The Pune openers are ready in the middle. Rahane will take the strike. Zaheer will start off with the new ball. One slip and gully a in place
The pitch is a bit slow and such small targets can be a little tricky at times. But for all that to come into play Delhi would have to believe that they can defend it. On top of it, they have dropped Tahir for NCN which means a quality spinner less. A lot of thinking for Zaheer Khan to do. The Delhi players are in a huddle. We will have the live action in moments.
"Obviously, it is a little bit slow so pretty hard to score. Really easy to build pressure as well. Couple of rash shots from them. I have a range of balls. You don't get many better days than 6/19 but I do like the conditions here, big ground as well. It is hard when Ashok Dinda bowls like the way he did up front. I thought they were on the back foot after a good powerplay. I think it is going to be a tough total to chase down," says Adam Zampa, who was brilliant with the ball once again.
There were more than 50 dot balls in the DEL innings and that summed up their outing with the bat today. So, PUNE would relish the opportunity to chase down such a low total in their adopted home ground. Let's see whether DEL rise to the occasion as it is they who have the play-offs at stake here.
While PUNE have nothing to lose in this match, DEL have all to play for. Probably that showed in the way they approached the game in the first innings. The former played without any pressure and that showed in the returns they got. The two seamers, Dinda and Chahar bowled accurate lines and got the DEL batsmen on the back foot straightaway. The score at the end of the powerplay was 28/2 with both the wickets going to Dinda. Later on, Zampa and Ashwin spun a nice web around the DEL batsmen and rarely let them off the hook. The former returned superb figures of 3/21 in his allotted 4 overs. Karun Nair held one end up till the 15th over but he didn't get much support from the other end. Some big blows from Morris at the end got the DEL score above 120 or else they would have hovered around a 100 or so.
19.6 -
T Perera to C Morris, SIX, full tosses become an ordinary delivery against power hitters. Morris cleared his front leg and dispatched it over the deep mid-wicket fence, it went a long way into the stands. 22 runs came off the last over, might have just given the breather DEL were looking for
19.5 -
T Perera to C Morris, FOUR, moves across and this time makes use of the fine leg inside the ring, scooped it to short fine leg, where Dinda deflected it, should have been caught
19.4 -
T Perera to C Morris, SIX, another full toss and Morris has made use of the field. Lofted this one over the fielder at mid-off, in fact it carried all the way
19.3 -
T Perera to C Morris, FOUR, Perera was not giving him the room so Morris manufactured some for himself, moved away and carved the drive through cover
19.2 -
T Perera to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, another low full toss slanted from round the wicket, Coulter-Nile swings across but cannot beat deep mid-wicket
19.1 -
T Perera to C Morris, 1 run, Perera comes round the wicket and hurls a low full toss on the stumps, Morris wanted to heave it away, got it off the inside edge towards fine leg
Thisara Perera [2.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
18.6 -
Dinda to C Morris, 1 run, dipping on the stumps, a low full toss from Dinda. Morris wanted to wrist it away, got it off the inner part of the bat towards short mid-wicket, Dinda ran himself and did the fielding
18.5 -
Dinda to C Morris, FOUR, this will do. Nothing wrong with the delivery, yorker outside off, Morris squeezes it away from the fielder at backward point, there was no third man and it races away to the fence
18.4 -
Dinda to Coulter-Nile, 1 run, fullish delivery angling into NCN, he tries to muscle it, does not time well but will fetch a single to long-on
18.3 -
Dinda to Coulter-Nile, no run, short and slow outside off, Coulter-Nile is too early on the pull, gets beaten
Nathan Coulter-Nile, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.2 -
Dinda to Duminy, out Caught by I Pathan!! It's Dinda's night for sure. Whatever he seems to be touching is turning into gold. Bowled a yorker just outside off and Duminy took it on the full after moving across, got the lap shot off the meat of the bat, but hit it straight to Pathan at short fine leg. Just when DEL would have thought that Duminy would add a few more, he departs cheaply. Duminy c I Pathan b Dinda 14(14) [4s-1]
Dinda to Duminy, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
18.1 -
Dinda to Duminy, 2 runs, yorker just outside off, Duminy jams it towards Zampa at backward point, who deflects it towards third man for a couple
Ashok Dinda [3.0-1-12-2] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Ashwin to C Morris, no run, Ashwin fires it around off, Morris pats it from his crease towards cover
17.5 -
Ashwin to Duminy, 1 run, Duminy hangs back and then turns it through mid-wicket
17.4 -
Ashwin to C Morris, 1 run, Ashwin seems to be bowling it quick to Morris, once again keeps it on the stumps and fast, drilled down to long-on
17.3 -
Ashwin to Duminy, 1 run, aired this one a bit and got some turn and bounce, Duminy waited and cut it square of the wicket
17.2 -
Ashwin to C Morris, 1 run, quicker one perhaps, Morris cuts it to backward point
17.2 -
Ashwin to C Morris, wide, and this time to the other side of the stumps, the ball turned from middle and leg and slid down
17.2 -
Ashwin to C Morris, wide, and Ashwin misses his line as a result of the pressure from the previous shot, bowls it well wide of off and it has been called a wide
17.1 -
Ashwin to C Morris, FOUR, short and on the pads of Morris, pulls it past the fielder at short fine leg with ease
16.6 -
Zampa to C Morris, 1 run, cuts this faster one to sweeper cover for a single
16.5 -
Zampa to C Morris, no run, slowed this one, Morris wanted to sweep it, was rapped just above the knee-roll. The umpire turned down the lbw appeal, the ball might have slid down the leg-side
16.4 -
Zampa to C Morris, no run, quicker one and Morris was beaten by pace for sure, just about managed to get his bat down in time and cut to extra cover
16.3 -
Zampa to Duminy, 1 run, full for Duminy on the stumps, worked through mid-wicket
16.2 -
Zampa to C Morris, 1 run, Morris is happy with the shortish length, cuts off the back foot to sweeper cover
16.1 -
Zampa to Duminy, 1 run, full toss slanted across Duminy, chops the drive to long-off for a single
15.6 -
Ashwin to Duminy, 1 run, another one where Duminy prefers to stay back and work through backward square leg
15.5 -
Ashwin to Duminy, no run, Duminy went back this time, there was not much on offer with the length, pushed back to the bowler
15.4 -
Ashwin to C Morris, 1 run, allows it to turn from middle and leg and works towards the on-side for an easy one, it was a carrom ball from Ashwin
15.3 -
Ashwin to Duminy, 1 run, a bit of hesitation in the middle but they will take a single, Duminy pokes this flatter delivery to point and calls for it
15.2 -
Ashwin to C Morris, 1 run, shortish in length Morris rocks back and short-arm pulls to deep mid-wicket
15.1 -
Ashwin to C Morris, no run, Morris tries to go for the reverse sweep but fails to connect with the shot
On replays it seemed that the ball would have just clipped the off-stump. So Nair cannot complain
14.6 -
Zampa to C Morris, 1 run, stays on the back foot and cuts it to sweeper cover for a single
14.5 -
Zampa to Duminy, 1 run, cuts this flatter delivery off the toe-end of the bat to point
14.4 -
Zampa to C Morris, 1 run, too full on the stumps, Morris wrists the drive to long-on
Chris Morris, right handed bat, comes to the crease
14.3 -
Zampa to Nair, out Lbw!! Nair was not judging the length and was trying to sweep everything, has to pay the price this time. Missed this straighter one completely. In fact was rapped on the back leg and that made the task easier for the umpire. Seemed to be hit in line, replays will confirm things for better. Nair lbw b Zampa 41(43) [4s-5]
Zampa to Nair, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
14.2 -
Zampa to Nair, 2 runs, Nair makes room this time and goes inside out on the drive, Saurabh Tiwary from sweeper cuts it off
14.1 -
Zampa to Nair, no run, well flighted outside off, was not there to be swept. Nair was beaten there
Time-out in place now
13.6 -
Ashwin to Duminy, no run, Ashwin keeps it tight on the stumps, Duminy guards it back to the bowler
13.5 -
Ashwin to Duminy, FOUR, Pathan misfields at short fine leg and this allows Duminy a four which was not there. He swept this one straight to Pathan at short fine, who was outfoxed by the awkward bounce, the ball deflected off his knee and rolled away to the fence
13.4 -
Ashwin to Nair, 1 run, touch fuller and this will allow Nair to drill it down to long-on for a single
13.3 -
Ashwin to Nair, no run, another one which turns from outside off, hit Nair around his knee roll but outside off
13.2 -
Ashwin to Duminy, 1 run, eases this one towards long-off to get off the mark
13.1 -
Ashwin to Duminy, no run, tossed up delivery and Duminy defends off the front foot back to the bowler
Jean-Paul Duminy, left handed bat, comes to the crease
12.6 -
Zampa to Rishabh Pant, out Caught by T Perera!! Pant was getting frustrated with all those dot deliveries, had to do something out of the box, does not work for him though. Threw his bat curmudgeonly on this flatter delivery, got it off the toe and it skied high for Perera to settle under it at long-off. He would have been better off using his feet, it looked like a googly though. Rishabh Pant c T Perera b Zampa 4(9)
Zampa to Rishabh Pant, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
12.5 -
Zampa to Rishabh Pant, 2 runs, googly again, Pant allows it to turn and pulls to deep backward square leg
12.4 -
Zampa to Rishabh Pant, no run, quicker from Zampa just outside off, Pant wanted to cut it off the back foot, was beaten by the pace and extra bounce
12.3 -
Zampa to Nair, 1 run, Nair prefers to stay back and then mistimes the sweep to backward square leg
12.2 -
Zampa to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, googly which I am not sure Pant read off Zampa's hands. Stays back and pulls against the turn to deep backward square leg
12.1 -
Zampa to Nair, 1 run, tossed up delivery on the stumps, Nair drives off the front foot towards long-off for a single
Adam Zampa [1.0-0-7-1] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Ashwin to Rishabh Pant, no run, the ball might have held a bit in the pitch this time, the length was there to be punched but Pant was bit early, almost popped it back to the bowler
11.5 -
Ashwin to Nair, 1 run, Nair gets low for the slog sweep, does so but is not very fortunate with the gap, finds deep mid-wicket for a single
11.4 -
Ashwin to Rishabh Pant, 1 run, a touch fuller on the pads of Pant, works it through the on-side for a single
11.3 -
Ashwin to Rishabh Pant, no run, Ashwin is coming round the wicket for Pant, this time he angled this one in which turned away after pitching to beat Pant's poke
11.2 -
Ashwin to Rishabh Pant, no run, Pant allows this one to turn and then cuts it to cover, where Dinda dived to his right to save a few runs
11.1 -
Ashwin to Nair, 1 run, leg-slip in place for Ashwin, who pitches it flat just outside off, puched down the ground towards long-off
Ravichandran Ashwin, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
10.6 -
I Pathan to Rishabh Pant, no run, Pathan pitches it on a length just outside off and makes the ball swerve away a bit, the ball kept a bit low as well as Pant wanted to drive away from the body
10.5 -
I Pathan to Nair, 1 run, Nair makes a bit of room after coming down the track trying to slap it past the bowler, mistimed to mid-off for a single
10.4 -
I Pathan to Nair, no run, shortish delivery from Pathan just outside off, Nair punches off the back foot to backward point
10.3 -
I Pathan to Nair, no run, good length delivery on off and middle, Nair defends off the inner part back to the bowler
10.2 -
I Pathan to Nair, FOUR, short delivery and punished. Nair rocked back and pulled it through backward square leg with ease
10.1 -
I Pathan to Nair, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Nair wants to force it through the off-side, finds cover
Rishabh Pant, left handed bat, comes to the crease
9.6 -
Zampa to Samson, out Stumped!! Oh Zampa, what a ball! Samson has played all around this one after coming down the track and it has ripped past his outside edge for an easy stumping. The length has been cunningly pulled back after watching Samson charge, the batsman spots this and tries to switch to defence but it's too good a delivery. Completely stumped, both figuratively and literally. Samson st Dhoni b Zampa 10(13)
Zampa to Samson, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
9.5 -
Zampa to Nair, 1 run, googly, back of a length and darted in on middle and leg, Nair tucks it through mid-wicket
9.4 -
Zampa to Samson, 1 run, it's the googly, quicker through the air and snaking back in from a length, Samson goes back and clips it behind square
9.3 -
Zampa to Nair, 1 run, Zampa pulls the length back with this one, and Nair can't do much more than steering it in front of backward point
9.2 -
Zampa to Nair, 2 runs, tossed up outside off, it's full enough to tempt Nair into another elegant drive through the covers. More work for the sweeper and he can't prevent the second
9.1 -
Zampa to Nair, 2 runs, good extension of the bat to drive the leg-break with the turn wide of deep cover. It wasn't quite a half-volley which makes the shot even better
Adam Zampa, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Strategic time-out! Dhoni will be a happy man. He spoke about his bowling being consistently inconsistent at the toss, but there has been a marked improvement so far. It's been tidy, disciplined stuff and they haven't given much away. I think the pitch has been a factor as well in the batsmen being subdued and the ball hasn't quite come on very well.
8.6 -
I Pathan to Samson, no run, length ball angling away outside off, Samson aims a loose-drive and just throws his bat at it. A little less bounce than desired is enough to make his attempt go awry and the ball sneaks below his bat through to the keeper
8.5 -
I Pathan to Nair, 1 run, Nair drops it in front of backward point, strides out for a run but is sent back. Meanwhile, the fielder swoops in and underarms a direct-hit to find Nair back in. Now he'll get the single, as the ball has deflected far away from any fielder
8.4 -
I Pathan to Nair, FOUR, honestly, Pathan has no business dropping it on that nothing length at his pace. And perhaps he won't, after this. Nair is on the front foot when he pulls it with a dash of disdain well in front of square
8.3 -
I Pathan to Samson, 1 run, low full toss around middle and leg, a hint of swing back in but not enough to foil Samson's drive down to long-on
8.2 -
I Pathan to Samson, 2 runs, off-cutter on a back of a length outside off, Samson is on the move down the track when he cuts it square of the wicket on the off-side and hares back for two as sweeper cover is a little straight
8.1 -
I Pathan to Samson, 2 runs, Samson uses the angle to his advantage and dabs it fine enough for a couple. Good work there at third man from Ashwin
7.6 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, drops a back of a length delivery with soft hands in front of backward point, looks for a single but is sent back. The frustration builds...
7.5 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, Nair is getting a little fidgety. Runs at the bowler while stepping to leg but is followed by a length ball. Still tries a hoick but he is visibly cramped for room, the bat twists on impact and he swats it tamely back down the pitch
7.4 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, oooh, he had a look there, did Nair. Short ball which loops up outside off, Nair contemplates fetching a pull but thinks otherwise after assessing the steep bounce
7.3 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, chopped to backward point
7.2 -
T Perera to Samson, 1 run, again, it's that back of a length. Not much in the batsman's half so far. Samson waits on it and glides it down to third man
7.1 -
T Perera to Nair, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside off, Nair opens the bat-face and runs it down to third man
6.6 -
I Pathan to Nair, 1 run, now he has enough width to play with and slashes a cut to deep cover
6.5 -
I Pathan to Nair, no run, ah, he's been rapped on the glove. It's a short of length delivery on off, and Nair has already shaped to cut it away. A late realization hits him that the ball isn't there and so he tries to bail out but is too late. Nothing to worry though as the ball rolls away behind the wickets
6.4 -
I Pathan to Nair, no run, slightly short outside off, Nair doesn't quite have the width to open his hands and he chops the attempted cut to backward point
6.3 -
I Pathan to Samson, 1 run, short of length from Pathan, not the preferred length in the mid 120ks. Samson lifts his front leg and short-arm pulls it to deep square leg
6.2 -
I Pathan to Samson, no run, swinging back in from Pathan, but it's going down leg. He would like the line to be more on the stumps. Anyway, Samson tries to go very hard on the attempted whip and ends up being late and gets struck on the pad
6.1 -
I Pathan to Samson, no run, hits the bat hard from a good length, the bat-face closes and Samson ends up dragging it to short mid-wicket
Irfan Pathan, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
5.6 -
T Perera to Samson, 1 run, taps this softly in front of mid-on and there is no hesitation between the running enabling an easy single
5.5 -
T Perera to Nair, 1 run, moves slightly towards off-stump and flicks a length ball off the pads behind square. He hit that in the air but had the placement under control
5.4 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, short of length around off, doesn't bounce. Nair stands tall and blocks it down the pitch
5.3 -
T Perera to Nair, no run, length ball from Perera and given Delhi's situation, Nair has to respect it
5.2 -
T Perera to Samson, 1 run, strays this one on the hips, Samson nudges it wide of mid-wicket
5.1 -
T Perera to Samson, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Samson pats it with an open bat-face into the off-side
Thisara Perera, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
4.6 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, length ball just outside off, pushed on the up to mid-off
Sanju Samson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
4.5 -
Dinda to Shreyas Iyer, out Caught by Khawaja!! The short ball has done the trick. It's at good pace, about 141 clicks, and Iyer is not at all in control of the pull. He is on the front foot and is rushed to the extent that the weight transfer never really happens. Gets it high on the bat and slices it off a thick top-edge, and it lobs up in front of deep backward square leg. Looking at it again, Iyer got cramped for room as the ball kept following him and he took his eyes off it too. Very promising start from Pune. Shreyas Iyer c Khawaja b Dinda 8(10) [4s-1]
Dinda to Shreyas Iyer, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
4.4 -
Dinda to Nair, 1 run, did that stop on him, or was it an error? Either way, Nair bunted it in the air in front of mid-on and is lucky
4.3 -
Dinda to Nair, FOUR, ah, thank you! What a treat for sore eyes. Dinda's plan all evening has been to cramp the batsman for room. He persists with it but is marvellously clipped off the hips through square leg. There is protection in the deep but the man is behind square and even a dive from him doesn't help
4.2 -
Dinda to Nair, FOUR, makes room and slices it over the extra-cover region. I think Nair wanted to go straighter than this but the bat turned in his hands and he skewed it off the outside half but made a decent enough connection to comfortably clear the infield
4.1 -
Dinda to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, on the hips, tucked away to fine leg
3.6 -
Chahar to Nair, no run, Nair is slightly opened up by a ball straightening from a back of a length around off, adjusts and steers it to point
3.5 -
Chahar to Nair, 2 runs, pulls the length back but ends up straying on the hips and is clipped behind square. Before fine leg runs across and returns the throw, the batsmen have enough time for a couple
3.4 -
Chahar to Nair, FOUR, now this is glorious! This ball is a rank bad half-volley outside off to which Nair grounds his back knee and smears the cover-drive over the infield. Emphatic. Sublime
3.3 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, drops this with soft hands into the off-side and calls for a quick single
3.2 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, no run, more authoritative, punched off the back foot wide of backward point. But there's a brilliant diving save there to prevent a certain boundary
3.1 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, FOUR, oh a flirty drive through the covers. It's not a bad ball at all as it's floated on a length and is shaping away outside off, lures Iyer forward and has him reaching out for it. In the air for a brief while but finds the gap. Shouldn't discourage Chahar
2.6 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, length ball around off, Nair drags it off a thick inside edge to mid-wicket. Good call from him to send Iyer back. A wicket-maiden for Dinda! How about that!
2.5 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, slips in the surprise bouncer. Nair is definitely not in any position as he tries to fetch the pull from outside off, it gets big on him too and whistles over the top-edge
2.4 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, hurries onto him from a short of length, Nair is trying to punch it through the covers but the skid on the ball surprises him. Takes a thick inside edge and deflects onto the pads
2.3 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, very tight stuff this. Short of length just outside off, no room to work with, and Nair can only defend it towards cover-point
2.2 -
Dinda to Nair, no run, slants this one full and into middle and leg, Nair clips it to mid-wicket
Karun Nair, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.1 -
Dinda to de Kock, out Lbw!! Gone! The perseverance has yielded. And it's the massive wicket of QdK. Excellent shape from Dinda, swinging back into the left-hander on a full length. de Kock's head falls over as he tries to flick it away, he fails to connect, and is rapped right in front of middle and leg. The only question was if the ball had pitched in line which it had. Huge breakthrough. de Kock lbw b Dinda 2(8)
Dinda to de Kock, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
1.6 -
Chahar to de Kock, 1 run, now this one moves the other way. Swings back in on a fuller length on off, de Kock is looking for the off-drive but the bat turns in his hands and he drags it in front of mid-on
1.5 -
Chahar to de Kock, no run, this is another peach of a delivery. You could see de Kock trying to make room and aim for the off-side but this one just kicks up from a back of a length and shoots away. de Kock is taken aback and arches his back slightly to sway away
1.4 -
Chahar to de Kock, no run, springs off the pitch from a good length and cuts away from de Kock to beat his outside edge. de Kock was left poking at it tentatively, quite unlike him to be half-hearted
1.3 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, short of length delivery around middle, Iyer is determined to stay leg-side of the ball and is visibly cramped while punching it in front of mid-on for a single
1.2 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, no run, slightly shorter than a good length just outside off, patted away to point
1.1 -
Chahar to Shreyas Iyer, no run, length ball with some good away shape on off, Iyer moves his front foot for namesake and defends it into the off-side
Deepak Chahar, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Dinda to de Kock, no run, good discipline from Dinda to stick to that leg-stump line. Denies de Kock the room he so desires and he simply flicks it to mid-wicket
0.5 -
Dinda to Shreyas Iyer, 1 run, it's a similar delivery, this time Iyer straightens his spine and punches it with an open bat-face down to third man
0.4 -
Dinda to Shreyas Iyer, no run, back of a length, just outside off with a hint of nibble, Iyer doesn't move his feet a great deal while patting it towards backward point
0.3 -
Dinda to de Kock, 1 run, and again. This seems to be the plan, offer no width at all. Short of length delivery rising towards the chest, tucked wide of mid-wicket to get him up and running
0.2 -
Dinda to de Kock, no run, tucks him up with a back of a length delivery curling back in, de Kock nudges it into the on-side
0.1 -
Dinda to de Kock, no run, swings back into the pads of de Kock, perhaps bowling for that leg-slip in place. de Kock is late on the flick and is thudded on the pad. Might have got an inside edge. It doesn't matter as it was swinging down leg anyway
de Kock and Shreyas Iyer are at the crease. de Kock is on strike. Dinda will open the attack
So PUNE are settling into the role of party poopers very nicely. DEL now find themselves having to win both the remaining games to keep qualification hopes in their hands. I think they should be through if they notch up victories in their two matches. Gee, the way these scenarios are changing every day! It's time to wrap up the coverage. This is Sagar Chawla pulling the shutter down along with Abhishek Chaudhary and our scorer Venki. Good night!
"Very happy obviously, we won the match. Nothing much, just bowling wicket to wicket and trying to swing the ball. That's it. We have tried to do each and every match like this. We were unlucky in a couple of matches. We gave 200% effort in fielding today and everyone bowled well," says Dinda as rain starts getting even heavier.
Ashok Dinda is Man of the Match
"The fast bowlers also bowled well and gave a platform for where spinners could put pressure on the opposition. This is something we were lacking. It's good to see them bowl as a unit together. If luck is not in your favour in a game like this, you could be left having to lose 4-5 overs and chase 10-15 more runs. There's no real point taking any extra pressure. You want to bowl according to your strengths. Even if the batsman hits you for big sixes, it shouldn't matter because you are executing your plans well and that's what matters. We knew bowling was the department where we could face a challenge. If you see the amount of bowlers in our squad, there are quite a few bowlers. We were quite worried as to who is our best bowling option and whether he can come back at the death. Someone like a Chahar, we wanted to play with him initially, but one day before the tournament he got injured. Then Rajat played and he was our best bowler if you look at it. How we look at the next game is to give a chance to some bowlers. Now that we are not in the tournament, it gives an opportunity to see what they can do. Someone like Chahar can give me a couple of overs upfront and then the death bowling can be left to Dinda and TP," says MS Dhoni.
"We just have to turn up in the next game and go for it. The equation is simplified for us - two out of two. We are still not in a bad position, if we win two out of two we might end up in the top two. Some decisions didn't go our way, haven't been going our way in the last two games as well. Not really, that's one of the things which we have been consistent about. The guys have been responding well. Last game we felt that the wicket will turn, and this game we felt that it won't turn," laments Zaheer Khan.
Six teams placed so close to each other at the fag end of the tournament is any mathematician's delight. We would have to wait to see which of these six actually make it to the play-offs.
The loss of Usman Khawaja in the powerplay did not slow down their pursuit as they were in cruise control throughout. A good partnership between Bailey and Rahane ensured that PUNE were par for course at every stage of the chase. Alas, the win won't do anything with regards to their future prospects in the tournament. What it would do though is dent the prospects of DEL as far as going through to the play-offs is concerned. They would have to keep a close eye on the other teams' fates too as that would have a bearing on their prospects.
PUNE tuned their chase to perfection here. According to DLS too! They were 15 ahead of the required DLS par score when the rains first came down. Play did resume after a 56 minute interruption only for the rain to come back again at the end of the 11th over. By that time, PUNE were 19 ahead of the DLS par score. Eventually, the match had to be called off at this stage and PUNE were declared winners by 19 runs according to DLS.
You always want a game to be completed in its natural course but the way this match was going, don't think many would have grudges. Although my colleague Ramki, sitting next to me, is irate. Something to do with his fantasy leagues and stuff. PUNE were well on course to the target and would have got there in due time, save a dramatic brainfade. DEL lost this in the first half to be honest. Didn't quite assess the conditions properly and aimed for too high a target. And as it so often happens, you play too many shots, gift your wickets and lose your way.
23:55 Local Time, 18:25 GMT, 23:55 IST: Handshakes are being spotted at the ground which can only mean one thing. Yes, the match has been called off, and PUNE win by 19 runs on DLS. With the cut-off time not far away and a dramatic turnaround in weather not on the horizon, the umpires deem it logical to put an end.
23:50 Local Time, 18:20 GMT, 23:50 IST: Gokul has sent me 20 updates in the last 10 minutes. Such has been the fickle nature of this shower. The latest one reads like this, "the rain is getting heavier, more covers being brought on. It doesn't look too promising." I am hearing that 12.19am is the cut-off time after which the game will be called off.
23:40 Local Time, 18:10 GMT, 23:40 IST: The rain is back! It's steady enough for the umpires to call for the covers. PUNE are ahead by 19 on the DLS par score. "It looks like a passing shower, has eased already," mitigates Gokul. But then he immediately tells to chuck the previous update, "a steady drizzle now". I think the previous delay consumed most of the one hour buffer we have as far as deducting overs is concerned. So it will have to be a truncated game.
10.6 -
Shami to Rahane, 1 run, short of length delivery outside off, glided down to third man
10.5 -
Shami to Rahane, SIX, oh look at this! The diminutive Rahane stands tall and heaves a back of a length delivery over wide long-on. Clattered it away
10.4 -
Shami to Rahane, no run, tries to punch it again and ends up chopping it limply. Good effort from Shami again to generate bounce
10.3 -
Shami to Rahane, FOUR, a short of length delivery which climbs and gets big on Rahane as he tries to force a punch through the covers. He has some room to tempt him into the stroke but can't control the bounce. As luck would have it though, flies away off the outside edge to the third man fence
10.2 -
Shami to Bailey, leg byes, 1 run, short of length delivery down leg, Bailey is late in trying to work it away through the on-side and it deflects off the thigh pad wide of the keeper
10.1 -
Shami to Rahane, 1 run, that's only half an appeal from Shami but tell you what, it looks very close. Back of a length delivery which nipped back in slightly to leave Rahane cramped. He was trying to dab it down to third man but the ball slid back in, hit pad first before being tapped away wide of the keeper. Rahane put his bat up straightaway but it wasn't a factor, or shouldn't have been. Lucky escape one would have to say
Mohammed Shami, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
9.6 -
Mishra to Bailey, no run, googly and Bailey was beaten by it, was hit well below the knee-roll, the ball might have slid down the leg-side and that led to the umpire denying the appeal from Mishra
9.5 -
Mishra to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane uses the depth again and punches to mid-off
9.4 -
Mishra to Rahane, no run, googly and Rahane was not ready for it, wanted to cut, did well to force it back to the bowler
9.3 -
Mishra to Bailey, 1 run, Bailey gets a little stride and drives it to long-off, runs with the shot
9.2 -
Mishra to Rahane, 1 run, not that slow but slowness allowed Rahane the liberty to go back and cut it to deep backward point for a single
9.1 -
Mishra to Rahane, no run, some turn for Mishra from middle, Rahane accounts for it and defends
8.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, no run, short of good length around off, patted in front of cover
8.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, 1 run, NCN is not happy with the landing area. He was concerned with it even before the rain, things won't have got better after the downpour. Coming to the delivery, it was a back of a length delivery outside off, dabbed in front of third man for a single
8.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, 1 run, short ball which took its time to reach Bailey, who whips it to deep mid-wicket for a single
8.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, 1 run, wee bit of room on offer outside off, Rahane cuts it square of the wicket on the off-side for a single
The umpires are walking out to the middle so are the Pune batsmen - Rahane and Bailey. We are waiting for the super sopper to leave the field. Off now. NCN will restart from where he left, slip in place
23:19 Local Time, 17:49 GMT, 23:19 IST: Play will start at 23:30 IST. Overs have not been reduced.
23:12 Local Time, 17:42 GMT, 23:12 IST: The LED stumps are being set up now. Super-soppers racing around the outfield. The ropes are being used too to slide aside any moisture on the outfield. The umpires are out there having a discussion with the groundsmen.
23:07 Local Time, 17:37 GMT, 23:07 IST: Now even the cover that was protecting the pitch has been removed. So just a matter of time to dry out the outfield. Umpires to have a look in about 8 minutes.
22:51 Local Time, 17:21 GMT, 22:51 IST: Great news. The covers are slowly being peeled off. Gokul gives useful information. "In the event of rain, there is a provision for extra time of 60 minutes, following which the overs will start reducing. In this case the play was stopped at 10:34, and the extra time, till 11:34, is taken into account before overs start reducing." Umpires to inspect at 23:15.
By the looks of it, the rain looked pretty heavy. But it has eased down a bit and the super soppers are at work.
22:40 Local Time, 17:10 GMT, 22:40 IST: Gokul, who is at the ground, adds, "It's a proper downpour now and the groundsmen are busy trying to cover as much of the field as possible." Pune were being party poopers for Delhi and the rain gods who were feeling left out decided to crash the entire party. These are just pre-monsoon showers, the monsoon is yet to arrive. So this makes it more frustrating. Why are these pre-monsoon showers being selective and interrupting these matches?
22:34 Local Time, 17:04 GMT, 22:34 IST: The rain seems to have got a bit heavier and the umpires uproot the stumps. What a pity, Pune were cruising through. I was getting all set for my mouthwatering dinner and then this happens! PUNE are 15 runs ahead on the DLS score, so they won't be complaining much
8.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Rahane fences to backward point
8.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, FOUR, bouncer and how well has this been played! Saw it close and then ramped it over the keeper, go set a field for that
7.6 -
Mishra to Rahane, 1 run, turn on this one, Rahane wanted to work it through the on-side, it was a leg-break which beget a leading edge and rolled towards cover-point
7.5 -
Mishra to Bailey, 1 run, fraction short and on the stumps, Bailey punches towards mid-on for a single
7.4 -
Mishra to Rahane, 1 run, Mishra shortens the length, Rahane uses the depth of the crease and pats it square of the wicket
7.3 -
Mishra to Rahane, FOUR, oh Shami! Short ball and Rahane rocks back, pulls it to the right of long-on where Shami made a mess of it to gift Rahane a four
7.2 -
Mishra to Rahane, no run, flat and outside off, Rahane guards it out
7.1 -
Mishra to Rahane, no run, tossed up delivery, Rahane defends it back
Amit Mishra, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, no run, first things first, Bailey is safe. Every time a batsman is hit on the helmet, this becomes the first concern, it was a pacy bumper and Bailey could not get behind it properly as he tried to pull. Deflected off the top edge and it hit him on the grille. The strap came off, so he lost the helmet, which luckily from a cricketing point of view, did not fall on the stumps. He is all fine. How have things changed after that unfortunate incident to Phil Hughes! Coulter-Nile quickly ran to Bailey and asked, "Are you alright mate?" Bailey gestured that he was fine. Even JP Duminy looked concerned
6.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, no run, slanted in from a length, Bailey tucks softly in front of mid-on
6.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, 1 run, grunt from Coulter-Nile as he pitches it full around middle and off, Rahane wrists it to long-on
6.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, no run, half-volley outside off, Rahane leans into the drive, but cannot get past the man at cover, timed it really well
6.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, 1 run, everytime Coulter-Nile has gone full, he has angled it in, which makes it easy for a right-hander to work it through the on-side. This time nudged to right of Zaheer at mid-on
6.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Bailey, no run, three-quarter length around off, Bailey hops back and punches to short cover
Nathan Coulter-Nile [1.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
5.6 -
C Morris to Rahane, FOUR, this will cap off a brilliant powerplay for Pune, Rahane did not try anything fancy- allowed the back of a length delivery to come to him and then punched through covers with ease. Superb shot, looked majestic, almost everything right with that. We need a time-out for this one to sink in
5.5 -
C Morris to Bailey, leg byes, Bailey missed the tuck and got it off his pad into the on-side for a leg bye
5.4 -
C Morris to Bailey, FOUR, length on the stumps with no variation at all, why would a batsman miss out? Bailey clears his front leg and swing across the line to clear the deep mid-wicket fence with ease
5.4 -
C Morris to Bailey, no ball, this one slipped off Chris's hands, was an attempted slower ball. Crossed Bailey above his waist down the leg-side, free-hit coming up
5.3 -
C Morris to Bailey, no run, full ball angled into Bailey, he drives it back to the bowler and Chris acts like a true pacer. Showed a bit of aggression and threw towards the stumps, de Kock had to move a bit towards his left to stop it
5.2 -
C Morris to Rahane, 1 run, tucks this length delivery from crease to mid-wicket for a single
5.1 -
C Morris to Rahane, no run, bumper and around off, Rahane wanted to ramp it over the keeper's head afer bending a little, was not able to make the bat meet the leather
4.6 -
Zaheer to Bailey, no run, and this one he has brought in. A pacer's body gives up as he ages. But at the same time, his ripe mind becomes so tactful. Bailey tucks it to the right of Zaheer, wanted to steal a single but Zaheer reached there quickly to deny him a run
4.5 -
Zaheer to Bailey, no run, slanted across Bailey, he does not get anything on the cut, perhaps due to some extra bounce
4.4 -
Zaheer to Rahane, 1 run, fuller length on middle and leg, Rahane gets across and drives off the inside part to mid-on
4.3 -
Zaheer to Rahane, no run, slowed this one while angling it away from Rahane, who almost chopped it back on to the stumps
4.2 -
Zaheer to Rahane, no run, another good length delivery around off, Rahane shields it towards cover
4.1 -
Zaheer to Rahane, no run, Zaheer is back to what he does when he is planning something. Hides the ball in his hands and keeps it on length outside off, Rahane defends back. That zero followthrough from Zaheer is always indicative of something interesting to come
3.6 -
C Morris to Bailey, no run, short and on the stumps, Bailey mistimes the pull shot of the inner part of the bat towards mid-on
3.6 -
C Morris to Bailey, wide, full and very wide, called a wide by the umpire. Could have cost more but for slip fielder's presence of mind, who stopped it after keeper deflected it on the dive
3.5 -
C Morris to Bailey, no run, length ball that nips back in, Bailey gets an inside edge onto his pads
George Bailey, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.4 -
C Morris to Khawaja, out Caught by Shreyas Iyer!! Well, I am no coach but just a while ago, I said that Khawaja needed to get a big stride while driving those. This time too he made use of his hands more on the drive, just threw his bat at it, got it off the bottom part of the bat, the ball traveled quickly towards Shreyas Iyer at backward point, who was not going to drop it. Khawaja c Shreyas Iyer b C Morris 19(13) [4s-4]
C Morris to Khawaja, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.3 -
C Morris to Khawaja, no run, short but not quite wide, Khawaja wanted to clatter the cut, was unable to get his bat on it
3.2 -
C Morris to Khawaja, no run, half-volley outside off, Khawaja drives but cannot beat cover. Would like to get a big stride forward though
Slip continues to be in place, has to!
3.1 -
C Morris to Rahane, 1 run, back of a length delivery angled into Rahane, who bends a little and dabs it to third man for a single
Chris Morris, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, FOUR, straighter than an arrow! Full on the stumps, Khawaja presents the full face of the bat and drives it past Zaheer's stuck out left leg, the ball races away to the fence
2.5 -
Zaheer to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane goes back and nudges the length ball to deep mid-wicket
2.4 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, 1 run, pats this length delivery to cover point and Rahane called for it to complete a single
2.3 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, FOUR, short of a good length just outside off, Khawaja drives on the rise uppishly through cover, sounds of "catch it" but it was away from the fielder inside the ring on the off-side
2.2 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, FOUR, Zaheer slips this one on the pads of Khawaja and he does not miss out, flicks it to the fine leg fence with ease
2.1 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, no run, full outside off, Khawaja moved across and clipped it to mid-on. Rahane was well outside his crease, a direct hit at the bowler's end and he was gone. In fact, had Zaheer collected the throw cleanly, even then Rahane would have been struggling
1.6 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, FOUR, SHORT. WIDE. ENOUGH. Rahane flays the cut and hits it well over the fielder at cover, one bounce and over the ropes
1.5 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, no run, Rahane waited for this back of a length and then steered it, could not beat JPD's dive to his right at gully
1.4 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, 2 runs, Coulter-Nile again shortened the length, Rahane had enough time to work it through mid-wicket for a couple
1.3 -
Coulter-Nile to Rahane, no run, how did that miss the edge? Was full and just outside off, bowled at 140ks, Rahane was into the drive, was beaten by the away movement. Perhaps too good to induce the edge
One slip and a gully for Rahane
1.2 -
Coulter-Nile to Khawaja, 1 run, Coulter-Nile shortens the length a bit and keeps it on off, Khawaja stood tall and pushed to mid-off for a single
1.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Khawaja, FOUR, this is not the line to bowl with fine leg inside the ring, on the pads of Khawaja, who clips it away towards deep backward square leg with ease
1.1 -
Coulter-Nile to Khawaja, wide, short and wide, so wide that it did not lure Khawaja into a cut. Coulter-Nile slipped near his bowling his stride and that made him miss the line perhaps
Slip for NCN
Nathan Coulter-Nile, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Zaheer to Rahane, no run, back of a length delivery just outside off, Rahane stands on his toes and then defends towards cover
We have an un(wanted) guest in the middle. There is a dog which just refuses to leave the ground. There are a couple of volunteers trying hard to shoo it away and they succeed in the end. Back to live
0.5 -
Zaheer to Rahane, no run, length delivery from Zaheer around off, Rahane guards it to short cover
0.4 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, 1 run, outside edge but away from the fielder at slip, the ball rolls down to third man. Zaheer angled this one from wide of the crease and then got it to move away to kiss the outer part of Khawaja's blade
0.3 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, no run, good length and right on the money around off, Khawaja push-drives towards mid-off
0.3 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, wide, and this time to the other side of the stumps, hurls this good length delivery down the leg-side, Khawaja missed the glance
0.3 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, wide, Zaheer missed the line a bit this time, wanted to swing away, which he did but from well wide of off, called a wide
0.2 -
Zaheer to Khawaja, no run, fullish outside off, swerved away a touch, Khawaja drives on the up towards mid-off
0.1 -
Zaheer to Rahane, 1 run, some inward movement for Zaheer, Rahane uses it to turn this one to mid-wicket
Rahane and Khawaja are at the crease. Rahane is on strike. Zaheer will open the attack