Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni and Rachin Ravindra from left to right. (Agencies)
Jaddu jaadu
Matheesha Pathirana, who had earlier in the season taken a stunning reflex catch at short-third, dropped a skier to give Quinton de Kock a reprieve. The bowler was Ravindra Jadeja. KL Rahul mishit one behind square, Mustafizur Rahman ran alongside the ball almost the whole way from short third, didn’t bother putting in a dive, and escorted it to four. The bowler was Ravindra Jadeja. He wasn’t pleased. But late in the piece, Rahul smashed one towards point. It gave Ravi Shastri the chance to use the ‘tracer bullet’ phrase on air, it was hit that hard. But this time, the fielder was Ravindra Jadeja. So, there was a moment of Jaddu jaadu. You couldn’t make it out quite clearly in real time but the first replay was enough to tell you that was a special take. The ball was flying to his left, and Jadeja flung himself as he does often and put his left hand arm out for a stunner. A few replays were needed to confirm the catch but on a forgettable night on the field otherwise, Jadeja came up with a catch to remember.
Rachin needs a spark
After starting the tournament on an impressive note with scores (and more importantly, eye-catching knocks) of 37 and 46, Rachin Ravindra has gone off the boil. CSK must have been glad they found a near-ideal replacement for the injured Devon Conway at the top of the order to start the season but with confirmation now that he has been ruled out of the entire tournament, they must be starting to get worried about Rachin’s form. His scores since the start have been 2, 12, 15, and 21 coming to Lucknow and he needed runs to get himself going again. But it wasn’t to be as Mohsin Khan sent him back for a first-ball duck. From looking like arguably the signing of the auction in the early stages, Rachin’s slump has been quite sharp. CSK are not a franchise known for chopping and changing but they have already had to take a call on one New Zealander, with Daryl Mitchell left out against LSG. Rachin needs to find a spark again as his purple patch in India starts to fade off.
Not a happy homecoming
CSK are one of the sharpest teams when it comes to adapting their tactics within a season, and even within a match. Role clarity and well-defined plans are cornerstones of their success in the IPL. On Friday in Lucknow, they had to think on their feet. Despite having to bat first, Chennai were made to use a batting Impact Sub as they struggled to find momentum. So when they lost their main man Shivam Dube cheaply, they quickly turned to local lad Sameer Rizvi. Bowling options are never usually an issue for CSK, so they decided to shore up their batting. Sameer comes with a reputation for big-hitting, having made his name in the UP league. His coaches reckon he has the ability to bat anywhere between Nos. 4 and 7 as a floater, and can adapt. But the Meerut lad lasted just five deliveries and departed with little impact. His dismissal was reminiscent of Ollie Pope’s in the recent Test series, just for how far out he had come out of his crease to be completely beaten by the turn and bounce generated by Krunal Pandya. After impressing with a cameo on debut, Rizvi has had a couple of tough outings. A learning curve for the youngster.
MSD 101
You know what to expect. You wonder perhaps if you are being naive expecting it to happen every time. Yet, you believe. If you have been a fan of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, you have had this feeling many times. And repeatedly in IPL 2024, he has delivered. He smashed the ball around in Vizag, as CSK fans rejoiced even after defeat. He walked out to deafening roars at Chepauk for a brief cameo against KKR for his first batting appearance at home. He stepped it up a notch at the Wankhede, smashing three sixes in the last over to push Chennai’s score from decent to match-winning. And in Lucknow, he made it happen once again, smashing a 9-ball 28. The master of the last over, Dhoni went after Yash Thakur, hitting a six and two fours. That six over long on, was MSD 101. Standing deep in the crease, expecting the bowler to miss the length just by a fraction, then smashing it over the fence. It was a near replica of that Wankhede six, just without the twirl. And yes, the ball travelled 101m.
Lucknow: Lucknow Super Giants batters K L Rahul and Quinton de Kock during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 T20 cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants at Ekana Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow, Friday, April 19, 2024. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)
Rahul takes the lead
It’s not every day that KL Rahul outscores Quinton de Kock at the top of the order. The Lucknow Super Giants skipper has had question marks put over his strike rate, but was willing to take the lead on Friday. A batsman often easy on the eye, Rahul didn’t hesitate from some improvisation, sometimes making room and taking the aerial route over cover, even off deliveries short in length. On another occasion, he heaved one through the legside, then moved inside the line to find the fine-leg fence. But the most eye-catching shot was the ramp for six over third man off the extra pace generated by Matheesha Pathirana. When he cut Ravindra Jadeja twice in succession to the fence, the first brought up his half-century off 31 balls and the next one the team’s 100, as the hosts took control of the chase.
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