That slinging thing
Delivered with a deceptive action, any kind of bowling can be a potent weapon. More so if it is pace. Even more so if it is someone like Matheesha Pathirana. That’s a weird trajectory, to sling the ball in from that angle at decent pace. And when the ball straightens from that kind of a direction, it becomes impossible to contend with. This special weapon of the Chennai Super Kings was on song with all that stuff at Chepauk on Friday. He was incredibly special. Operating in the mid and high-130s and landing the ball on the perfect length almost all the time, he was impossible to get away. The line was unerring, and he was on the money. A big discovery and a Lasith Malinga-like guy that the fans will look forward to watching.
Turns and more turns
Spin is a specialised option for Chennai when it comes to playing at Chepauk. It’s a slow deck in general, and becomes slower still in summer. Their spinners turned this match in their favour. Hyderabad were very much in it at 76-2 after 10 overs. That’s when the Chennai spinners made their presence felt. Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana and Moeen Ali, to an extent – they went for 67 in 10 overs and shared four wickets. That’s where the Hyderabad innings stumbled and could not recover. The spinners went without conceding a boundary for a number of overs, and that is where the match turned. When Hyderabad were in a position to impose themselves, they choked and lost the match.
How MS Dhoni recruited ‘Baby Malinga’ Matheesha Pathirana for Chennai Super Kings | IPL 2023
Catch the match
We all know that catches win matches. Today, Chennai took almost everything that came their way. Remember Ruturaj Gaikwad dropping a dolly in the previous game? At Chepauk, there was nothing like that. Gaikwad himself snapped up a couple and Mahendra Singh Dhoni caught a blinder behind the stumps to get rid of Aiden Markram. It was a stunning effort because it was the thinnest of edges which had to settle into his gloves. There was also a quickfire stumping and a direct throw to effect a run-out off the last ball. This was vintage Dhoni leading a very smart fielding effort. There were other good catches as well, the ones held by Ajinkya Rahane and Akash Singh, for example. Fielding was a major reason behind this comprehensive win.
No starting trouble
The start of the Chennai innings certainly made a big difference. Gaikwad and Devon Conway are proven performers. They have been doing well this IPL as well. This was a perfect day for them. A pitch that appeared to be sluggish in the first half held no terrors for them. They went about their job in unhurried manner and still got the runs which kept their team ahead of the asking rate. They form a left-right combination, but this was more about individual skills as well. Both of them struck the ball with perfection when they wanted to. Because of them, there was no moment of panic during the chase. This is a pair that will keep opponents on their toes in the days to come.
Areas of concern for Hyderabad
Sunrisers will soon have to get their act together. A smooth start means little when the IPL is a marathon. There are grey areas in their batting. Harry Brook, Markram and Rahul Tripathi are fine, but what after that? They have to find an answer to this question soon enough. You cannot do well in the IPL if the batting order wobbles as it did today. The platform was set with the score 76-2 at halfway. To then finish with 134-7, after prolonged periods with no boundaries, laid bare their batting issues. If the problem persists, they have little chance of making it to the last four.