#RCBvsRR
One of the best days of IPL 2020 for sure. Not so good for CSK and RR fans though, but as a cricket fan what else one could ask for.
After a string of one-sided games, these two games were absolute nail-biters. Finally, Uthappa batted where he belongs, at the top. However, had no clue why Buttler was sent down the order given his success over the top. If it was anyone to be sent down, it should have been Stokes, but meh. Uthappa made a very good 41 of 22. Smith after his batting criticisms might have shone today as he scored 57 (36), but captaincy-wise he again surprises fans and experts too with these weird decisions.
RR bowled really well in the beginning and the middle overs making the batsmen go for the bigger side of the ground, a plot that clearly affected the young Padikkal who seemed to try and hit a tad harder, in the process lost his shape. And with Virat comfortably using RR’s plot to his advantage– picked gaps for 2s– didn’t help Padikkal either as he was short of breath every time.
He eventually got out. The boundaries were drying up, but RCB were getting 8 runs easily in a 10 req. rate chase by running hard. The bowlers were bowling well to stop the boundaries by sticking to the one side but by trying so, they gave away too many wides- 11 wides (3 wides in a single over) and a noball. When Virat got out by a Tewatia stunner near the boundary rope, it was all up to AB, and he delivers an AB show. Things were quite unclear till the 19th over mark with 35 needed off 2. And just when you think Smith can’t make any more captaincy blunders, he makes Unadkat bowl the 19th. 3 sixes in the 19th over and it seemed almost over by now. Unadkat bowls around 55% of his deliveries as slower ones. He bowls a slower one, gets tonked (except for once when it landed in no man’s land), then nails a yorker. When you could execute a yorker, why not bowl them quite often? Archer was left with only 10 runs to defend and with a classy whip over mid-wicket, he does it for RCB. ABD roars after that shot! 55* of just 22.
#CSKvsDC
CSK performed well with the bat despite Sam went without scoring. Both Rayudu and Jadeja had a great strike rate and a target of 180 seemed a good one. The second half started with a wicket. Shaw had this match-up with Chahar and he tried taking him on and gets succumbed. It was Shreyas Iyer who gave a hand to Dhawan while taking a back seat, except for that one classy six over long on, letting Dhawan do the scoring. Iyer tried to emulate the same classy stroke once again but perished this time.
But Dhawan kept going. Stonis came in and took on Karn Sharma, the spinner. Made a quick handy 24. And Dhawan at one end kept going. He was riding his luck, with as many as 3 genuine catches dropped. But that doesn’t steal away any credits from his knock.
It was one kind of a knock. That shot over long-on, holding his pose, was jaw-dropping. Shikhar made his 1st ever century but held his trademark celebration back. 101* (58)
19th over, Sam Curran pulled everything back for CSK nailing those yorkers and giving just 4 runs. A great positive for CSK and Curran who delivered amid a crucial pressure situation. The game kept changing sides till the last over. When Iyer got out, CSK had a huge opening to come back harder but Stoinis restricted it. When Stoinis was gone, it was only up to Dhawan to finish it off which made the chase a lot tougher. But in the 20th over, it completely shifted towards CSK with 17 needed off the last over. The only thing that didn’t help CSK apart from the catch drops was Bravo going off due to physical discomfort. Since Bravo was unavailable, Jaddu had to bowl, and with doubts prevailing over Axar’s abilities and Dhawan’s, for he was getting tired, DC chasing it felt skeptical. But what transpired later was a surprise: Axar smashed 3 sixes and finished off the game. And Dhawan didn’t miss out on the opportunity to celebrate this time.
In the first game, AB, the magician ,and the second, Dhawan, the underdog, both innings were flamboyant, dominating, and unbelievable. Both stayed not-out in the end.
Two matches had a confusing moment each–to bowl Unadkat in the 19th over instead of Archer, and Jaddu bowling the 20th (MS had no choice though).
Nevertheless, two great entertainers this weekend. What a day for cricket lovers.
The Cricket Story 