Bangalore prevail in Kochi's IPL's debut
Kochi Tuskers Kerala were given a tough initiation to the IPL, as Royal ChallengersBangalore chased down 161 without a lot of trouble at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.AB de Villiers smashed five sixes in a 40-ball 54, steering the chase home with a comfortable eight balls remaining.
Kochi have had multiple management problems coming into this tournament. A happy debut seemed on cards with Brendon McCullum and VVS Laxman putting on 80 in nine overs after they elected to bat. Mahela Jayawardene called 160 as the score he wanted and they finished at 161. Local hero S Sreesanth then dismissed Bangalore opener Tillakaratne Dilshan in his first over.
Jayawardene controlled Bangalore's chase till the 18th over. But the game fell in Bangalore's lap with the introduction of the little-known Kerala all-rounder Raiphi Gomez. Bangalore still needed 33 when de Villiers scored three sixes off the seamer's over that went for 20. Asad Pathan then smashed three fours of the penultimate over from Vinay Kumar to settle matters.
Ravindra Jadeja has been riled by cricket followers in India for his all-round ineffectiveness while playing for the national team. Last year, he got into trouble with the IPL authorities for trying to negotiate his own price with Rajasthan Royalsand Mumbai Indians. He was banned for a year, but Kochi bought him for an eye-popping $950,000 at the player auctions in January.
His first game back to the IPL, Jadeja scored a quick 23 off 16 including a straight six off Zaheer Khan. He then bowled four relatively tight overs, taking the wicket of Mayank Agarwal who had batted confidently for 33, and had greeted Muttiah Muralitharan to the crease with a slog-sweep for six.
Earlier, Laxman matched McCullum stroke for stroke in scoring a delectable 36. He slogged Tillakaratne Dilshan for six over midwicket, then forehanded Abhimanyu Mithun down the ground for another six.
McCullum seemed like he was in the same mental space as he was during his record-breaking 158 that kicked off the inaugural IPL against the same team. The New Zealander charged Zaheer Khan in the first over, forcing him through cover for four to get the innings going.
Dirk Nannes' first three balls were greeted with similar hostility. The first, a full delivery on the stumps was smashed clean through extra cover. The second was under-cut to third-man for four. The third, a retaliatory short ball, was spotted early and clubbed to midwicket for six.
Having raced to 61 in the first six overs, 180 could have achieved. But both openers were dismissed in quick succession. Laxman slogged Dilshan to deep midwicket's hands while McCullum was caught at short third-man trying to scoop Nannes over the wicketkeeper. One reason why Kochi couldn't get 180 was Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori.
The Kiwi spinner bowled four overs for 17, dismissing Mahela Jayawardene. Since the introduction of T20 cricket, Vettori has consistently been among the most economical bowlers of the format.
With Vettori controlling the middle overs the way he does, tough challenges await Bangalore's opponents this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment