Dhoni guides CSK to tense last-over win over Royals

RANCHI: The definition of difficulty changes when you are talking about Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This was proved once again at JSCA International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday as Dhoni calmly accumulated the 12 runs required in the last over against Rajasthan Royals to keep Chennai Super Kings on the top spot on the points table.
He took only three balls to finish the job after Man of the Match Ravindra Jadeja gave him the strike, taking a single off the first ball from James Faulkner.
Under normal circumstances, 149 is not a difficult target in a T20 match these days, but Tuesday was different. On a pitch which was slow and where the ball consistently kept low, spinners like Jadeja (2/18) as well as medium-pacers were extremely hard to score off. Their job was made easier by the batsmen as they chose to camp on the back foot.
Except Dwayne Smith and Dhoni in the last over, none of the CSK batsmen found run-scoring easy. Ankit Sharma, who used to ply his trade for the Deccan Chargers, accounted for Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina, as they played one shot too many and were done in by the slowness of the pitch.
Faf du Plessis quickly worked out how to play on this pitch and concentrated on working the ball into the gaps rather than going for the big shots. Dhoni sprang a surprise by sending Ravichandran Ashwin up the order, but he could not add momentum to the innings.
Kevon Cooper (1/25) and Rajat Bhatia (1/30) cut down on the boundaries and Cooper was unlucky not to get Du Plessis out off his first ball, when a length ball was bottom edged by Du Plessis but the ball did not have enough pace to dislodge the bails. Had the South African been dismissed at that point, the task for Dhoni could have been that much more difficult.
The Royals did everything in their power to make a match of it. There was no boundary for 21 balls after the one Du Plessis hit in the ninth over. After Ashwin hit one in the 13th over, the next one came only in the 16th over.
The planning Watson and his men showed in the field was not there when they batted. While the captain played a characteristically sparkling innings, the timing and manner of his dismissal undid a lot of the good work he had done. He had already played and missed the first two balls of that Mohit Sharma over.
Then Mohit gifted him a waist-high full toss which he sent out of the ground for a six to complete his half-century. But in a case of rush of blood, he went for a booming drive next ball. In no position to play the shot, he missed the straight delivery and lost his middle stump. That was a setback the Royals could never recover from.
Even Steve Smith and James Faulkner, heroes of their last match, were guilty of trying too many things, discounting the conditions. As a result, the Royals reached nowhere near the 160-run mark, which was very much on after Watson had led them to 84 without loss in the first 10 overs of their innings.
STORY OF THE MATCH
TURNING POINT
Royals skipper Shane Watson was pulverising the CSK bowling attack. He had just dispatched Mohit Sharma for a six over deep square-leg to reach his 50. The Royals were 99 for 2 in 12.3 overs and looked good to post 160-plus on a dry pitch. However, Watson was castled by Mohit Sharma for 51 and the Royals could never get back the momentum.
125.71
Smith's strike-rate: With a target of 148 on a difficult pitch, it was important for CSK to start aggressively and ensure that the lower-order doesn't have the pressure of an increasing run-rate. Smith made good use of the powerplay and injected early momentum in the CSK innings.
4.75
Badree's eco-rate: The West Indian leggie, playing just his second IPL game for CSK, enjoyed the conditions at the JSCA. He hurried the batsmen and tied them up in knots. He even dismissed the in-form Karun Nair cheaply.
TALKING POINT
What is it with MS Dhoni and his penchant for last-over heroics? When he could have come in early and settled the issue, one wonders why he chose to promote R Ashwin at No. 5 to partner a well-set Du Plessis. While Ashwin is no mug with the bat, he cannot play the big shots on a tough pitch. He struggled his way to 14 off 16 balls, causing CSK and their fans needless tension.