CSK vs SRH - Match Report, SRH meet a SuperMan in Ranchi

CSK script: Vijay gets out cheaply, Raina and Hussey have big partnership, Badri comes and does his tuk-tuk, Dhoni - Bravo have a blast at the end of the innings.

If your remember the samosa and aaloo song, then you can relate CSK and Raina; invariably Raina’s best innings comes for CSK and their love is mutual. Today was no different, after Vijay’s early exit against Steyn, who has now developed a habit of picking wickets in first over. Raina and Hussey got into business by having a go at the less destructive Ishant. Dhawan introduced Duminy early. A tactic that we have seen and he was rewarded with Hussey in his 2nd over. By then Raina-Hussey had set the momentum for the innings, Badri took over and just knocked around and gave the strike back to Raina.

But Raina began to return the strike back to Badri and soon there were some quiet overs against Mishra and Sammy. From the outset we got a feeling that Dhawan didn’t trust Karan Sharma as a bowler and hence our viewers missed out on the Mishra-Karan leg spin duo. 12th over was bowled by Perera and was tonked by Raina, and went for 10, but little did he know more was coming!

Suddenly it seemed that Raina had shifted to 5th gear, be it Sammy or Duminy he got into the hitting zone. Badri departed at the right moment and there arrived the Super man with a Mohawk under his helmet. Started of with a six above Duminy’s head. Dhawan realized that it’s better to feed CSK-duo with Pacers rather Spinner in the last 5 overs. At the end of 15th over they were placed comfortably at 126 / 3. Ishant and Steyn bowled a quite 2 overs and it was 141 after 17. This was more like a calm before the storm.

Perera sometimes is overrated and at times bowls filth. Tries to go for the Yorker and mostly ends up either full tosses or half volleys. But like a man with a mission MSD launched him for 5 sixes in all directions of all different lengths one over point and one over third man, 34 runs were scored. Steyn came back and picked Raina but this didn’t stop Dhoni from reaching 50 of 16 balls - quickest in CLT20. Sammy bowled the last over and he went for 19 and MSD 63 and CSK a mammoth 202.

This has got to be one of MSD’s influential innings by far, not because of the team he was playing against, but just because he converted a fairytale story to a real one. There was a comment on Cricinfo at 13th over from a user stating that if with Raina and Dhoni around the score can reach 200. And they actually managed to reach just to mock them. 

SRH started off well and Patel made good strides and before CSK realized they were 86 in 9. SRH were in line needing 117 / 11 with all 10 wickets in hand. And then the Raina magic, first the direct hit and then the priced wicket of Duminy. Ashwin picked Dhawan in next over and soon game was over before a contest began.

Perera and Sammy did try out their whacky stuff but it wasn’t good enough as the mountain looked higher and higher as they climbed. In the process Sammy went onto to make 50 of 25 doing a MSD, but needed someone to do a Raina. If Perera went for 34, Jadeja wasn’t left far behind, went for 22 of his solitary over. From being the no.1 bowler in ICC, he is turning to no.1 bowler to get bashed.

In the end Steyn and Karan did lend out their hand, but Sammy just needed longer one to support him. 35 of last 2 SRH had an outside chance but Jason Holder held both Sammy and Karan leaving 24 of last over. In the end they just lost by 13 runs and moral victory one can say.

It was one of those positive innings from Sammy and Dhawan but deep down SHR think tank knew they were Dhoni-ed today.