
– Sriram Veera
No one can understand Shami
Mohammad Shami was good in this IPL. It was with the white ball, but it could well have been with the red ball, for such is his wonderful style so far. In his two overs with the new ball, he was hitting the back line with a combination of a heavy ball and small formers one way and the other. The ball flew straight out of his hand without giving the batsmen the slightest hint as to where to direct it. There is no cheap dramatic but too early swing. There’s no angled ejection that can telegraph the direction of the strike. There is not even a visible finger position that any batsman with sharp, hawk-like eyesight would notice. His fingers remain on the seam until the last minute, positioned fairly straight, and in most cases, even on oblique balls, he releases the ball like a swing bowler–the finger does not necessarily split the seam of the ball, but it comes off down the seam on the backside of the ball when it is hit with backspin. As a result, no one has been able to truly dominate him. It takes someone to throw caution to the wind, get out on the field and try a few syllables.
– Sriram Veera
Nehra’s antics on the boundary line
Ashish Nehra could become Pep Guardiola in the IPL, thanks to his irrepressible energy at the boundary ropes. Nehra, his cap upturned like a baseball player, can always be seen reacting to the action in the middle, almost giving comments with gestures. He throws his hands up in disgust as Vriddhiman Saha fails to grasp the outside edge, catching Devon Conway even though he dives to his full height to pick him up. He clapped his hands madly during Ruturaj Gaikwad’s magnificent cover drive. He shouted, yelled, applauded, graded, cheered and wildlygestured at his bowlers and fielders. When they came onto the field near the ropes, he was always whispering something in their ears. He’s so animated and engaged that you’d think he’d jump over the line and start bowling himself. Once, when Guardiola, who was serving a Bundesliga suspension for overzealousness, was asked about the antics on the sideline, he said Do you expect me to be like a statue? I wouldn’t be surprised if Nera repeated a similar phrase.
– Sandip G
Rashid’s course corrects quickly
Perhaps with the exception of Eoin Morgan with his bold inventiveness, Shane Watson with his killer slog sweeps and Shubman Gill with his quality attacking play against spin, there were not many batsmen who dominated Rashid Khan on his day. CSK couldn’t find anyone who could do it Tuesday night, either. He made a couple of length errors, but both times he quickly rectified the situation. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first shot was full length, and he hit the edge of the cover. Then Ambati Rayudu hit a short googly over the boundary of the midwicket. The next ball was really full, and forced Rayudu to err on his slog-swipe to long-on. Rashid stood there and kept slamming as usual.
– Sriram Veera
Skills for slow (ish) pitch
No dew, Mohit Sharma would say at the end of the CSK inning, and if this continues in the chase, the Gujarat Titans will have to be skilled on slow (ish) pitch. The Packers will do a lot of slashing and, of course, a challenge from the spinners. Dhoni even came up on the stumps in the third over to Shubman Gill, but Chahar’s strike came on the leg side and Gill batted it up and over backward square leg, earning the first six in the chase. The next ball was again on the hips, slower, and Gill miscued the hit, getting a single. It will be interesting to follow Vriddhiman Saha’s reaction. An attempt to hit from the spread nearly ended in a middlegame mishap. Gill talks to him all the time. Will Saha go for it, but he can’t rely on his usual up-the-line kicks. He dragged the fifth ball to the boundary of the midwicket, but on another attempt to drag the last ball to the far leg, he found a man on the long leg. And Chahar wiggled his index finger in the air with a smile.
– Sriram Veera
Nothing subcontinental in Gill’s flick
Perhaps it was a trick. MS Dhoni stands in front of Deepak Chahar and he slips a foot. Perhaps Gil.L could overweight and take his back foot out of his seat, and Dhoni…could stump it. He may have really lost his line. Anyway, Gill threw the ball over to the six. The defining feature of that flick was that it was not hoarse. Most sub-continental batsmen twist their wrists, often drawing mini-circles in the air. But his wrists were almost straight until they parted almost after he executed the strike, making it look like a short-handed flick rather than the classic Oriental flick with rotating wrists. And Gill, being in such exalted form, is already too old for such tricks.
– Sandeep G
Dhoni changes pitches; Hardik’s cutoff fails
Once Hardik Pandya outlined his style of play against Tekshana in the 6th over — he was going to move outside the leg and time his shots for offsides, MC Dhoni made his changes. He removed the fielder on the square leg and moved to the cover, where the previous hit had come on a spot ball. That arc was now filled. Hardick again moved to the outside of the foot, but this strike was from long range, Hardick went for the cut and moved it to the backward point. It wasn’t because he went there (although Dhoni fans will probably argue that this wicket belonged to Tala) as the ball was indeed short and should have been squared, but perhaps the slash was not ideal. It would have been better to hit the slit face off the open ball. But Hardick plays that slash hit like a squishy chop, and he’s usually good at it, but on this pitch, maybe not quite perfect.
– Sriram Veera
Thakshana’s joyous wicket celebration
Mahish Thakshana’s joy knew no bounds when he removed Hardik Pandya. There was nothing supernatural about the wicket ball, it was more of a gift – a short and wide ball outside off-stump, which Pandya struck while facing the dilemma of where to hit – in the air or on the ground. He chose the air route, though without much power or accuracy, hitting Ravindra Jadeja. Thakshana passionately pounded his chest, jumped and ran with clenched fists and even threatened to put on a show with arrows and a bow, but then changed his mind and decided to hit the turf. Eventually, to appease the Sri Lankan, MC Dhoni touched his shoulder.
– Sandip G
1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ UP 😎
Ravindra Jadeja completes 150 IPL wickets 👏🏻👏🏻 #TATAIPL | #Qualifier1 | #GTvCSK | @imjadeja pic. twitter.com/LQODvlIUWv
– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 23, 2023
First Miller, then Gill
Shubman Gill’s face could be seen when David Miller went down, beaten by Ravindra Jadeja. He went for the hit, but the ball flew past his shoulder blade, hit his pad and fell on the stump. Dhoni was jubilant with joy, Jadeja too, and Miller was understandably frustrated. But Gill’s face tensed, he threw his head back slightly and sighed. And looked back and forth with a sense of scowl, if you can put it that way. It was up to him now, as the sluggish pitch would probably prove difficult for any new batsman. But Gill hits Deepak Chahar, who makes a spurt but can’t get past the backward square leg. This time Dhoni was more somber in his celebration, he just clapped quietly as he looked at Chahar, who was in a world of his own, with his arms up, his back arched, kissing the sky and soaking up the moment. As for Gill, he still had the same frown on his face as he walked away.
– Sriram Vira
The carrom ball hit Tevatia
Tekshan’s archer took aim and knocked Rahul Tevatia down. When his Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka, who beat him well, made a couple of wickets before giving his wicket to Ravindra Jadeja, went out of his way, Tekshana began to squeeze in a claustrophobic chase. The carrom ball, spitting one way and the other, made Tevathia go for the syllable with a reverse sweep, which he almost batted away on the boundary. But Tekshana bounced back with a sharp incoming carrom that broke through Tevatia’s defense. And Taekshana snatched an imaginary arrow from his quiver and launched it in celebration. A sweet smile spread across Tevatia’s face-something like it was too good for me. And so it was.
– Sriram Veera
Gulli-cricker vision and international skills
Rashid Khan is probably the most unique batsman ever. Surprisingly flexible, with a gulli-cricker vision and international level skills, he combines both of these qualities to achieve amazing results. In BBL, his batting clips often go viral; the way he flicks his wrists and takes amazing angles. A bit like Harbhajan Singh, only with sharper wrists and an eagerness to get even more bouncy. In one of his batting videos he posted a couple of years ago, he successfully sent a full ball between his legs! Tuesday night.om he ferried Patirana’s yorker into a deep midwicket in a couple of seconds.Then, standing all the way up, he kicked a short ball over extra coverage and took six strikes.
– Sriram Vira
Gaikwad makes the scoring
A father in the stands gently placed his hand on his son to stop his celebration as the umpires passed the catch to Ruturaj Gaikwad upstairs. The son stopped and looked at the big screen. So did the rest of the crowd. Vijay Shankar hit a full ball toward the deep midwicket in the 18th round, but it looked like the ball wouldn’t reach him. But then Gaikwad jumped out and had to rush forward and still managed to get his fingers around the ball. The TV referee quickly said, I can see his fingers under the ball and gave his verdict without asking for a buzzer beater. The boy, I must assume, is still dancing in the aisles.
– Sriram Veera