All-round CSK outclass Gujarat Titans to make it two in row
Chennai, Mar 26: Chennai Super Kings batters dazzled before the bowlers ran riot to choke Gujarat Titans in a comprehensive 63-run victory in their second IPL match here on Tuesday.
Ruturaj Gaikwad's team has covered all its bases and it was evident as Rachin Ravindra prepared a platform with 20-ball-46 allowing Shivam Dube to unlock his beast mode with a 23-ball-51. In between, Gaikwad himself maintained the balance with 36-ball-46 as Chennai's 206 for 6 was a Herculean total in every sense. Titans in reply could manage only 143/8 as Chahar (2/28 in 4 overs), Mustafizur Rahman (2/30 in 4 overs), Tushar Deshpande (2/21) and Matheesha Pathirana (1/29 in 4 overs) one by one tightened the noose on Titans batting unit.
If Gujarat needed to make a match of it, Shubman Gill needed to fire but his poor shot selection of a Deepak Chahar delivery, which wasn't as short as expected for a pull-shot, brought about his downfall.
Once Shubman was gone, Gujarat didn't even have a chance in hell with players like Wriddhiman Saha (21 off 17 balls) and B Sai Sudharsan (37, 31 balls), players, who on most days are pillion riders, playing second fiddle to perfection.
As it was the case, finishers like David Miller (21) and Rahul Tewatia (1) didn't have enough on the board to go for the improbable chase and the inevitable happened. Put into bat, Rachin's slam-bang approach and Dube's final flourish got CSK past 200-run mark.
Rachin made full use of Powerplay, racing to 46 off 20 balls while Dube, a nightmare for spinners then used his long levers to whack 51 in only 23 deliveries to increase the challenge of GT batters by manifold. Dube's innings had as many as five sixes.In between, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad's chiselled 46 off 36 balls also was a significant contribution in another impactful batting performance on a hard bouncy track that was on offer. Not to forget CSK's Rs 7.60 crore recruit Sameer Rizvi (14 off 6 balls), who pummeled Rashid Khan (2/49 in 4 overs) for two sixes to mark a memorable IPL debut.
It was Rachin, who has already become a darling of the CSK fans, enthralled all and sundry with his audacious stroke-play. While he missed out again on a half-century but team's 'spiritual skipper' Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be all smiles knowing that his choice was perfect to the T. The three sixes -- a flick behind the square and one over long-on off the normally profligate Umesh Yadav and one off Azmatullah Omarzai were hit with so much disdain that it did put Gujarat Titans in a spot. There were some crunchy cover drives as Ravindra let his skipper Gaikwad breathe a little easy at the other end.
Finally, it was GT's 'Go-To' bowler Rashid, who drew the first blood but more because of smart work from Wriddhiman Saha, who removed the bails in a flash after the Black Caps opener lost his balance moved out of his crease trying to whip the delivery.
Saha's next stumping was way easier as Sai Kishore shortened the length and drew him out of his crease for an indiscreet loft. The ball deviated enough and the keeper completed mere formality.
Gaikwad wasn't as fluent as Ravindra to begin with but in his five boundaries and a six, he oozed class before becoming Saha's third victim with the gloves trying to pull Spencer Johnson, only to end up edging one behind the stumps.
After that it was Dube, who just plonked his front-foot and bludgeoned Sai Kishore for two monstrous sixes and also sent Johnson's delivery soaring for a maximum. Dube had the composed Daryl Mitchell for company, who also chipped in with an unbeaten 20-ball-24 in a stand of 57 runs for the fourth wicket in 5.5 overs.
2⃣ in 2⃣ for Chennai Super Kings 👏👏
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 26, 2024
That's some start to #TATAIPL 2024 for the men in yellow 💛
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/9KKISx5poZ#TATAIPL | #CSKvGT | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/njrS8SkqcM
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
