CSK enter 10th IPL final with 15-run win over Gujarat Titans
Chennai, May 23: Chennai Super Kings tamed a tenacious Gujarat Titans by 15 runs on a sticky surface to enter their 10th IPL final here on Tuesday and extend their remarkable consistency in the tournament.
CSK did well to reach 172 for 7 on a slow pitch in Qualifier 1 after Hardik Pandya opted to bowl.
Considering the conditions, it turned out to be much more than a competitive total as Gujarat Titans had a rare off day to end with 157 all out in 20 overs. Rashid Khan made the CSK fans nervous with a 16-ball 30 towards the end but it was not enough for the Titans.
However, the defending champions will got another shot to make a second successive final in Qualifier 2 on Friday.
CSK's master tactician M S Dhoni made the best use of home advantage to take the four time champions to a 10th final in 14 editions. CSK did not take part in 2016 and 2017 editions.
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-18-2) did the star turn for the Super Kings with a brilliant spell during which he strangled the opposition batters to avenge the defeat suffered in the tournament opener. Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana and Deepal Chahar also finished with two wickets each.
Chasing 173, GT lost Wriddhiman Saha (12) in the third over.
Skipper Hardik Pandya (8) could not make much impact at number three, miscuing a cut off Theekshana for Jadeja to pouch a catch at point.
Sri Lanka's limited overs teams' captain Dasun Shanaka (17) could not get going as well and his reverse sweep off Jadeja landed in the hands of Theekshana.
Jadeja made things tougher for GT by castling the dangerous David Miller (4) to leave the opposition at 88 for 4 in the 13th over. The Titans slipped further when Rahul Tewatia was bowled by Theekshana for 3.
Earlier, the Super Kings batters had a tough time on a slow pitch as they were not able to force the pace.
Dhoni lasted only 2 balls for his 1 run, much to the disappointment of an adoring Chepauk crowd.
For the home team, Ruturaj Gaikwad was the best batter, scoring a superb 60 off 44 while the others could not make a substantial contribution.
Pacer Mohammed Shami (2 for 28 in 4 overs) was the best bowler while Mohit Sharma (2/31) also picked up two wickets. Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed scalped a wicket each and put pressure on the batters in the middle overs.
Gaikwad had a stroke of luck when he was caught by Shubman Gill off Darshan Nalkande only for the delivery to be declared a no-ball. He capitalised on the let-off and played some superb shots. The very next ball after he got a reprieve, he smacked a six and hit a four from the next delivery.
The in-form Gaikwad did not get bogged down against the spin of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed, the key bowlers for GT. He scored freely against all the bowlers and got CSK off to a brisk start with 49 being scored in the powerplay.
Gaikwad appeared to slow down after having outscored his opening partner Devon Conway with whom he shared yet another half-century stand. He fell trying to force the pace, to a catch by David Miller off Mohit Sharma.
Ajinkya Rahane (17 off 10) hit one six before being Nalkande's only scalp as the scoring slowed down.
Conway was not his usual fluent self and struggled with his timing all though his innings.
Ambati Rayudu (17 off 9) crossed the 6,000 IPL-run mark during the course of his cameo.
The home team did well to collect 35 runs off the last three overs.
Brief Scores:
Chennai Super Kings: 172 for 7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 60; Mohammed Shami 2/28).
Gujarat Titans: 157 all out in 20 overs (Shubman Gill 42; Ravindra Jadeja 2/18, Deepak Chahar 2/29).
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
You cannot compare one generation of cricketers with another, says Kapil Dev
New Delhi, Jan 13: It is needless to compare two generations of players and pass a judgement on who was better, legendary cricketer Kapil Dev said on Monday and refused to get into a debate if BCCI selectors were right in excluding Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant from the T20I squad for the five-match series against England.
Kapil bowled nearly 300 overs during the 1991-92 Test series against Australia and in the same rubber he became the first Indian to take 400 wickets in the traditional format apart from contributing with the bat in the team's cause.
India pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah could not bowl in the second innings of the fifth Border-Gavaskar Test recently because of back spasms. India lost the five-match series 1-3. The 31-year-old Bumrah bowled more than 150 overs and emerged the highest wicket-taker on both sides with 32 scalps.
"Please don't compare. You cannot compare one generation with another. That is not required. Today, players are scoring 300 runs in a day. It didn't happen during our time. So don't compare the two (generations)," said Kapil during an event hosted by the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) of which he is the president.
The 1983 World Cup-winning skipper also added that one should not question the judgement of the selectors as they would have arrived at the decision to not play Jaiswal and Pant after giving it a thought.
The two cricketers played all five Tests during the gruelling Australia series, with Jaiswal (391) emerging the second-highest run-getter, second only to Travis Head (448).
Asked if it was the right decision to drop two for the home series, Kapil said, "How can I comment on the judgement of others? I think the selectors would have though about it."
"So, if I say something it would be criticising them. I don't want to criticise them. They (selectors) are a group of people who must have planned and thought about that."
With batting stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli dishing out below-par performances in Australia, and talks of whether it's time for them to retire swirling, Kapil said the decision should be left to them.
"They are very big players. Let's hope when they think it's the right time to play, when they think it's not, they will call it off," said Kapil, in response to a question whether they should be there for the Test series in England later this year.
With Bumrah taking over the captaincy from Rohit in the fifth BGT Test at Sydney and talks on whether he should be given a long stint to prove himself going forward, Kapil said, "If he has been given the opportunity (to lead the side), then give him some time also."
