Warner, Bairstow hit hundreds as SRH post IPL's highest total
Hyderabad: Jonny Bairstow and David Warner tore apart the Royal Challengers Bangalore bowlers with sensational centuries, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to 231 for two, the highest ever total in IPL history, here Sunday.
Englishman Bairstow struck 114 from just 56 balls while Warner carried his bat for a 55-ball 100 in a record 185-run first-wicket partnership after being put into bat.
Bairstow punished RCB with 12 fours and seven sixes while Warner hit five fours and as many sixes in his 55-ball knock.
RCB captain Virat Kohli's decision to put Sunrisers in backfired as all his bowlers were taken to cleaners by Bairstow and Warner who became the first pair in IPL history to post three consecutive hundred-run stands.
Bairstow and Warner bludgeoned the bowlers, bettering the earlier highest of 184 between KKR's Gautam Gambhir and Chris Lynn in the 2017 edition against Gujarat Lions.
Sunday's innings was also only the second time in IPL history in which two batsmen scored a hundred each.
Bairstow was finally out in the 17th over off Yuzvendra Chahal as he went for yet another big shot but only got the leading edge for Umesh Yadav to take a running catch. He reached to his hundred in 52 balls.
He was particularly harsh on 16-year-old Ray Barman from whom he took 17 runs in the ninth over and later smashed Colin de Grandhomme for 14 runs in the 10th over. He also did not spare India pacer Umesh Yadav who he hit for 16 runs in the 12th over.
Warner played second fiddle all this while and allowed Bairstow to take the initiative but hit fours and sixes in between. The Australian later swung his arms to complete his hundred.
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Pant let team down with stupid shot; Nitish Reddy's knock one of the greatest: Sunil Gavaskar
Melbourne, Dec 28: The legendary Sunil Gavaskar on Saturday lashed out at Rishabh Pant for his "stupid" shot in crunch situation but praised young Nitish Kumar Reddy to the skies for conjuring up "one of the greatest Test knocks" on the third day of the Boxing Day match.
With India desperately looking for a big partnership in the fourth Test against Australia at the MCG, Pant attempted to scoop Scott Boland to fine leg, only to get a leading edge for Nathan Lyon to complete a simple catch at deep third man.
Pant had tried to play a similar shot in the previous ball too but failed to connect and was hit in the naval area. The batter seemed to be in pain as he lay on the ground.
Gavaskar said the wicketkeeper-batter had let the team down by throwing his wicket away when India needed him the most.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid. You have got two fielders there and you still go for that (shot). You missed the previous shot and look where you have been caught. You have been caught at deep third man. That is throwing your wicket," a furious Gavaskar said while commentating.
"Not in the situation that India was... you have to understand the situation as well. You cannot say that that's your natural game. I'm sorry, that is not your natural game. That is a stupid shot. That is letting your team down badly," the batting great said on air.
"He should not be going in the dressing room. He should be going in the other dressing room."
Former India coach Ravi Shastri termed it a "very risky shot" given the situation.
Gavaskar was also full of praise for young Reddy, who scored maiden Test century under difficult circumstances.
Walking in at the fall of the team's sixth wicket with just 191 on the board, the 21-year-old Reddy made an unbeaten 105 off 176 balls, and was involved in a record partnership of 127 for the eighth wicket with Washington Sundar (50 off 162 balls).
"This century by Nitish Kumar Reddy must rank as one of the greatest hundreds in the history of Indian cricket," he said.
