CSK marches on with another commanding victory over SRH
New Delhi, Apr 28: Ruturaj Gaikwad's cool quotient blended beautifully with Faf du Plessis' flamboyance as Chennai Super Kings outsmarted Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match, here on Wednesday.
Gaikwad was calmness personified as he tore apart the Sunrisers attack during his 75 off 44 balls after Du Plessis (56 off 38 balls) launched the initial assault, making a target of 172 looking easier than it actually was.
The win was CSK's fifth on trot which helped them leapfrog Royal Challengers Bangalore to the top of the table while Hyderabad stayed at the bottom.
If Du Plessis shimmied down the track to loft left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith over long-on for a six, Gaikwad would rock back and pull him over deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
If Gaikwad's inside out lofted boundary off Suchith over extra cover was a treat, the use of crease to back-cut the bowler off the very next delivery was equally delectable.
There was a stage at the end of the Powerplay, when Du Plessis had scored double the runs of his younger partner but before one could bat an eyelid, the Pune batsman was on even keel with the former Proteas captain.
And once both crossed 50, Du Plessis enjoyed Gaikwad's repertoire of strokes from the best seat in the house.
The temperament was there for everyone to see and one would understand why MS Dhoni has been bullish about giving the youngster every possible opportunity despite a dry run at the start of the tournament.
A pitch that his skipper Dhoni had termed a bit tacky before the start of the match looked like a batting paradise. The dew did play its part but not an ounce of credit can be taken away from the batsmen.
By the time Rashid Khan (3/36) quickly accounted for Gaikwad after a 129 run opening stand followed by Moeen Ali and Du Plessis, SRH captain David Warner had a resigned look on his face.
Earlier, after opting to bat, contrasting half-centuries from Manish Pandey and skipper Warner along with a cameo from Kane Williamson ensured a decent 171/3 for SRH.
Warner (57 off 55 balls) and Pandey (61 off 46 balls) added 106 runs for the second wicket at the Kotla but it was Williamson's 26 not out off 10 balls and Kedar Jadhav's 12 off 4 balls which ensured a competitive total for SRH.
Lungi Ngidi was the best bowler for CSK, returning figures of 2 for 35 from 4 overs while Sam Curran (1/30) got the other wicket.
Warner, who passed 10,000 T20 runs during the course of his innings, appeared frustrated at times at the inability to force the pace on a track where ball wasnt always coming onto the bat.
His 50th IPL half-century had three fours and two sixes but it was not his usual aggressive, bustling knock. He could not get going and his powerful hits went straight to the fielders.
Ngidi ended Warner's misery by having him caught by Ravindra Jadeja as the batsman attempted a hoick off a widish delivery.
Pandey, in contrast, was faster. Back in the side after being dropped following a few patchy knocks, the Karnataka right-hander showed intent from the beginning. He hit Moeen Ali for a huge six early in his innings but could not get the big hits on a consistent basis.
Ngidi dismissed Pandey for 61 thanks to an incredible effort by Faf du Plessis at wide long-on, with a diving effort.
Jonny Bairstow (7) fell early, looking to run down the pitch against Sam Curran and failed to control a pull shot which was caught by Deepak Chahar. He couldn't capitalise after a let-off in the first over when Dhoni could not hold on to a nick.
Skipper Warner and Manish Pandey were subdued and the first six overs yielded 39 runs.
Deepak Chahar (0/21) could not provide the early breakthrough as he always does but the other bowlers ensured that SRH did not run away with momentum.
Brief Scores:
SunRisers Hyderabad: 171 for 3 in 20 overs. (D Warner 57, M Pandey 61; L Ngidi 2/35).
Chennai Super Kings: 173 for 3 in 18.3 overs. (R Gaikwad 75, Faf du Plessis 56; R Khan 3/36).
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India beat Ireland by 304 runs in third women's ODI
Rajkot, Jan 15: Records tumbled like nine pins as the Indian women's cricket team, powered by skipper Smriti Mandhana's 70-ball century, demolished Ireland by a whopping 304 runs to claim its biggest-ever ODI win and complete a 3-0 clean sweep here on Wednesday.
The result of the match was a mere formality once India set Ireland a massive target of 436, and Ireland could only garner 131 before getting bundled out in 31.4 overs.
India put the first step forward towards a crushing victory through record-breaking Mandhana (135, 80b, 12x4, 7x6) and her opening partner Pratika Rawal (154, 129b, 20x4, 1x6), reaching 435/5, highest total by an Indian team — men’s or women’s — in ODIs.
India men's highest ODI total is 418/5 made against the West Indies in Indore in 2011.
Mandhana and Rawal added a whopping 233 runs for the first wicket in just 26.4 overs and there was no looking back.
Then spinners Tanuja Kanwar (2/31) and Deepti Sharma (3/27) took over, sharing five wickets among them to decimate the Irish line-up, which was well short on experience.
Orla Prendergast (36) and Sarah Forbes (41) added 64 runs for a fluent third wicket stand that helped Ireland to recover from a shaky 24 for two to reach 88 without further damage.
But once Prendergast was cleaned up by Kanwar, India were all over the tourists like a bad rash, claiming the remaining seven wickets for just 33 runs.
It also helped India eclipse their previous largest margin of victory (by runs) — 249 registered against the same opposition in 2017 at Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Mandhana’s 10th ODI century came off just 70 deliveries as the left-hander surpassed Harmanpreet Kaur’s 87-ball hundred mark against South Africa last year.
It also set the tone for India breaching the 400-run mark for the first time, joining Australia and New Zealand in that elite list.
Mandhana was in her usual destructive self, and was not afraid to take the aerial route over the 'V' and clear the 30-yard circle.
Pratika complemented her captain brilliantly with a measured knock, making the occasion even more special by notching her maiden international century in her sixth innings.
Pratika relied on precise placement and deft touches in the point region and she showed her aggression only after reaching the ton, hitting Freya Sargent for her first six.
Demonstrating hunger for a bigger knock, she powered her way to an impressive 150 — a perfect blend of composure and aggression.
Their 233-run partnership made them only the fourth Indian pair to record a 200-run stand in Women’s ODIs.
It was also the third instance of both Indian openers scoring hundreds in ODIs, following Reshma Gandhi and Mithali Raj’s feat at Milton Keynes in 1999 and Deepti and Raut’s partnership at Potchefstroom in 2017 -- all against Ireland.
The duo added 90 runs during the Power Play and 67 in the subsequent 10 overs, maintaining a brisk scoring rate.
Mandhana reached her first century of the calendar year with an exquisite drive off Arlene Kelly.
Kelly bore the brunt of her onslaught, conceding successive sixes in one over.
Even Kelly’s variations, including back-of-the-hand deliveries, were dispatched with ease, with the Indian batter following a six with another boundary in the 24th over.
Mandhana also took on Ireland’s leading bowler, Prendergast, smashing her for a boundary down the ground and a towering six over long-on.
Promoted to No. 3, Richa Ghosh also returned to form, making a 37-ball fifty, her fifth in ODIs.
