IPL Day 17: CSK bulldozes past Deccan

Just by looking at the scorecard, if you can figure out how dominant CSK was against the Deccan Chargers, watching CSK’s fielding would have told you that the result could have been much worse for Deccan. In what must be rated as one of the funniest moments on a cricket field, Shadab Jakati did everything he could to avoid effecting what must one of the easiest run-out chances ever. It was such a comedy of errors that even Courtney Walsh would have been embarrassed to see! Add that to the near half a dozen dropped chances…

Albeit a poor show on the field, CSK bulldozed past Deccan with consummate ease. After yet another blazing start from Matt Hayden, Dhoni came into his own for the first time in this tournament. His belligerence is not something new to us, but that farmer’s club straight back past the bowler was some sight. Is that wrist or something else? There was the trademark down the track heave over mid wicket and the Kapil Dev resembling pull too in an innings which befittingly got Dhoni a MOM award. And like always Suresh Raina played his part to the “T”.

If there is any team which is capable of chasing down Chennai’s mammoth total, Deccan is one of them. But it was curtains for them even before it began with Gilly walking back to the pavilion after the very first ball of the innings. And Sudeep Tyagi continued to impress with a beauty to get rid of the dangerous Gibbs. There was nothing special from the Very Very Special Laxman too.

From 1 for 3 (3 wickets for one run) chasing 179, Deccan needed a miracle to get back into the match, they almost got half of it, a quarter from Dwayne Smith’s maverick batting and a quarter from CSK’s amusing fielding! Jakati cashed in on good work done by Tyagi and Morkel with his second consecutive four wicket haul. There’s something about Goan’s and IPL. It was Asnodkar last year and Jakati this year who earned himself a release from the obscurity of domestic cricket! Hopefully more such men emerge…