Gambhir doing a lot of talking in the huddle. Baz and Smith will soon be out there, and one would assume that their approach wouldn't vary whatever the conditions. 125 will take some defending, and none of these two can be allowed to survive very long.
So, a strong bowling lineup of KOL vs the top-heavy GUJ! A mouth-watering chase coming up. Stay tuned folks!
"There is a bit of seam movement. I think he (Dwayne Smith) bowled pretty well, bowled in the right areas. That was the key thing in the first hour of play. Everybody knows about Baz and Smithy, we just need to play normal cricket," a golden piece of advise from Sir Jadeja
Half the KOL side was gone for 61 by the 12th over. It was upto Pathan and Suryakumar yadav to steer their ship to some degree of respectability post the middle over collapse. They did their bit by adding 41 runs in about 5 overs. The dismissal of Yadav brought Holder into the middle but he wasn't as effective as Russell as he made 13 off 8. KOL finally ended up with a total of 124/8.
The adopted home ground of Gujarat lions, the iconic Green Park Stadium at Kanpur welcomed the visitors from Kolkata with the greenest of turfs. The experts were iffy about what it held for the seamers but Dr. Smith proved everyone wrong with some really good length bowling on a helpful deck. One man caught at slip, one man caught behind, one bowled and one caught at third man off a short one. Seriously guys! Was the grass just an illusion? It surely wasn't for the incredible Dr Smith.
19.6 -
Dwayne Bravo to M Morkel, 1 run, slow full toss slipping down leg, Morkel flicks and sees fine leg pouncing on it, only a single on offer
19.5 -
Dwayne Bravo to Narine, 1 run, full toss on middle and leg, Narine, with his limited power, could only send it towards deep mid-wicket
19.4 -
Dwayne Bravo to Narine, no run, full and wide outside off, Narine isn't connecting with any of those wild swings
Morne Morkel, left handed bat, comes to the crease
19.3 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, out Caught by Finch!! Finchy nearly dropped that and look at the celebration from Deejay! Pulls out his CHAMPION dance as Holder sports a smile on his way back. The fullish off-cutter outside off, Holder made room and wanted to club that over extra cover. Bounces extra and hits the splice and Finchy from mid-off runs around to snaffle it. Took it around his chest and the ball nearly popped out of his fingers. Holder c Finch b Dwayne Bravo 13(8) [4s-1 6s-1]
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.2 -
Dwayne Bravo to Narine, 1 run, off-cutter, full at the base of off, Narine manages to jam the drive towards extra cover. A fumble by an overexcited Jaddu results in an easy single
19.1 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, 1 run, slips off his fingers, serves up a full toss to a backing away Holder who heaves to wide long-on
6 legal deliveries left. In case you aren't aware, Praveen Kumar has been injured and hence he couldn't complete his full quota
18.6 -
D Kulkarni to Narine, no run, and again! Narine looks to flay this over point but that extra bounce, that extra bounce
18.5 -
D Kulkarni to Narine, no run, ups his pace and slants it away outside off, Narine swings and misses
18.4 -
D Kulkarni to Narine, no run, length on middle and leg, Narine defends from the crease
18.3 -
D Kulkarni to Narine, no run, slowish length delivery cuts across outside off, Narine hops and fails to get bat on the cut
Sunil Narine, left handed bat, comes to the crease
18.2 -
D Kulkarni to Y Pathan, out Caught by Raina!! A full toss has been powered straight to Raina at extra cover. He doesn't drop many, does he? A dipping low full toss, in the slot to be smashed. Pathan sinks to one knee and goes for a full-blooded drive. Straight to the man. Y Pathan c Raina b D Kulkarni 36(36) [4s-3 6s-1]
D Kulkarni to Y Pathan, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
18.1 -
D Kulkarni to Y Pathan, FOUR, with shots like these, you may never know! Until Pathan's there and until he keeps producing shots like these. Goes wide across off-stump, sits on one knee and lap-slaps it over short fine. Go, fetch!
Dhawal Kulkarni [3.0-0-30-0] is back into the attack
Last 2 overs coming up. Can KOL get somewhere around 140?
17.6 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, no run, nails the yorker finally, Holder is hurried to jam his bat down in defence
17.5 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, SIX, L-A-U-N-C-H-E-D! Oh! This man's got some power! Bravo follows the batsman and spears a full one in the slot, hammered into the cow corner stands
17.4 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, 1 run, when it's short Pathan is content with a pull, not well timed but fetches a single to wide long-on
17.3 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, 1 run, slower short delivery tilting towards middle, Holder goes for a heave, off the inside half - On the bounce to the man at long-on
17.2 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, FOUR, doesn't miss out this time. Doesn't matter as long as they squeeze runs. Bravo went full and wide, Holder throws the kitchen sink and the edge flies wide of the keeper
17.2 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, wide, off-cutter darted just outside the tramline as Holder swings and misses
17.1 -
Dwayne Bravo to Holder, no run, here's the DJ-deceving-Bravo! Pitches to on goodish length and generates healthy bounce off the surface, Holder stepped to leg and wanted to go inside-out over extra cover, beaten by the bounce
16.6 -
Jakati to Holder, 1 run, quick and straight, clipped towards mid-wicket
Jason Holder, right handed bat, comes to the crease
16.5 -
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, out Caught by D Kulkarni!! Top-edge and Suryakumar Yadav's little cameo comes to an end. Knelt down to this fullish flighted delivery and wanted to slog sweep it fine. Is a bit early into the shot I reckon, a thick top-edge and the next thing he sees is DK (not Dinesh Karthik) settling under a sitter at deep backward square.Suryakumar Yadav c D Kulkarni b Jakati 17(14) [4s-1 6s-1]
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
16.4 -
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, SIX, Suryakumar Yadav has smashed a 80-metre six over extra cover! Got into nice position early and met the ball with sweetest of timings. Inside out lofted drive over extra cover, all the way!
16.3 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, arrowing in on the stumps from a length, swept behind square leg
16.2 -
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, makes room but sees the ball land on a length, adjusts and flat-bats it to long-off
16.1 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, slides this flatter one on middle, Pathan whips wide of long-on
Shadab Jakati [3.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
Time-out! Finally some momentum in the KOL innings. All hopes resting on Yusuf-big-hitting-Pathan at the momentum. Can he take his side to a substantial total? We'll get to know as Jakati trundles in...
15.6 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, 1 run, sticks to the shorter length, Pathan smites and sends it wide of long-on
15.5 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, no run, bumper just outside off, Pathan fails to hook, extra bounce doing the trick there
15.4 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, FOUR, short and that's been dispatched. Pathan and his pulls. Cleared his front leg and spanked it through mid-wicket
"Do what you love and put your whole heart into whatever you do," is the message from Cook
15.3 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, no run, picture-perfect yorker around off, all Pathan could do was jam it down. To aggravate matters, he had absolutely no pace to work with
15.2 -
Dwayne Bravo to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, fullish outside off, thrashed to sweeper cover
Tim Cook - Apple Inc. CEO - says he's loving the atmosphere. It's tough to watch the game in these temperatures, but its so exciting. I've never witnessed anything like this. Oh Jeez! He certainly is smiling a lot in that interview with Alan Wilkins on the sidelines
15.1 -
Dwayne Bravo to Suryakumar Yadav, FOUR, clever from Suryakumar Yadav! Shuffles way too early outside off and lap scoops a fullish delivery over short fine
Dwayne Bravo [1.0-0-2-0] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Jadeja to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, slowish on the stumps, flicked through mid-wicket
14.5 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, 1 run, denies the length he wants, Pathan turns around to work it to deep backward square
14.4 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, SIX, and now he goes downtown! Stoops a bit low and sees the ball loop around middle and leg - Launched with sheer power over a leaping long-on. Would be harsh if I call it a half-chance
14.3 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, FOUR, 100ks and that's been treated with a butcher blade from Pathan. Makes room early and sees the full ball sprayed wide - Throws his willow and thumps it wide of extra cover. Sped away!
14.2 -
Jadeja to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, full, flat, quick, biffed to long-off
14.1 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, 1 run, keeps it tight on the stumps, Pathan backs away, but is cramped for room, ends up dragging the pull to mid-wicket
13.6 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, tucked to deep mid-wicket
13.5 -
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, still shortish, punched wide of cover
13.4 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, pulls his length back slightly, Pathan is quite happy to work that off his pads behind square leg
13.3 -
Jakati to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, tosses it up around off, driven to long-off
13.2 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, crunches low and swipes this floater through mid-wicket
13.1 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, no run, fired fullish on the stumps, Pathan misses on the flick and is rapped on the pads, rolls away to the left of DK who dives and prevents any extra runs
Shadab Jakati [2.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack
12.6 -
Jadeja to Suryakumar Yadav, no run, quicker around off, Suryakumar Yadav smothers it into the off-side
12.5 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, 1 run, eased down to long-off
12.4 -
Jadeja to Suryakumar Yadav, 1 run, goes on with the angle and Suryakumar Yadav slots one through mid-wicket
12.3 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, 1 run, slows this one around middle anc Pathan is quick to rock back and pull one towards mid-wicket
12.2 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, no run, floated on middle, Pathan pushes it in front of cover
12.1 -
Jadeja to Y Pathan, no run, flatter outside off, Pathan hangs back and crashes it towards cover
Ravindra Jadeja, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
11.6 -
Dwayne Smith to Suryakumar Yadav, no run, angles it in and forces him to bunt it down the ground. Suryakumar Yadav does what he expects and Smithy tries to effect a run out with a late flick at the bowler's end (Sans keeping his eyes on the sticks). End of a fantastic spell from Smithy : 8/4 in his four overs
11.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Suryakumar Yadav, no run, keeps it on a back of a length and gets some late movement into the right-hander, the line though is well outside off and Suryakumar Yadav ain't chasing that
11.4 -
Dwayne Smith to Suryakumar Yadav, no run, sprayed full around off, Suryakumar Yadav steps across and drills it back to the bowler
Suryakumar Yadav, right handed bat, comes to the crease
11.3 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, out Caught by Dwivedi!! Dwayne Smith is cock-a-hoop and so are his colleagues. Whaaday bonzer of a day he's having. Fourth wicket for him. Digs it short and offers some width which lures Shakib into the ramp shot. He hops and skews it off the bottom half perhaps. Dwivedi sets himself at third man position and gobbles it cleanly. Shakib c Dwivedi b Dwayne Smith 3(8)
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
11.2 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, 1 run, at the pads, clipped away neatly down to fine leg
11.1 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, 1 run, fraction short and wide of off, punchily driven through the covers
10.6 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, no run, full and straight, driven back to the bowler
10.5 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, no run, wider of off, Pathan makes some room and chops the cut straight to point
10.4 -
Jakati to Shakib, 1 run, slower and much easier for Shakib who [plays one down to long-on
10.3 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, leg byes, 1 run, loops up around middle and leg, Pathan leans forward and fails to put bat on ball. Was trying to block, but the ball deviates off the pads and the duo sneak in a tricky leg bye. Shakib with a desperate dive. Ah! Desperate times...
10.2 -
Jakati to Shakib, 1 run, hurled full just outside off, Shakib jams the drive down to long-on
10.1 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, quicker and skids on with the arm, Pathan half turns and drags the pull behind square
9.6 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, no run, short of length delivery around the rib-cage, tucked into the on-side
9.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, no run, a solid punch but straight to backward point. Very wristy with this but couldn't find the gap
9.4 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, no run, more comfortable with this one as he is allowed to rest on the back foot, steers it away to point
9.3 -
Dwayne Smith to Shakib, no run, length ball just outside off, Shakib is lured into poking at it and angles it to a man at ... I'd say gully
Shakib Al Hasan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
9.2 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, out Bowled!! And yet another batsman has paid the price for attempting that ill-fated angled-bat dab to third man. A back of a length delivery drifting across off, not quite sure if it was an off-cutter. No, replays suggest a normal pace delivery. Chawla has opened himself up and is in a position to angle it to third man. The ball stays only a touch low than he expects and he chops it back onto the stumps off a thick bottom edge. Chawla b Dwayne Smith 11(16) [4s-1]
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
9.1 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, 1 run, back of a length delivery angled into leg, clipped through the square leg region
Dwayne Smith [2.0-0-5-2] is back into the attack
Strategic time-out! KOL were impatient early on, almost in a rush despite the amount of grass on offer. But it was Gambhir's run-out travails which created the early opening. Uthappa looked absolutely brilliant till he was out there but, like Pandey, played a low percentage shot for the conditions and had to walk back. Chawla's promotion has been surprising as well as bewildering. The visitors are currently in a bit of a wobble.
8.6 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, clipped with the angle wide of mid-wicket for a single
8.5 -
Jakati to Chawla, 1 run, oh, well adjusted. Chawla is down the pitch and nowhere close to the ball as Jakati has pulled the length back and darted it wider, but he doesn't panic and swats it with a flat-bat down to long-on
8.4 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, 1 run, a thick leading edge but there's no one at mid-wicket in the ring. Pathan is early into closing the bat-face but gets away with it
8.3 -
Jakati to Chawla, 1 run, tossed up to Chawla from over the wicket, very full just outside off, Chawla slaps it down to long-on
8.2 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, leg byes, 1 run, fires it quicker and hits the pads once more as he spots Pathan giving the charge, he'll pick an extra
8.1 -
Jakati to Y Pathan, no run, slides on from a length from round the wicket and hits Pathan on the pads as he is lunging forward to defend. Going down leg though, no appeal
Shadab Jakati, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Spin for the first time. Don't expect it to turn..
7.6 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, 1 run, doesn't quite get hold on an expansive drive as he hasn't picked the slower ball, toe-ends it down to long-on
7.5 -
Dwayne Bravo to Y Pathan, no run, normal pace delivery, on a length on the pads, flicked to short mid-wicket
7.4 -
Dwayne Bravo to Chawla, 1 run, a slower dipping full toss which is spotted by Chawla and drilled down to long-on
7.3 -
Dwayne Bravo to Chawla, no run, this one is an off-cutter, nips away on a back of a length outside off, Chawla glides it to backward point
7.2 -
Dwayne Bravo to Chawla, no run, Bravo is on the floor in his followthrough but that doesn't stop him from appealing. Fizzy bouncer just outside off, zips through off the deck. Chawla is leaning back to ramp it away over the keeper but misses out - perhaps a little late. No bat there
7.1 -
Dwayne Bravo to Chawla, no run, dipping slower off-cutter just outside off, Chawla jams it into the off-side
Dwayne Bravo, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Bravo...
6.6 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, no run, short of length delivery which climbs on Pathan and forces him on his toes to drop it with soft hands
6.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, no run, huge stride out to meet the length ball before patting it down the pitch
6.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, wide, angling down the leg-side, Pathan tries to glance it away but can't quite get any bat
6.4 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, 1 run, slower, fuller and wider outside off, Chawla reaches out and limply squirts it off the outside half behind backward point
6.3 -
Dwayne Smith to Y Pathan, 1 run, Pathan is welcomed with a short ball but he is up to it. Transfers his weight back, rolls his wrists and pulls it in front of square only to be denied a boundary by McCullum in the deep
Yusuf Pathan, right handed bat, comes to the crease
6.2 -
Dwayne Smith to Uthappa, out Caught by D Karthik!! Uthappa has succumbed to the same temptation as Pandey. The ball is darting around, and these attempted angled bat steers to third man are frought with risk. It nips away only slightly but it's enough to catch a faint edge through to the keeper. Uthappa c D Karthik b Dwayne Smith 25(19) [4s-3 6s-1]
Dwayne Smith to Uthappa, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
6.1 -
Dwayne Smith to Uthappa, no run, back of a length delivery around middle, tucked to mid-wicket
5.6 -
D Kulkarni to Chawla, FOUR, much better! Unlike the previous ones, this is no slog. A back of a length off-cutter outside off, Chawla removes his front leg out of the way, allows it to arrive and deliberately punches it in the air over extra-cover
5.5 -
D Kulkarni to Chawla, no run, a slow off-cutter on a good length, the key here is that it's wide of off and Chawla is also bamboozled by the lack of pace while going after it. Skirts away off the pitch and past the outside edge to the keeper
5.4 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, 1 run, back of a length delivery on middle, clipped through the mid-wicket region
5.4 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, wide, there's a hint of a shimmy from Uthappa and Kulkarni opts to bounce him. But bangs it way too short, sails over Uthappa's head
5.3 -
D Kulkarni to Chawla, 1 run, it's a similar short of length delivery around middle, this time Chawla waits for it that extra bit and connects with a pull. Still, can only mistime it through mid-wicket
5.2 -
D Kulkarni to Chawla, no run, if he keeps going this way, the management might well ponder over the sensibility of their gamble. A short of length delivery which kicks up in line with middle and beats Chawla's attempted heave by a mile
5.1 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, 1 run, length ball around middle, Uthappa safely nudges it in front of mid-on and sets off
4.6 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, no run, this one nips back in from a back of a length and tucks Chawla up. He can only chop it off the inside edge onto pad
4.5 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, 2 runs, another short and wide delivery, this time Chawla flays it over backward point. Some good work by third man to run across, slide and cut it out
4.4 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, no run, a hint of width and Chawla throws his bat at it, straight to backward point
4.3 -
Dwayne Smith to Chawla, no run, what an absolute ripper to get first ball. And Chawla is very lucky to be still out there. Inswinging yorker on off, bursts through Chawla who is late on it. The ball is headed towards off-stump before veering away off the pitch and missing the sticks. Why did it change direction? Because it pitched on the guard which batsman usually scratch with their feet
Pinch-hitters, anyone? Here's Chawla..
Piyush Chawla, left handed bat, comes to the crease
4.2 -
Dwayne Smith to M Pandey, out Caught by Raina!! Have you observed slip catching practice before a game? This is not much different. It's been actually steered straight off the bat face to first slip, and Raina couldn't be more grateful. A shocking dismissal. M Pandey c Raina b Dwayne Smith 1(3)
Dwayne Smith to M Pandey, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
4.1 -
Dwayne Smith to M Pandey, no run, short of length delivery outside off, Pandey steers to backward point
Dwayne Smith, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
3.6 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, SIX, a divine pick-up shot which carries all the way over deep mid-wicket. Length ball just outside off, Uthappa leans across and whips it beautifully
3.5 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, no run, oh, the timing! Won't get anything for it, but for what it's worth - he again timed the pants of it. Length ball around middle, whipped straight to mid-on
3.4 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, FOUR, a flat-batted slap down the ground. Back of a length just outside off, Uthappa thwacks it hard straight of mid-off and it rockets away
3.3 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa is full of intent today. Another on the up drive, this one can't pierce the field
3.2 -
D Kulkarni to M Pandey, 1 run, on the hips, clipped behind square down to fine leg
Manish Pandey, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.1 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, out Gambhir Run Out!! A mix-up yet again with Gambhir involved, and Jakati produces a stunning direct hit from mid-wicket despite being on the floor while throwing. Gambhir just throws his head back in disappointment and walks off. Firstly, Jakati dives to his left to stop the ball and create the hesitation, that hesitation is further compounded with Uthappa slipping and loosing his footing which caused Gambhir to stop mid-pitch. By the time both batsmen decided to go through, it was too late. Gambhir run out (Jakati) 8(8) [4s-1]
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
2.6 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, 1 run, back of a length delivery around middle, nudged in front of mid-on
2.5 -
P Kumar to Gambhir, 1 run, Gambhir has been put down again, albeit a difficult chance. Tries to dab one with the angle down to third man, fails to control the bounce and the edge flies to the left of Smith who leaps across with both hands, gets fingers but can't cling on
Praveen is clutching his left side here, in some discomfort.
2.4 -
P Kumar to Gambhir, no run, back of a length delivery outside off, Gambhir steers it to backward point
2.3 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, 1 run, another crips drive which would have been a certain boundary but for Baz's interception at short cover
2.2 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, no run, short of length delivery around middle, Uthappa punches it back down the pitch. But wait, the most exciting part is yet to come. Praveen abruptly flicks it back to break the stumps at the non-striker's end to catch Gauti off-guard. But he does well, does Gauti, to stomp the foot back in
2.1 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, FOUR, oh, he's already looking worth a million dollars. Such lovely timing. Length ball, the only thing wrong with it is the line which is a bit too straight but it's enough for Uthappa to wrist it wide of mid-on
2.1 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, wide, Uthappa has gone stretching out to reach a short and wide ball outside off, but is beaten by the bounce. It's a wide anyway
2.1 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, wide, slants it down leg, Uthappa fails to glance it away
1.6 -
D Kulkarni to Gambhir, 2 runs, Praveen makes a chance look much more difficult than it is, and puts it down! Short of length delivery rushing Gambhir on the pull, he splices it in the air over mid-on. Praveen is sluggish to pedal back, attempts an overhead reverse cup but the ball bursts through. And now he has to pick the ball and make up for it with his bowling
1.5 -
D Kulkarni to Gambhir, FOUR, goes over the infield, doesn't get it as he wants but enough wood. Gambhir has already decided that anything length has to go. But the bat turns on impact and he drags the loft straighter than he wants
1.4 -
D Kulkarni to Gambhir, no run, back of a length delivery which curves back in around off to tuck Gambhir up. He softly defends off the back foot into the on-side
1.3 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, 1 run, length ball around middle and off, Uthappa's bat-face closes on impact as he tries to push down the ground and the ball dribbles away in front of mid-on for a quick single.
1.2 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa gets inside the line of a back of a length delivery on middle and clips it to mid-wicket
The second slip has disappeared...
1.1 -
D Kulkarni to Uthappa, FOUR, yes sir! Sumptuous. This is not a half-volley by any stretch of the imagination and Uthappa has driven it on the up with the movement. Pressed across to cover for the line, waited on it and caressed it past mid-off
Dhawal Kulkarni, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
P Kumar to Gambhir, no run, loose from Gambhir. Dangles his bat away from the body to dab a back of a length delivery towards third man. No footwork, no composure, no control. Fails to connect
0.5 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, 1 run, good curl away from the right hander, but the line started from around middle which was too straight and allowed Uthappa to softly nudge it in front of mid-on. Also brings up 5000 T20 runs
0.4 -
P Kumar to Gambhir, 1 run, back of a length delivery swirling away from middle, Gambhir hops across and tucks it in front of mid-on
0.3 -
P Kumar to Gambhir, no run, good length delivery around middle, nothing at all off the deck .. well .. nothing much anyway. Gambhir plants a big stride forward and smothers. So, it appears that all this grass is just a deception, it's purpose might be only to hold the wicket together
A slip, and leg-slip in place for Gambhir..
0.2 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, 1 run, scrambled seam full length delivery which nibbles away outside off, the length tempts Uthappa into a drive but he fails to cover for the movement. Gets a thick outside edge which runs away down to third man
0.1 -
P Kumar to Uthappa, no run, on a length, bends back in slightly from outside off - nothing out of the ordinary - as Uthappa prods across to defend
Uthappa and Gambhir are at the crease. Uthappa is on strike. P Kumar will open the attack
Not a thrilling Thursday, but we've seen plenty of thrills and spills. Credit to Gujarat, the way they've come back after the Chinnaswamy battering. KOL now find themselves in a spot of bother, forcing themselves in a must-win situation against HYD (On Sunday, the 22nd of May). Still plenty of ifs and buts for the play-off scenario. Join us tomorrow for another T20 League party - DEL vs HYD - In Raipur. Till then, sayonara from Raju Peethala, Sagar Chawla and scorer Venkatesh.
"I will find some space in my suitcase to put it (Speaking about the giant trophy he received). I wait until skipper gives me the ball. I'm still disappointed, but I would have liked some runs against my name. I always back myself and it came off today. I haven't bowled for a while and its up to the captains to decide when I would be useful. Hope we can get over the line and qualify for the play-offs" wishes a content, yet disappointed (for not scoring runs) Dwayne Smith - Man of the Match
"When I saw my baby - It's been the best feeling ever. I've been playing all these years and it's the best reason to miss a couple of games. I think we have to win each and every game. Smithy chipped in and bowled those crucial 4 overs. It was a good game for us, but still we have another tight game coming up against Mumbai. He (Praveen Kumar) is fine," says an ever-smiling Suresh Raina
"I thought the intensity was down and we didn't bat properly. Never got the momentum. Always difficult to defend a total like that. We were looking at somewhere around 150, but losing wickets will always put pressure on the middle order. We lost wickets in clutters and it is harsh to expect so much from the middle order. It's just one of those bad days where nothing worked for us. But, we still have one more game and we gotta show what we've got. We don't want to keep thinking about the other results, just concentrate on what works for us" chirps an optimistic Gautam Gambhir.
So, that victory of GUJ takes them to the second spot in the points table. KOL drop down to 4th from their earlier held 3rd position. Phew! This tournament is still wide open and the six contenders are still in the race for the final four.
The pitch had enough in it for the KOL seamers to make a match of it. But they sprayed it around a lot and bowled it short where they should have tried to keep it up like Dwayne Smith had in the first innings. And even though GUJ were 3 down for 38 in the 4th over, the experienced pair of skipper Raina and Finch added 59 runs in quick time to allay any fears of a collapse in the GUJ dugout. Skipper Raina stayed there till the end to take his team home. The way the GUJ batters went about their business helped their net run rate pick up a bit too. Especially, in the light of the hammering they took at the hands of BLR in the last match.
13.3 -
M Morkel to Raina, 1 run, deal sealed! Gujarat move to second spot with this thumping win. They have won both games against KOL. Gambhir congratulates Raina as Jaddu walks in slowly. Hugs and handshakes all around. Raina finishes it off with a modest tuck through mid-wicket. -0.48 is their net run rate, but they have 16 points against their name which makes them sit behind HYD
13.2 -
M Morkel to Jadeja, 1 run, fittingly offers strike to the skipper to finish things off. Dabbed down to third man
13.1 -
M Morkel to Jadeja, FOUR, Sir Jadeja says "Yes." Not too far away from the finish line. Fullish and following the batsman, Jadeja clears his front leg and bangs it over mid-on. No protection in the deep
Morne Morkel [3.0-0-33-1] is back into the attack
Last over coming up?
12.6 -
Y Pathan to Raina, no run, follows Raina as he tries to make some room, cramps him with a fuller one, pushed back off the inside half
12.5 -
Y Pathan to Raina, no run, tossed up on middle, blocked back to the bowler
12.4 -
Y Pathan to Raina, FOUR, that's Raina at his very best! Classy left-hander's stroke. Steps to leg and lifts the inside out drive over extra cover - Those lovely extension of the arms...Also brings up his fifty, a raise of the bat and a customary handshake from Jaddu
12.3 -
Y Pathan to Jadeja, 1 run, shortish outside off, Jadeja jumps back and slices it behind point
12.2 -
Y Pathan to Jadeja, no run, chopped into the off-side
12.1 -
Y Pathan to Raina, 1 run, crouches low and nurdles a flighted delivery through mid-wicket
Yusuf Pathan, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Yusuf to bowl, so you know the end is nigh
11.6 -
Narine to Jadeja, 2 runs, drifting down leg, Jadeja glances fine and scampers for a couple of runs
11.5 -
Narine to Raina, 1 run, flatter around off, pushed in front of long-on
11.4 -
Narine to Jadeja, 1 run, quicker, but leg-sidish, Jadeja clips off his pads through mid-wicket
11.3 -
Narine to Raina, 1 run, floated around the legs, Raina drives and Narine is a bit lackadaisical to bend and collect that, allows to sneak through, a single to long-on
11.2 -
Narine to Jadeja, 1 run, slowish on the pads, Jadeja eases it down to long-on
11.1 -
Narine to Jadeja, no run, leading edge, but safe! Seam-up delivery around middle and off, Jadeja is early into the tuck, the edge loops up and lands tantalizingly short of Gambhir at cover
10.6 -
Holder to Raina, FOUR, yes! He is definitely thinking about that net run rate. Clears his front leg and makes Holder pay for bowling short - Pulled away nonchalantly through mid-wicket
10.5 -
Holder to Raina, FOUR, shot! Raina knew this was coming. Anticipates the short delivery and creates room to pull this along the ground. Sweetly timed! No chance for the fielder at deep backward square
10.4 -
Holder to Jadeja, 1 run, Holder is bustling in and hitting the seam hard - Getting extra bounce as a result. A splice-jarring short length delivery and Jadeja was taken aback by the shoulder on it. Rises on his toes and fends awkwardly into the off-side
10.3 -
Holder to Raina, 1 run, provides width outside off, Raina steers with an angled bat wide of backward point
10.2 -
Holder to Raina, no run, a muted appeal for lbw! Not sure if Raina got an inside edge on that. Slower fullish delivery straightened a touch around leg-stump, Raina is early into the flick. Might have missed the inside edge and hit him high on the pads
10.1 -
Holder to Raina, no run, full and taling away just outside off, Raina squeezes it to the left of Holder who bends and fields, hurls the ball back in an attempt to catch Raina short. But Raina dived well in time
9.6 -
Narine to Jadeja, no run, Jadeja stomps his foot down and defends
Ravindra Jadeja, left handed bat, comes to the crease
9.5 -
Narine to Raina, out Finch Run Out!! 2 runs completed! What's happened here? What should have been an easy third, is converted into a run-out as a result of the two batsmen colliding mid-pitch. I think both had their eyes on the ball after Raina tucked it behind square and failed to detect the looming danger. Thankfully, there is no physical hurt. Can KOL still come back? Finch run out (Rajpoot/Uthappa) 26(23) [4s-1 6s-2]
Narine to Raina, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
9.4 -
Narine to Finch, 1 run, flatter and turning away outside off, Finch dabs it in front of short third man
9.4 -
Narine to Finch, wide, tries to anticipate Finch's movements and fires it down leg, but Finch stays put. Misses out on the glance but collects the wide
9.3 -
Narine to Finch, SIX, ventures a long way to leg, creates enough room to free his hands and lofts a leg-break with the turn over wide long-off with a giant swing
9.2 -
Narine to Finch, no run, now this one is the off-break which cramps Finch for room and contains him to a defensive stroke
9.1 -
Narine to Finch, no run, the leg-spinner, on a back of a length outside off, Finch pats it towards point
Sunil Narine [2.0-0-14-1] is back into the attack
Strategic time-out! Only a matter of time from here. This match is as cold as that iceberg .. lying in the middle of nowhere .. into which the Titanic crashed. I think I'm safe to make such comments, given the match state
8.6 -
Holder to Finch, 1 run, shimmies down and tries to swipe a length ball straight down the ground. But again, it might have been an off-cutter and Finch can only drag it off the bottom of the bat wide of long-on
8.5 -
Holder to Finch, no run, mid-off is up in the ring and the ball is pitched up, but the only reason Finch can't loft it is that he is done for pace. In the end, he has to settle for a tame drive along the turf
8.4 -
Holder to Raina, 1 run, rising short of length delivery headed towards the rib-cage, a hopping Raina tucks it through the mid-wicket region
8.3 -
Holder to Finch, 1 run, this one is at a comfortable height on the body, Finch tucks it behind square
8.2 -
Holder to Finch, no run, oh what a jaffa! It's completely opened Finch up. Back of a length delivery angled into the corridor, Finch has to play at it given the original angle but the ball then darts away off the seam and leaves him stranded. Beaten on the edge
8.2 -
Holder to Finch, wide, short ball only slightly down the leg-side and the umpire has signalled it a wide. Who'd be a bowler
8.1 -
Holder to Finch, no run, length ball around middle, Finch prods only inches forward to defend
Jason Holder, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
7.6 -
M Morkel to Raina, FOUR, has that come off the back of the bat? That's the only possible explanation for a pull finding the third man fence. It's a short ball down leg, Raina is early into the pull .. so early that he knocks the ball off the back of the bat and it beats third man to his right
7.5 -
M Morkel to Finch, 1 run, clipped wide of mid-wicket for a quick single
7.4 -
M Morkel to Finch, SIX, it's all about NRAJ from here. I think it's safe to say that GUJ will get these runs. How quickly will they get them though, that's the question? Finch is certainly leaving no stone unturned to fast-track the process. Sees it land in his half around off and lofts it over wide mid-on. Think he was looking to go straighter but the bat turned in his hands
7.3 -
M Morkel to Finch, no run, rising short of length delivery outside off, Finch hops and blocks into the off-side
7.2 -
M Morkel to Finch, no run, Finch is forcing forward despite the ball being on a short of length, gets it high on the bat and awkwardly defends it down the pitch
7.1 -
M Morkel to Raina, 1 run, length ball on the pads, clipped through mid-wicket
6.6 -
Rajpoot to Finch, no run, not much feet movement from Finch as he is on the move while attempting to drive. To make it more difficult, the ball straightens off the pitch and beats the edge
6.5 -
Rajpoot to Raina, 1 run, much fuller this time and Raina drives it elegantly to deep cover
6.4 -
Rajpoot to Raina, FOUR, GUJ are racing to the target currently, and the momentum they have built is devouring everything. Raina carries on with his adrenaline rush and tries to punch a delivery which isn't there. Fails to control the angle, and the bounce, and it zooms away off a thick outside edge to the third man fence
6.4 -
Rajpoot to Raina, 5 wides, he has started to spray it everywhere now, has Rajpoot. And to make it worse, Uthappa has let it through. Slower off-cutter down leg, goes on the bounce to Uthappa who isn't bending enough. Then kicks the turf in fury after conceding needless runs
6.4 -
Rajpoot to Raina, wide, lots of encouragement from this pitch and young Rajpoot is getting slightly carried away. Bangs it in short, very short .. almost in his half of the pitch .. and it loops way over Raina. Easy call for the umpire
6.3 -
Rajpoot to Finch, 1 run, glances it neatly off the hips down to fine leg
6.3 -
Rajpoot to Finch, wide, skiddy back of a length delivery which is misdirected down leg, called a wide
6.2 -
Rajpoot to Finch, 2 runs, pounds the pitch on a short of length forcing Finch to hop, the ball catches a thick inside edge and wanders into the mid-wicket pocket where there is no one. Raina hares back to beat the throw at the non-striker's end
6.1 -
Rajpoot to Raina, 1 run, fuller length delivery around middle and leg, driven down to long-on
Ankit Rajpoot [2.0-0-19-1] is back into the attack
5.6 -
M Morkel to Raina, 1 run, slower dipping yorker outside off, Raina is early as he squeezes it through the mid-wicket region
5.5 -
M Morkel to Raina, no run, goodness gracious! That's vaulted off the pitch and even deviated sideways to hit a staggered Raina on the handle. He did well though to loosen the grip and the ball went straight down. Finch is halfway down looking for the single but Raina is startled with the delivery he just received. He doesn't even move
5.5 -
M Morkel to Raina, wide, it's been wided but the idea is spot on. A pacy bumper which is whistling over the right shoulder of Raina, a little too high though
5.4 -
M Morkel to Finch, 1 run, length ball just outside off, Finch prods forward and drives it through the cover region
5.3 -
M Morkel to Finch, no run, length ball which loops off the deck .. tennis ball bouncish .. before being left alone outside off
5.2 -
M Morkel to Raina, 1 run, short of length delivery and designed to tuck Raina up, he gets on his toes and clips it through square leg
5.1 -
M Morkel to Raina, SIX, vintage Raina! Makes room while giving the charge, gets it on a length outside off and punches it inside-out over extra cover. It's only a checked punch, not a full-blooded drive and look at the ball sailing over the boundary. What better way to bring up 4000 T20 League runs, only second batsman after Kohli to achieve the feat
4.6 -
Narine to Raina, 1 run, patted back at Narine who misfields and lets it through
4.5 -
Narine to Raina, no run, slower through the air on middle and leg, turns away from a length, Raina is comfortable on the front foot
4.4 -
Narine to Finch, 1 run, oh he was aiming to boom a drive through the covers here, but the ball spun back in slightly, took a thick inside edge and rolled down to long-on
4.3 -
Narine to Finch, no run, this one is quicker than the previous one despite carrying the same width, Finch attempts another slash but is late and fails to connect
4.2 -
Narine to Finch, FOUR, you don't get much from Narine so when you do, better make good use of it. It's been dropped short with a hint of width on offer, Finch waits on the back foot and cuts it late to send it past backward point
4.1 -
Narine to Finch, no run, flatter and in line with the stumps, Finch camps back to defend
Sunil Narine [1.0-0-8-1] is back into the attack
3.6 -
M Morkel to Finch, 1 run, and even Finch is pressing forward. That seems to be the approach. Be positive. Nudges a length ball wide of mid-on to get off the mark
Aaron Finch, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.5 -
M Morkel to D Karthik, out Bowled!! Morkel thunders back after the previous ball and makes a mess of the timber. Karthik's whole innings was laced with ambition, and that's what has caused his undoing. It's a length ball, not even close to a driving length but he tries to hit it on the up. The ball nips back in, goes through the gate and clatters middle and off. D Karthik b M Morkel 12(8) [4s-2]
M Morkel to D Karthik, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
3.4 -
M Morkel to D Karthik, FOUR, oh that's imperious! Morkel is hitting the pitch hard and generating good bounce from a short of length, but look how Karthik has stood tall and crunched it through the covers
3.3 -
M Morkel to D Karthik, 2 runs, good bounce of this deck, but Karthik has done well to get on his toes and slice a short of length delivery behind a diving backward point. Easy two before third man cuts it off
3.2 -
M Morkel to D Karthik, FOUR, Karthik jumps out of the crease, converts it into a full ball on the pads and flicks it through the mid-wicket region. The man in the deep is a lot squarer and can't cut it off
3.1 -
M Morkel to D Karthik, no run, short of length delivery around off, Karthik stays leg-side and drops it with soft hands beside the pitch
Morne Morkel, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Rajpoot to D Karthik, 1 run, length ball which hits Karthik's bat hard as he clips it through the mid-wicket region
2.5 -
Rajpoot to D Karthik, no run, Karthik has been cut in half! Good nip off this deck. The length isn't there to be driven but Karthik is ambitious. Ends up creating a gap between bat and pad which is breached as the ball zips back in
2.4 -
Rajpoot to Raina, leg byes, 1 run, Raina is on the hop when the ball hits the thigh pad. He was looking to tuck it through the on-side but it hurries onto him and beats him for pace
2.3 -
Rajpoot to Raina, 2 runs, makes use of the angle which is slanting away from him and steers a back of a length delivery to the left of third man. Easy two
2.2 -
Rajpoot to Raina, FOUR, GUJ keep playing shots, the early blows notwithstanding. Raina lines up the off-side by backing away and slices a back of a length delivery over the point region. It only has to clear the infield which it does easily
2.1 -
Rajpoot to Raina, no run, length ball just outside off, Raina is aiming to drive it through the covers but the length isn't quite there and he is consequentially reaching out for it. The bat turns in his hands and he drags it to mid-wicket
1.6 -
Narine to Raina, 1 run, shortish, on the pads, Raina hops back and tucks it through mid-wicket
1.5 -
Narine to Raina, no run, he's cracked a drive but it's straight at extra-cover. It was fired through full and Raina went hard but couldn't find the gap
1.4 -
Narine to Raina, no run, slightly slower, on middle and leg and turning away from a length, Raina lunges out to defend
1.3 -
Narine to D Karthik, 1 run, quicker through the air once more, on the pads of Karthik who nurdles it behind square
Dinesh Karthik, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.2 -
Narine to Brendon McCullum, out Lbw!! Oh that's very close, in fact that's GONE! So the ploy to bring Narine early works. The seam-up delivery. Flatter on a back of a length around off, McCullum is on the back foot unsure of which way it will turn. The ball drifts back in to cramp him for room and sneaks past the inside edge of an attempted flick to hit the pad. Dead! Brendon McCullum lbw b Narine 6(3) [6s-1]
Narine to Brendon McCullum, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
1.2 -
Narine to Brendon McCullum, 5 wides, McCullum has got into Narine's head as well. He has fired this one well down leg, perhaps expecting a charge? Anyway, Uthappa couldn't get across in time to stop and it raced away for 5 wides
1.1 -
Narine to Raina, 1 run, darts one on a back of a length, turns back in towards Raina - only slightly though - as he punches it in front of mid-on
Sunil Narine, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Narine on. Suspect Gambhir knows that there is no point saving him for later
0.6 -
Rajpoot to Brendon McCullum, no run, bouncer with good height outside off, McCullum tries to fetch a pull when he would have been better off upper-cutting. It poodles through to the keeper off the toe-end
0.6 -
Rajpoot to Brendon McCullum, wide, Rajpoot has been spooked into darting it down leg, McCullum has another swish but misses. Wide called
0.5 -
Rajpoot to Brendon McCullum, SIX, there he goes, first ball and bam! Comes hurling down the track and swings for the rafters. Anywhere close to the middle and it would have traveled and this one apparently comes right off the meat. Way way over cow corner
0.4 -
Rajpoot to Raina, 1 run, walks at a short of length delivery and punches it in front of mid-off
0.3 -
Rajpoot to Raina, FOUR, this one he has absolutely nailed through mid-wicket! Another inswinger which is lacking direction and falls onto the pads, Raina waits on it and whips it crisply
0.2 -
Rajpoot to Raina, no run, oh almost! A leading edge which bobbles over Rajpoot's head in front of mid-on. A hint of swing back in on a length and Raina is way too early in his attempt to work it through the on-side
Suresh Raina, left handed bat, comes to the crease
0.1 -
Rajpoot to Dwayne Smith, out Caught by Uthappa!! There's a bottom edge on Smith's attempted pull, and Uthappa has finally latched onto the ball after juggling three times. Smith doesn't have the length he needs as it isn't all that short, he tries to go through but is visibly cramped. Just the start the Kolkata needed. Dwayne Smith c Uthappa b Rajpoot 0(1)
Rajpoot to Dwayne Smith, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum are at the crease. Dwayne Smith is on strike. Rajpoot will open the attack