IPL 6: CSK v/s SRH - The Quick Flicks

Chennai Super Kings have made it their mission to take every match down to the wire. Now, it’s all right in some cases. But it leads one to wonder whether they’re actually capable of finishing things quickly or just want to help Pepsi achieve high TRP ratings. Either way, the Yellow Brigade pulled off a good win tonight.

Some snapshots of today’s game:

Dhawan…. Shikhar Dhawan (twirls moustache)!

ASP Vikram Rathore must have been pleased to see his avatar coming good when it mattered. After a nasty delivery from Dwayne Bravo shook up the left-hander, he returned to play some lovely shots on his way to a delightful half-century. And just like his silver screen counterpart, Dhawan shook off the apparent injury to blast away at their southern rivals.

White’s Crazy Gamble

Did Cameron White think he was a Dhoni clone in terms of gambling? Long will pundits debate on his decision to hand the last over to Ashish Reddy, that too with a marauding MSD on strike. It may have worked if SRH had more runs on the board, but any captain with a grain of common sense in him would have preferred to give speedster Dale Steyn the final over. White needs to make decisions not on emotion, but on logic.

Raina’s Cow Corner Fetish

I am not a fan of Suresh Raina. Period. The guy doesn’t seem to learn from his mistakes. With his side cruising comfortably, he had the audacity to attack a red-hot Amit Mishra. What did he do? He played his typical “Balaram” heave over cow corner. The end result? A simple catch to Darren Sammy. He still cannot play the short ball well and yet has been given a lot of chances. Not impressed one bit with this fellow.

The Substitute Conundrum

Even the umpires would have smiled at this instance of funny cricket. Nathan McCullum was out on the field during CSK’s chase, but it wasn’t immediately clear who he was replacing. The obvious choice would have been Shikhar Dhawan, but that wasn’t meant to be. Instead, Akshath Reddy came on for the injured opener, leaving the rest of the audience mystified at McCullum’s presence. Picking up a few tips from brother Brendon now, were you, Nathan? At least you’re a better fielder.

Dwayne Bravo & The Magic 8-Ball

The golden-hearted West Indian left everyone confused with his approach to batting today. He played out 8 dot balls in a row. Giving away maiden overs in a T20 game is like trying to shoot yourself in the foot. I suppose all the dancing Bravo does on the field might have affected his movements a bit – it’s difficult to do the Gangnam Style when you have a bat in hand.

Ashish Reddy – Hero With the Bat, Zero with the Ball

I felt a strange sort of kinship with this guy. He blasted a cameo 36 off 16 balls to push SRH’s total to some amount of respectability. But with the ball, he gave away those 15 runs that Chennai needed to win this game. There’s not much you can do when MSD is rampaging on the other end. And the reason for my ‘kinship’? I suffered the same fate in a college game not too long ago!

Mahi – CSK’s New Thalaivaar?

Move over SRJ and Rajinikanth Saar, for here comes CSK’s true Thalaivaar- the skipper himself. Brute force at its best on a Chennai track is sometimes hard to find. Dhoni doesn’t seem to be fazed by pressure, and it was a characteristic that stood him in good stead tonight. With his side needing 46 off 24 balls, Dhoni played yet another gem of an innings – a knock that surely ranks right up there with his matchwinning 91 in the Cricket World Cup final! Namma thala Dhoni ku periya whistle adinga!

A word of advice for the Men in Yellow – if you are chasing, better make sure you keep the scoreboard ticking at all times. If there is a distinct possibility of finishing the game early, then do so – otherwise all you’ll be doing is taking care of your fans’ heart conditions and receiving no fees or endorsements. Whistle podu!