The buzz at the MA Chidambaram stadium, even with three empty stands, was probably audible to those sitting at the Marina Beach a kilometre away. Kane Williamson had just hit a six off the previous delivery bowled by Mohit Sharma. It was a full-length delivery bowled outside off stump and Williamson sent it over long off. Now, the final delivery of the match.
Mohit Sharma marks his run up. Williamson is on strike. Anticipation all around the stadium and in front of over a million television sets. One ball and 47 runs to score for Hyderabad to win.
Okay, that was the best I could do to make this incredibly lopsided match sound a bit interesting.
But anticipation?
Yes. It was so boring that probably everyone was anticipating an early finish.
Uneven battle
Arguably, Chennai Super Kings are a more formidable unit than Sunrisers Hyderabad. But that’s on paper. And, contests are not played on paper. You did that only with the cricket trump cards that came free with chewing gums.
The Super Kings were the clear favourites to win at their home turf. But Hyderabad, with a pace attack that boasted of Trent Boult, Buveneshwar Kumar, and Ishant Sharma, were supposed to challenge CSK’s batting might.
In the end, Brendon McCullum made it look like Arnold Schwarzenegger was arm-wrestling with Charlie Chaplin. McCullum himself flexed his muscles in a 56-ball century that comprised seven fours and nine sixes. The fours weren’t caressed; they were crashed through the fence. As for the sixes, some of them went over the bowler’s head and a couple of them over the ‘keepers head.
One word: outrageous.
This was bowling?
The same word could be used to describe the majority of Sunrisers’ bowling. On a batting paradise at MA Chidambaram, the Sunrisers bowling attack erred in line and length. Buvaneshwar Kumar and Trent Boult tried to contain the assault but neither of them looked threatening. Ravi Bopara conceded the least runs bowling four overs but his medium-pace hardly troubled McCullum or Dhoni, who scored a belligerent 53 runs off 29 balls.
But the contenders for the worst bowling award were the Sharmas – Ishant and Karn. With economy rates of 15.33 and 12.75, their partnership would have scared the Sunrisers skipper David Warner more than the partnership of McCullum and Dhoni.
Bowling no balls at the international level is a crime. Four no balls by Ishant Sharma! He could be pardoned for doing that over five days of a Test Match. But Ishant Sharma overstepped four times in the course of bowling 18 legitimate deliveries. That is the most unkindest cut of all.
And when he did bowl legally, he offered full-tosses and short-pitched deliveries to McCullum, who was hitting sixes off even (the few) good deliveries. Ishant’s first over cost 7 runs; the second one cost 16; the third one cost 23; and Warner didn’t let the progression continue till the fourth.
On a flat track, Karn Sharma’s limitations were exposed by McCullum and Dhoni. His lack of height and his side arm action does not allow him to extract bounce on flat pitches. But he did not even try to toss the ball up. Almost all the deliveries were bowled with a flat trajectory. He altered his length. But those variations were mostly out of fear than intelligence.
For instance, on the fourth ball of the thirteenth over, Karn Sharma tossed up a delivey, which McCullum hoisted over the former’s head for a six. The very next ball, Sharma dragged one short, and it didn’t make any difference. If anything, this ball was more fiercely struck.
Cut to the chase
Sunrisers were left with a daunting target of 210. At Chennai, under lights, against the shrewd MS Dhoni, with a vociferous Chennai crowd shouting at the top of their voices, 210 was going to be more than a challenging score.
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan had to play their best, if Hyderabad were to stay in contention. Dhawan started well with a boundary of every over, staying on par with the asking rate. He cut and drove beautifully. There are a few Shikhar Dhawan innings that are like poems with a beautiful beginning but an abrupt end that hardly makes any sense. Today was one of those innings. Just as he looked like he was about to score a big one, he was dismissed to a slower delivery from Mohit Sharma.
With Dhawan gone, Warner was left to complete the Herculean task himself. He looked helpless while he was fielding as well as when he was in the middle. With some brilliant fielding and shrewd bowling by Super Kings, the Sunrisers batsmen struggled to find any momentum. There were occasional big hits but those didn’t prevent the required rate from soaring higher. When Warner got out, Sunrisers needed 95 off 30. And Williamson was sent in to reach that ridiculous target. Probably AB De Villiers or Shahid Afridi could have done it on their day. Williamson could only try.
Mohit Sharma marks his run up. Williamson is on strike. Anticipation all around the stadium and in front of over a million television sets. One ball and 47 runs to score for Hyderabad to win.
Okay, that was the best I could do to make this incredibly lopsided match sound a bit interesting.
But anticipation?
Yes. It was so boring that probably everyone was anticipating an early finish.
Uneven battle
Arguably, Chennai Super Kings are a more formidable unit than Sunrisers Hyderabad. But that’s on paper. And, contests are not played on paper. You did that only with the cricket trump cards that came free with chewing gums.
The Super Kings were the clear favourites to win at their home turf. But Hyderabad, with a pace attack that boasted of Trent Boult, Buveneshwar Kumar, and Ishant Sharma, were supposed to challenge CSK’s batting might.
In the end, Brendon McCullum made it look like Arnold Schwarzenegger was arm-wrestling with Charlie Chaplin. McCullum himself flexed his muscles in a 56-ball century that comprised seven fours and nine sixes. The fours weren’t caressed; they were crashed through the fence. As for the sixes, some of them went over the bowler’s head and a couple of them over the ‘keepers head.
One word: outrageous.
This was bowling?
The same word could be used to describe the majority of Sunrisers’ bowling. On a batting paradise at MA Chidambaram, the Sunrisers bowling attack erred in line and length. Buvaneshwar Kumar and Trent Boult tried to contain the assault but neither of them looked threatening. Ravi Bopara conceded the least runs bowling four overs but his medium-pace hardly troubled McCullum or Dhoni, who scored a belligerent 53 runs off 29 balls.
But the contenders for the worst bowling award were the Sharmas – Ishant and Karn. With economy rates of 15.33 and 12.75, their partnership would have scared the Sunrisers skipper David Warner more than the partnership of McCullum and Dhoni.
Bowling no balls at the international level is a crime. Four no balls by Ishant Sharma! He could be pardoned for doing that over five days of a Test Match. But Ishant Sharma overstepped four times in the course of bowling 18 legitimate deliveries. That is the most unkindest cut of all.
And when he did bowl legally, he offered full-tosses and short-pitched deliveries to McCullum, who was hitting sixes off even (the few) good deliveries. Ishant’s first over cost 7 runs; the second one cost 16; the third one cost 23; and Warner didn’t let the progression continue till the fourth.
On a flat track, Karn Sharma’s limitations were exposed by McCullum and Dhoni. His lack of height and his side arm action does not allow him to extract bounce on flat pitches. But he did not even try to toss the ball up. Almost all the deliveries were bowled with a flat trajectory. He altered his length. But those variations were mostly out of fear than intelligence.
For instance, on the fourth ball of the thirteenth over, Karn Sharma tossed up a delivey, which McCullum hoisted over the former’s head for a six. The very next ball, Sharma dragged one short, and it didn’t make any difference. If anything, this ball was more fiercely struck.
Cut to the chase
Sunrisers were left with a daunting target of 210. At Chennai, under lights, against the shrewd MS Dhoni, with a vociferous Chennai crowd shouting at the top of their voices, 210 was going to be more than a challenging score.
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan had to play their best, if Hyderabad were to stay in contention. Dhawan started well with a boundary of every over, staying on par with the asking rate. He cut and drove beautifully. There are a few Shikhar Dhawan innings that are like poems with a beautiful beginning but an abrupt end that hardly makes any sense. Today was one of those innings. Just as he looked like he was about to score a big one, he was dismissed to a slower delivery from Mohit Sharma.
With Dhawan gone, Warner was left to complete the Herculean task himself. He looked helpless while he was fielding as well as when he was in the middle. With some brilliant fielding and shrewd bowling by Super Kings, the Sunrisers batsmen struggled to find any momentum. There were occasional big hits but those didn’t prevent the required rate from soaring higher. When Warner got out, Sunrisers needed 95 off 30. And Williamson was sent in to reach that ridiculous target. Probably AB De Villiers or Shahid Afridi could have done it on their day. Williamson could only try.
Buy an annual Scroll Membership to support independent journalism and get special benefits.
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!