Indian Cricket Team Updates |
- KKR vs MI - M33 Report & Stats: IPL 2013
- Of perfection and promise - Waqar Younis #SRH
- Getting Sehwag out early was the key: Harmeet Singh Bansal
- Johan Botha Interview: DD vs KXIP
- We can make it to the top four: Gautam Gambhir
- Dilshan shares the experience of watching Gayle’s blistering 175
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar with U-6 eco-rate talks of Gayle’s ballistic knock
- DD vs KXIP - M32 Report & Stats: IPL 2013
- RCB vs PWI - M31 Report & Stats: IPL 2013
| KKR vs MI - M33 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 Posted: 24 Apr 2013 09:27 PM PDT Match Report: Mumbai Indians got back to their winning ways, albeit, in the last over, for a five-wicket verdict over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday night. After KKR posted a competitive 159, MI batsmen, led by Dwayne Smith, chased it down with just a ball to spare.
Chasing a competitive 160, MI started quietly before Smith deposited Iqbal Abdulla for consecutive sixes in the fourth over. Sunil Narine drew first blood as he pegged back 'birthday boy' Sachin Tendulkar's (2) middle stump. MI made 42 runs from the power play. Smith continued to attack Abdulla blasting another six. Sachithra Senanayake was taken to the cleaners by Smith as he smashed a boundary and a six in the 8th over to bring up his fifty. Senanayake then trapped Dinesh Karthik (7) leg before. Narine struck again getting rid of Smith (62) who was looking dangerous. Rohit Sharma effortlessly hit Senanayake for two sixes in the 13th over. Narine got the important wicket of Sharma (34) to break the 50-run partnership with Kieron Pollard. Pollard carried on with a massive six off Senanayake to reduce the equation to 18 off 12. With MI needing 10 runs to win off the last over, Rajat Bhatia dismissed Pollard (33) first ball before Harbhajan Singh hit a six and Ambati Rayudu hit a boundary to see MI home. Earlier the start of the match was delayed by thirty minutes due to a wet outfield. KKR elected to bat, winning the toss. Yusuf Pathan started in grand style with three boundaries and a six off Harbhajan in the first over as KKR scored 26 runs from it. Mitchell Johnson then had Pathan (19) caught at slip the next over. Jacques Kallis continued the assault with two boundaries off Lasith Malinga. KKR raced to 61 for 1 from their power-play overs. Pragyan Ojha then had Gambhir (26) miscue a shot to give MI their second wicket. Kallis was given a life on 22 when Johnson dropped him off Ojha. But Ojha finally got his man as Kallis (37) was caught by Sharma. After being bogged down by the MI bowlers, Manoj Tiwary broke the shackles with a boundary off Yuzvendra Chahal, before launching him for a six. Eoin Morgan (31) swatted Johnson for a six, before perishing a couple deliveries later. Malinga castled (33) Tiwary and Debabrata Das (6) in the final over as KKR finished at 159 for 6 from 20 overs.
Man-of-the-Match: Dwayne Smith Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 159 for 6 (Jacques Kallis 37, Pragjan Ohja 2-21) lost to Mumbai Indians 162 for 5 in 19.5 overs (Dwayne Smith 62, Sunil Narine 3-17) by 5 wickets.
Stats Highlights: 2: Number of IPL matches Sachin Tendulkar has played on his birthday. The other was against Deccan Chargers at Hyderabad in 2011. Sachin could score only 28 and 2, but Mumbai Indians went on to win both the games. 3: Number of sides to employ more than one captain in IPL 2013 – Mumbai joined Pune Warriors India (3 captains) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2 captains) by giving captaincy reins to Rohit Sharma. 7.83: Harbhajan's economy in the tournament – worst for a spinner bowling five overs or more in the tournament. 26: Runs conceded by Harbhajan Singh in the first over of Kolkata Knight Riders' innings – second most expensive opening over in IPL history. Incidentally the record is also held by a Mumbai Indians bowler. Abu Nechim who had conceded 27 runs in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011. 42: Out of Lasith Malinga's 88 wickets in IPL have been bowled! 50: Runs conceded by Sachithra Senanayake - the most he has conceded in a Twenty20 match.
Presentation Gautam Gambhir: tough night, was a good wicket to bat on. They batted well, credit should go to them. I thought Dwayne batted well, the entire unit did well, they planned it well. Just not able to cross the line. I think Eden is always a good batting track. Rohit Sharma: Good start to captaincy, happy with the way we fought. Didn't get a good start but the comeback was superb. We always knew that we have guys who could get us back into the game, didnt expect the start we got but pulled it back well. Smith's was a great innings, the wicket stays low and slow and he played well. It was my first game and there were a few nerves. Dwayne Smith is the man of the match: Very happy with the striking, told myself to get in. Got out at the wrong time but thankfully we got through. Narine's their main bowler and needed to keep him out. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| Of perfection and promise - Waqar Younis #SRH Posted: 24 Apr 2013 04:59 AM PDT  Sometimes, a mentor-student relationship goes beyond the confines of the teach-and-learn boundary, becoming the ground of mutual sharing of knowledge. This happens when a master of the previous era meets the champion of the present times. The coming together of Waqar Younis and Dale Steyn has created a similar setting in the Sunrisers Hyderabad camp. Younis, that incredible pioneer of the art of reverse swing and one-half of the greatest fast bowling pair of the 1990s, advices the best and most complete fast bowler in the world today. From India's point of view, this pair of coach and senior fast bowler of the team proves to be most advantageous to Ishant Sharma. While his talent has never been in doubt, his international numbers don't do justice to the gift he possesses. Younis explains two of his premier pacers at Sunrisers: Unity in diversity The Sunrisers bowling coach feels the varied styles of his main pacers has troubled the opposition batsmen this season. "When it comes to our pacers, they're not only from different countries but are also different types of bowlers. Ishant is tall and can generate bounce while Steyn swings the ball at pace and Perera can bowl the wide yorker and the slower one well with his slingy action. That blend of different styles makes us an even better side. The batsman is already struggling against Steyn and then he has to face a ball delivered by Ishant from eight feet high." Younis then spoke elaborately about Steyn and Ishant Dale Steyn Fast, fit and a unanimous favourite What makes Steyn special? Waqar Younis reckons it's not only his abilities with the cricket ball "I have been watching Steyn since he played his first game for South Africa but this is the first time that I have met him. I have been a big fan. Not only me but everyone in the cricket world loves him for the way he plays the game. That's not only because of his bowling but other things that he brings onto the table. "His fitness is the key behind his success. Also, he likes to talk. He's amazing when he talks to the coaches and youngsters alike. He participates and shows interest in all the team matters. That's one reason why the team is doing so well. The fact that we have mutual admiration and respect towards each other, makes it easier for us to talk about certain things and it works really well for the team." An all-time great Where does Younis, a great fast bowler himself, place Steyn in the pantheon of greats? "I don't want to offend anyone because there have been some seriously great bowlers in the last four-five decades that I can remember. We've had Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath, Wasim Akram, Michael Holding and so many big names. "But Dale Steyn is definitely in the top three for me. And if he keeps going like this for the next two-three seasons, he'll hit the top. Not many bowlers have swung the ball at his pace and have had his fitness." The unbridled admiration The legend had no qualms in admitting he's a big Steyn fan and working with him is a learning experience for him too. "I'm glad that I met him and spoke to him about bowling. It's not only him learning a thing or two from me but more of me getting knowledge from him. He's an amazing athlete. "If somebody wants to learn something from Steyn, just watch him bowl. He can bowl a 12-over spell of tearing pace with ease and then will go back and field with ease too. He's a great man to have in a team, not only as a bowler but also as a person." Ishant Sharma The curious case Ishant Sharma has disappointed those who expected great things off him after that spell to Ricky Ponting at Perth. His SRH coach, however, has faith in him. "He is a very, very hard-working kid. He really wants to learn. He talks to you about his bowling and tries to get better each time. Fair enough, he hasn't lived up to his potential up until now but he is on his way. I believe he will do well in the future." His bane Younis cited the unhelpful pitches in India and a core group of fast bowlers to work with as the main reasons why Ishant hasn't been able to establish himself at the highest level despite playing 50 Test matches. "The first and the biggest reason are the slow pitches in India. They don't suit his bowling style. He has played most of his 50 Test matches in India. When the team plays three spinners and one fast bowler, the pacer is not going to bowl much. On these flat pitches it's hard to get wickets, not only for Ishant but for anyone. "Even in Pakistan we have similar flat pitches but people like Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar and myself always hunted in packs. We were two-three of us together and we used to gang up against the spin bowlers. When you're the lone pacer, it becomes difficult to make the same impact." "Ishant is not express quick but he is tall and gets good bounce. When he goes overseas he's a different bowler and bowls much better. But when you haven't done enough at home, it is very difficult to go abroad and suddenly blast the opposition out. It can happen occasionally but not every time." Consistency and patience the key Younis admits Ishant needs to increase his level of patience when bowling on the Indian tracks. That way he will not get desperate but keep trying something new and will bowl a string of good deliveries at the same batsman. "That's what we're talking to him about and working on. We are telling him, 'look, you have to chain the good deliveries together and bowl maybe four, five or six of them on the trot'. I think it has a lot to do with his action as well. He's got a hard action and his height makes it even tougher for him. At times, he also tries to do too much when he doesn't get wickets. We are trying to get him to bowl more good deliveries in a row." "He's a tall bowler and so, his length is different from that of the other bowlers. I think he has to bowl a little short of a length to get that extra bounce. He's not one of those who will be hitting the stumps all the time or getting lbws all the time. He'll get you edges and get people caught off the glove. But for that, he needs to get the channel right and he is keenly working on it." Comparisons with Morkel unfair While admitting their tall frame makes Ishant and Morne Morkel similar type of bowlers, Younis says the comparison should end there. He feels it is unfair to compare Morkel's growth and success as a fast bowler and with Ishant's lack of it because of the vast different in the conditions they both encounter at home. "They are similar bowlers. But don't forget that Morne Morkel has grown up on the South African pitches. He knows how to generate that extra bounce off those tracks. Plus, he is taller and a touch quicker than Ishant. Bring Morkel here and he will struggle. It's not easy to bowl on these wickets as a fast bowler, trust me on that." Blast from the past The current generation has embraced the Twenty20 format wholeheartedly. But Younis feels his generation of cricketers would have fared equally well in the shortest format. "I would have succeeded (in T20 cricket). I enjoyed every bit of what I achieved in my career and I have no complaints. But I think a lot of guys from our era would have succeeded in this format. Shane Warne proved that in the first couple of IPL seasons. Our era has shown glimpses to this generation of cricketers that we wouldn't have done too badly in this format as well. We had some seriously good cricketers in our era." source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| Getting Sehwag out early was the key: Harmeet Singh Bansal Posted: 24 Apr 2013 04:52 AM PDT  Although they came into the match against the Delhi Daredevils with a hard fought, nerve wracking win, Kings XI Punjab had yet to win back to back games in the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2013. But, ahead of the match coach Darren Lehamann had said that they hoped to make it two in two at the Feroz Shah Kotla. (Also Read: DD vs KXIP - M32 Report & Stats: IPL 2013) And although he did not reveal them, he had mentioned that they had plans for sending back the dangerous Delhi Daredevils opener Virender Sehwag who had won the hosts their previous game. The coach's wards executed their plans to a nicety and set up a second consecutive victory by restricting DD to 120 runs and importantly sent back the dangerous Sehwag early. The bowler in the spotlight who claimed the prized wicket of Sehwag was Harmeet Singh Bansal. Back on the field after almost a year, his last match was at the same venue against the same opposition in May 15, 2012, the pacer put in a match winning performance. The 25-year old finished with three for 24 in his quota of four overs. Holding his nerve he removed the important cog in the DD line-up. Speaking about the plan to get Sehwag's wicket he told iplt20.com, "Our plan was not to give width to Viru bhai and bowl stump to stump and that's what we did and that was what caused him a bit of problem I think." Elaborating on the plans for removing the DD opener, David Hussey added, "The plan was just to bowl in the good areas. Everybody knows he is one of the best players in the world. Today he hit some of the most amazing shots you will see and we were just lucky to get him out for 20-odd runs." Speaking about the nerves and preparation ahead of the game, Harmeet said, "I was told in the morning by the team management to be ready to play. So I was ready and felt that I might get a game and then when we came to the ground they confirmed it. I was focusing since morning. I was a bit nervous because when Viru bhai (Virender Sehwag) is in front of you, one will be nervous and especially because of the innings that he played in the last match scoring 95 runs. Seeing that knock anyone would be nervous. But it was important for me to read the wicket. It was a double paced wicket so I bowled accordingly to Viru bhai." But, did they expect to restrict the star studded Daredevils line-up to 120 odd runs? Harmeet said, "We saw in the beginning, the wicket was bit double paced, the ball was stopping and coming on and we bowled a little quick in between too. So it becomes a bit difficult for the batsmen to score runs. We were thinking that if we could restrict them to 120-130 runs it would be good and obviously Viru bhai's wicket was very important so I think because of that too we could contain them." Having bided his time, the youngster was keen to get a day in the field and hoped to make it count. "I was a little frustrated that I wasn't getting matches. I had sat out for six matches so I was waiting to get an opportunity to get a game. I was always ready to play when I got the chance. And today when I got it I delivered well," he said. The senior cricketer were full of praise for the pacer. Lauding Harmeet's performance, Hussey said, "He was superb. Hardly missed a beat with the training and to get the Man-of-the-Match in your first game back is pretty sensational." The team drew confidence from their previous win but did take a fresh guard against DD. Speaking about the boost Hussey said, "Always when you have had a close fought win, a very high scoring win, it gives your team a lot of confidence. The way our bowlers bounced back after the last game, it was just sensational tonight and hopefully we can keep the winning momentum going." Harmeet said, "Yes ofcourse it helps. We have won two in two so the confidence is really high and will now be looking forward and working towards the next game. But when we came out to play today we had forgotten about the previous match because every game is different and the wicket here is different from Mohali." "When we go from here for the next game we have to put this behind after celebrating the win and focus on the next match." The team has found their footing and will be looking forward to carry the momentum ahead. The seniors and the captain have played a vital role in regrouping and binding the team together. Crediting his captain, Harmeet said, "He (Adam Gilchrist) is the kind of captain who will even motivate a player who is very low. He is a very good captain during the match and off the field as well. He tells us what to do. His experience obviously helps." Hussey added, "Gilly is leading so well on the field, he is tactically very, very smart. He brings everybody together." Speaking about his own role, Hussey who stood in as captain in a few matches last year said, "I am sort of a fielding captain. I bowl a couple of overs, sneak in couple actually and bring the over rate down and hopefully score a few runs in the middle as well. All our batters are firing at the moment and hopefully that continues." source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| Johan Botha Interview: DD vs KXIP Posted: 24 Apr 2013 04:47 AM PDT  Delhi Daredevils' batting woes returned to haunt them as the line-up once again failed to put up a competitive score on the board. Restricted to 120 for the loss of seven wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla by the Kings XI Punjab, the home team underwent their seventh loss in the Pepsi Indian Premier League 2013 off eight games. (Also Read: DD vs KXIP - M32 Report & Stats: IPL 2013) Although, batting lower down the order, David Warner scored a 36-ball 40, he did not get enough support from the other end. It turned out an uphill task for the bowling attack to defend a below par total, especially after Mandeep Singh and Luke Pomersbach gleaned 33 runs from the second and the third over. Johan Botha who along with fellow South African Roelof van der Merwe was the more economical of the DD bowlers spoke to iplt20.com after the game. While analysing the loss and the off-spinner also said that with eight matches still to be played the role of the seniors would be to lift the team up. Excerpts from the interview: On the loss? Obviously we didn't bat well enough again and that's there for everyone to see and that's where we were 20-25 runs short and that mattered in the end. On the batting not clicking again? I think in twenty20 cricket you have to keep playing your shots, you cannot just try and defend (while batting), you have to go out and play. Against the Mumbai Indians it worked for us but tonight it did not. You can't go into a shell. That is what Mahela (Jayawardene) and the coaches have been telling the players. You cannot just stop playing and you have to get runs. Runs win you games, unfortunately at the moment we are probably finding the fielders and making silly mistakes at crucial times. On the strategy to send David Warner lower down the order? We have obviously got power at the top with Mahela and Viru (Virender Sehwag) who played really well the other day (against MI). We just want to space it out a little bit I think. In the previous two games we had the young Indian players in the middle-order and we just needed some more experience. Davy played really well but the middle-order and the lower-order didn't really support him so. I think it is the right decision. On bowling with fellow South African Roelof van der Merwe? It was great again to play with him. I have missed him. He has obviously been a very passionate player and I have missed that. In the last bit of my career he was not in the team and we have played for a while together in the middle parts of our careers. I have always really enjoyed playing with him he always gives hundred percent and that's the way I like to play and he is just a great guy to play with. South African spinners bowling at the Kotla? It was good. We saw from their innings that the wicket was a bit slow and the seamers bowled straight. It worked pretty well for us as we didn't have enough runs so they didn't have to take us on. If we had enough runs, we might have gone for a few more runs but probably got a few more wickets. So hopefully if we get to play together again in the next few games we can do the job for the skipper. On whether the role of the senior and experienced players in the team now is more crucial? It is not always about the bat and ball. Now it is about staying strong in the group and picking the guys up around you and taking care of the young Indians guys who probably haven't been in this situation before. And just to keep lifting your run in the group, we know that we won't play every game, but when you are in the side and not playing, you got to support the guys who are on the field as much as you can. On the advice from Sir Viv Richards? He has been telling us to keep backing us in the team. We have gotten ourselves into this position and can't just sit back and say, oh that's the tournament done. We still have to have the belief that we can win five, six or seven in a row and still be in the competition. That's been the message that the coaches have been telling us. But unfortunately we have just been making those silly mistakes. On influence of Mushtaq Ahmed on his spin bowling? Mushy has been good, obviously he has worked with a great off-spinner, Graeme Swann in England so there are a few small things that Mushy has told me. And he has been great not just for me, but for the group he has been a very positive person. He is a great influence around anyone and he is always so calm which is great and I think it is a big thing to have Mushy in the team, not just for spin bowling. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| We can make it to the top four: Gautam Gambhir Posted: 24 Apr 2013 04:39 AM PDT  When Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir speaks, he speaks with a lot of positivity and intent. The same kind of attitude that he would want from his side, especially after their back to back losses in the tournament as they face Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens on Wednesday. When asked how Gambhir plans to keep his side motivated after suffering consecutive losses; Gambhir replied "Wearing the KKR jersey is a big motivation in itself. If you are not able to motivate yourself wearing this KKR jersey you do not deserve to be sitting in the dressing room! There are many more people dying to get into the dressing room wearing this jersey." I do not think I have to motivate them to get the best out of them, they have to motivate themselves. I know we have not performed the way we would have liked, but this is part and parcel of the game. Things can change very quickly. One good innings, even one or two strokes can turn things on their head," added the captain as he addressed the press here at Kolkata. It is a no brainer that batting has been the biggest problem for the Knight Riders in this tournament. Their middle order has barely got going while their top order has failed to fire and then there has always been a question of when Brendon McCullum would feature in the playing eleven? For that, Gambhir said, "We have to see how we can fit in Brendon McCullum. It is difficult to replace two quality spinners (Sunil Narine and Senanayake) who have been the silver lining for us till now in the tournament after Eoin Morgan. Morgan has been in very good form and I feel he has been hitting the ball the best. It is a difficult choice to make whether you want McCullum up the order or whether you want a finisher in the middle order. At the moment our middle order hasn't clicked, but at least with the presence of Morgan there is someone who is out there getting runs for us." Gambhir also believed playing Debabrata Das brought a lot more balance to the side. "Debabrata Das gives us a better balance. Das is someone who can give us that explosive power which we need in the middle overs. He is a clean striker of the ball. It was because of Das, who keeps wickets and bats at No.6, that we could get Yusuf Pathan to bat at the top of the order. We might change it tomorrow but that is one combination that we can always consider. You always need more options like these in the competition. The more options you have the better it is for the captain." Mumbai Indians have a power packed batting line up and KKR's bowling abilities will be tested come Wendesday. When asked if KKR have a set plan for certain individuals in the team, Gambhir replied, "We would like to contain the entire team and not concentrate on certain individuals. We will take Mumbai Indians as a batting unit and whatever bowling attack we feel is the best to restrict them, we will stick to that." KKR have just four points from six games and it is time they raised their game and start winning to keep their hopes alive in the tournament. Gambhir though, believed his side was positive of making it to the top four. "I am pretty confident that we will bounce back and make it to the top four. We want to go out there and play fearless cricket. We will be positive when we play Mumbai Indians tomorrow." source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| Dilshan shares the experience of watching Gayle’s blistering 175 Posted: 23 Apr 2013 11:50 PM PDT  Watching Chris Gayle bat from the outside is an exhilarating experience. But what is it like to bat alongside him when he is smacking the ball all over? We asked the man who watched most of Gayle's 175 against the Pune Warriors India from the other end of the 22 yards. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who formed a 167-run opening partnership with Gayle – out of which his own contribution was 33 runs – shared the experience with iplt20.com after the RCB drubbed PWI by 130 runs. Here are excerpts: Have you seen an innings like that before from the non-strikers' end? No. This was the first time. I batted with him in the last IPL too and he scored a couple of hundreds. But this was something special. In my career this was the first time I saw someone hit the ball so cleanly. I was just standing at the other end and enjoying every bit of it. Did he tell you anything before or during that knock that made you feel that he might go on to produce something so special? In the fifth and the seventh over when he hit the medium pacer (Mitchell Marsh) and left-arm spinner (Ali Murtaza), I knew he could easily clear this boundary for many times (Gayle hit Marsh for 28 in an over before carting two sixes and a four in Murtaza's over). After that I just decided to take singles and give him the strike. What was the conversation like between the overs and during the strategic timeout? We just enjoy batting together in the middle. I, especially, enjoy batting with him a lot. I took over the hitting in the last match but today he was completely in charge, and that is mostly the case. Every bowler in the world is scared to bowl to Chris; there's no doubt about that. We don't talk much. Both of us believe in hitting the ball and that's what we look to do. We just look to enjoy every single ball. From the outside it looks like Gayle just sees the ball and hits it. But having batted with him many times now, could you tell us how much he thinks about his game and plans his innings? He has looked to settle down first before going for his shots. He doesn't take too many chances for the first couple of overs. Once when he starts seeing the ball well, he takes the charge on. Once he reaches that stage where he knows he can clear any boundary. You said you approach batting in similar ways. Then what separates him from you? I think he has more power. I try to give him more strike in the first six overs because I know that he can clear the 30-yard circle more cleanly than I can. Not only the circle, he can clear the ground easily. With Gayle, AB and yourself in the same dressing room, how much and what do you discuss about batting and different shots? Before the match I was talking to some of my fellow Sri Lankan cricketers and they were amazed at how four of the most dangerous batsmen in the world – Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB and myself – are in the same team. With that kind of a line-up we can go a long way in the tournament. AB de Villiers is giving you strong competition in playing innovative shots. In the nets do you both invent shots together? We don't invent shots together. I just practise my 'dilscoop' a lot and I'm looking forward to play it sometime in the tournament. AB keeps inventing new shots, as he did last year as well. Having AB at the crease is always a big headache for the bowlers. We don't talk about each other's shots honestly. You're also looking for a big knock in this tournament? Definitely! In the last few matches I have been getting 20s and 30s. I want to score a big one and make it easy for the middle order batsmen. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar with U-6 eco-rate talks of Gayle’s ballistic knock Posted: 23 Apr 2013 11:16 PM PDT  Any bowler worth his salt will admit that there are not many nightmares worse than bowling to Chris Gayle at his destructive best. Ask the Pune Warriors India bowlers who bore the brunt of the man's murderous mood at Bengaluru as he smashed records after records to scorch his way to the highest individual score in T20 history. Two PWI bowlers averaged more than 20 runs per over while another two went over 15 as Royal Challengers Bangalore amassed 265 in their 20 overs. In the same innings Bhuvneshwar Kumar gave away 23 runs in his four overs. The 11 balls that Bhuvneshwar bowled to Gayle yielded 13 runs. Gayle scored his 175 runs at a strike-rate of 265. While the young pacer was dejected with the team's 130-run loss, his own disciplined performance gave him something to take away from the game. Bhuvneshwar spoke to iplt20.com after the match about his plan of bowling to Gayle and the team's morale. Was this the toughest test of your career so far – bowling to Chris Gayle? Yes and no. As a team it was a tough match to play but individually for me it was good. We gave away 265 runs out of which I gave only 23 runs. That was satisfying for me. You bowled 11 balls to him and conceded just 13 runs. What was your plan bowling to him? With the new ball I was trying to get him out because he's that kind of batsman who can cover up later on even if you bowl some dots to him initially. In the death overs I just tried to keep him off strike so that I can bowl to the other batsman. I just tried to keep the ball away from his body so that he can take a single and get off strike. Was this also a day when bowlers regretted becoming bowlers? You can say that. When he bats like that nobody wants to bowl, especially on a wicket like this where the ball comes on well onto the bat. All I can say is that it's tough luck for the bowlers if he decides to bat like that. What was the discussion like in the team during the strategic timeouts? During the first strategic timeout we just spoke of getting him out as soon as possible. But we couldn't do that. We tried to do different things but he just kept hitting. Ishwar Pandey was playing his first match in this tournament and he went for 21 runs in the first over. He obviously became nervous and it happens when you're playing against Gayle. We could have bowled better but then you never know. How tough is it for a team to recover from such a shock? It is very difficult, especially for us as we are going through a tough time. But all we can do as a team is stick together and keep backing each other. We're trying to be as positive as we can and can only hope for the best from here. It would obviously have been tough as a bowling side. But merely as a watcher, did you enjoy the knock? Not really. When you're in the bowling side you never enjoy it if some batsman is hitting you or your bowlers like that. I would have enjoyed it if I was watching it on TV. source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| DD vs KXIP - M32 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:46 PM PDT Match Report: Kings XI Punjab stretched their winning streak to two games with a five-wicket win over the Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. The KXIP bowlers put on a disciplined show restricting DD to just 120 runs before their batsmen chased it down with three overs to spare.
Chasing a meager 121, KXIP lost their captain Adam Gilchrist (6) early as he mis-hit Irfan Pathan to be caught by Johan Botha. Mandeep Singh stroked Ashish Nehra for three successive boundaries in the second over. KXIP plundered 19 runs off Pathan's second over as Mandeep and Luke Pomersbach hit a couple boundaries each. Pomersbach (18) reverse swept Roelof van der Merwe for a boundary before being bowled by the South African. Mandeep (24) was then given run out by the third umpire as David Warner effected a direct hit at the non-striker's end. Manan Vohra (8) was then caught and bowled as he top edged a sweep off Botha to leave KXIP four down. At the halfway stage, KXIP were 77 for 4, still requiring 44 from 60. David Miller and David Hussey played sensibly by picking up the singles and hitting the occasional boundary to put on 40 runs. Hussey (20) slammed a six straight back over Nehra in the 16th over before falling the next delivery. Miller (34*) saw KXIP home with 18 balls remaining and he had the company of Piyush Chawla (5). Earlier KXIP won the toss and put DD in. Praveen Kumar drew first blood having Mahela Jayawardene (4) edge to David Hussey at slip. Parvinder Awana then had Roelof van der Merwe (8) caught by Mandeep Singh to leave DD two down in the fourth over. Virender Sehwag went after Harmeet Singh hitting him for a boundary and following it with a six in the fifth over. DD made 40 runs from their power play overs. Harmeet Singh then had the dangerous Sehwag (23) caught at cover to give KXIP their third wicket. At the halfway stage, DD were 54 for 3. Piyush Chawla's 11th over was taken apart for 16 runs. Manpreet Juneja (14) fell to Harmeet, caught at fine leg by Awana. Wickets continued to fall as Harmeet then dismissed Kedar Jadhav (0) to pick up his third wicket. Botha (1) holed out in the deep off Bhargav Bhatt to leave DD tottering at 89 for 6 from 14.4 overs. Warner (41) just as he was getting a move on was bowled by Kumar. DD finally finished at 120 for 7.
Man-of-the-Match: Harmeet Singh Brief Scores: Delhi Daredevils 120 for 7 (David Warner 41, Harmeet Singh 3-24) lost to Kings XI Punjab 121 for 5 in 17 overs (David Miller 34*, Roelof van der Merwe 1-17) by 5 wickets.
Stats Highlights: 81: Number of sixes conceded by Piyush Chawla in IPL – most by any bowler. 50: Number of sixes hit by David Warner in IPL. 40: Kings XI Punjab's total after first three overs – highest for any side in IPL 2013. 18: Kings XI Punjab won the match with 18 balls to spare – their biggest win against Delhi Daredevils in terms of balls to spare. 14: Runs conceded by David Hussey in his four overs. He had bowled only once in previous six games in this edition conceding as many runs in one over! 2: Number of players to aggregate 1000 runs and take 50 wickets in IPL. Irfan Pathan emulated Jacques Kallis in doing so.
Presentation: Harmeet Singh is the Man of the Match. Harmeet: "There was little pressure as it was my first game of the season and bowling to Viru bhai on his home ground. I was trying to bowl stump to stump. Two wins in a row is a good boost to our team." Adam Gilchrist: "Guys bowled well and batted well in patches, tried to boost the run-rate which cost us few wickets. The wicket yesterday looked like it had more moisture but today it had dried out. Hussey did not turn it much but he bowled really well. If you can hang on to tough catches like Awana, it can change the game. Harmeet used the seam-up bowling very well." Mahela Jayawardene: "We have to be honest to ourselves, it was 140-15 par score, we had to put runs on the board for the bowlers to put pressure. We have to balance the team with bit of batting and bowling. We are getting starts but not getting what we need. We have to believe in ourselves, we have another eight games, we need to have a good run, we have to keep fighting." source: iplt20.com | ||||||||||
| RCB vs PWI - M31 Report & Stats: IPL 2013 Posted: 23 Apr 2013 10:20 PM PDT Match Report: Not since the inaugural game of the IPL in 2008 has an innings as brutal as what was depicted at the Chinnaswamy Stadium been experienced in the history of T20 and certainly not in the IPL. In that contest, six years ago, Kiwi Brendon McCullum, opening for KKR thrashed the RCB bowlers mercilessly to post 158. But on Tuesday evening, the terms 'brutality' or 'pulverising' lost their meaning and became understatements as Chris Gayle launched into the Pune Warriors India bowlers, cracking the fastest century in the history of T20 cricket, his 100 taking just 30 deliveries, as RCB, who posted a mammoth 263, carved out a huge 130-run victory at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.
The carnage did not end there as the big West Indian was still not finished! Runs flowed as freely as like water from a broken pipe. Gayle chose his spots to deposit the ball, the bowler or the kind of bowler mattering little. Conceit and disdain are the apt words to use for the way Gayle treated the visitors, hammering 17 sixes, the highest number by any batsman in this format, and 13 fours, his unbeaten 175 coming in all of 66 deliveries. In all his hammering, the effort of Dilshan (33) and the 8-ball 30 from AB de Villiers were pushed well behind the lights. Chasing an improbable 264, PWI lost Robin Uthappa (0) in the very first over bowled by Murali Kartik. Finch (18) showed aggression smashing RP Singh for two boundaries before Ravi Rampaul had him caught by Kartik at mid-off. Wright (7) hit the first six for PWI dispatching Rampaul over long-off before perishing to Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat then had Yuvraj Singh (16) caught by Kohli to leave PWI reeling at 42 for 4. Steve Smith hit a couple boundaries in the 8th over as he and Marsh waged a lone fight. Smith (41) finally fell off Rampaul when he attempted to pull but found the man at the midwicket fence. Marsh (24) hit a six off Unadkat in the 15th over before Vinay Kumar messed his stumps. Gayle picked up two in the last over as PWI eventually fell 130 runs short.
Man-of-the-match: Chris Gayle Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore: 263 for 5 (Chris Gayle 175*, Ashok Dinda 2-48) defeated Pune Warriors India 133 for 9 (Steve Smith 41, Chris Gayle 2-5) by 130 runs.
Stats Highlights: 263: Royal Challengers Bangalore's total – highest ever in Twenty20 cricket. Previous highest was Sri Lanka's 260 for six against Kenya at Johannesburg in 2007. Previous highest in an IPL game was Chennai Super Kings' 246 for five against Rajasthan Royals in 2010. 175: Chris Gayle's innings is the highest ever in all Twenty20 cricket, surpassing Brendon McCullum's 158* for Kolkata Knight Riders against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008. 167: Runs added by Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan – highest opening partnership in IPL history. Mumbai Indians' Sachin Tendulkar and Dwayne Smith had added 163 runs without being separated against Rajasthan Royals in 2012. 130: Victory margin for Royal Challengers Bangalore – second biggest in IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders had beaten Bangalore side by 140 runs in very first IPL game in 2008. 53: Number of balls taken by Gayle to race to his 150 - fastest in Twenty20 cricket. 30: Number of balls taken by Gayle to race to his hundred – fastest in Twenty20 cricket. Andrew Symonds held the previous record with a 34-ball hundred for Kent against Middlesex in Twenty20 Cup in 2004. Incidentally the previous fastest IPL hundred had come off Yusuf Pathan's bat – off 37 balls – while playing for Rajasthan Royals against Mumbai Indians in 2010. 29: Runs conceded by Aaron Finch in his only over (eighth of the innings) - most expensive in IPL2013. The fifth over of the Royal Challengers Bangalore's innings – bowled by Mitchell Marsh – produced 28 runs. 17: Sixes hit by Gayle are the most in an innings in a Twenty20 match. Graham Napier had hit 16 sixes for Essex vs Sussex in Twenty20 Cup in 2008. The previous record of most sixes in an IPL match was shared by Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle with 13 sixes. 15.5: Overs taken by Royal Challengers Bangalore to race to 200 – fastest in IPL history. Chennai Super Kings had taken 16.5 overs against Rajasthan Royals while scoring IPL's previous highest total in 2010. 11: Number of hundreds scored by Chris Gayle in Twenty20 format – most by any batsman. David Warner and Brendon McCullum are distant second with five hundreds each. 7.5: Overs taken by Royal Challengers Bangalore to race to their hundred – fastest in IPL history. Royal Challengers Bangalore also held the previous record with 8.2 overs against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011. 7: Number of sixes conceded by Mitchell Marsh in the match – most by any bowler in an IPL match. James Hopes (in 2008), M Muralitharan (in 2010) and Ashish Nehra (in 2010) had conceded 6 sixes in a match. 4: Number of hundreds scored by Chris Gayle in IPL- most by any batsman. David Warner, Murali Vijay and Adam Gilchrist have hit two hundreds each.
source: iplt20.com |
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