Customary huddle by the BLR players. Kohli busy giving pep talk. In walk the Pune openers - du Plessis and Rahane. Stuart Binny will try to generate some swing, he has the new ball. Rahane to face. One slip in form of Watson
185 looks good but BLR would have fancied more than 200 with Kohli and ABD being there for most part of the innings. Dew is expected to play its part so wickets up front is what the visitors would hope for
"Well, the pitch was good to begin with. New ball bowlers were getting the swing. They probably didn't hit the right areas. Wickets with new ball will be the key. The old ball was not quite bouncing. So, change of pace and squeezing the batsman for boundaries will be the key. Playing the anchor is how I play my game. KL, up the order, and ABD can bat around me. I am not happy with my batting. Could have used 10 balls fewer there. We should get there if we bowl well. Murugan is taking wickets and it was important to have an upper hand against him. ABD is the best batsman in the world. He kept encouraging me and saying that my role is as important as his," says Virat Kohli who gets the Orange Cap
Kohli was a trifle slow to get to his fifty, but he played his part by scampering between the wickets to run PUNE' fielders ragged. In the slog overs, Kohli then upped the tempo. Thisara Perera, Rajat Bhatia and Ravi Ashwin bowled with discipline, but their fielding was a touch below par. Remember, only once a team has been able to defend a target till now in this T20 League. However, barring Faf du Plessis, PUNE' batsmen haven't exactly been in prime form in the tournament. Today is the day, their batting unit will be tested.
AB de Villiers's sparkling spread of run-scoring and a 155-run stand with Virat Kohli propelled Bangalore to a substantial total. Despite losing KL Rahul up front, de Villiers plundered fours and sixes at will to bring joy to fans. With reverse sweeps, slogs and drives, the South African stalwart just demoralised the opposition.
19.6 -
T Perera to Sarfaraz Khan, 2 runs, drops it on a length and asks Sarfaraz Khan to manufacture his own power. He gets on the front foot, slogs but gets no timing on this. Bangs into the pitch, and then runs - Dhoni-like with bat held firmly in both hands. 185/3 is what the final scoreboard reads. Not bad but we know the plight of setting totals this T20 League
19.5 -
T Perera to Watson, 1 run, foxed by the pace, Watson wanted to sweep but it's too full. Off the gloves to hand the strike to Sarfaraz Khan
Sarfaraz Khan, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.4 -
T Perera to de Villiers, out Caught by Ankit Sharma!! And de Villiers follows suit. They want to bat together, these two. Sees width outside off, seeing the clock ticking, and throws the kitchen sink (and the tools) at this wide one outside off. Miscued and Ankit Sharma has a moment of redemption. Runs back from extra cover and arches back to pouch it...to his relief. de Villiers c Ankit Sharma b T Perera 83(46) [4s-6 6s-4]
T Perera to de Villiers, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Shane Watson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.3 -
T Perera to Kohli, out Caught by Rahane!! And he's gone. Three balls to live without Kohli and de Villiers batting together now. Goes for the brutal slog, thrusts in power but doesn't find the timing. An easy catch at deep mid-wicket. Kohli c Rahane b T Perera 80(63) [4s-7 6s-2]
T Perera to Kohli, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, FOUR, oh my. This was just too good. Find me words, someone. Was into his front foot stride across off early, Perera slings it wider outside off and Kohli takes it on the full to caress it through backward square leg
19.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, wide, yorker but overbaked with width, Kohli bent his knees and reached out but couldn't
19.1 -
T Perera to Kohli, FOUR, it's a summer sale. No bowler can stop this. A yorker length delivery has been driven through backward point. "I was alive when Kohli used to do it" moment
18.6 -
Ishant to de Villiers, SIX, wow, Ishant, wow. Bowls a length ball, invites de Villiers who RSVPs with a brutal bat-swing. Slashes the air, throws his bat and swings it over deep square leg
18.5 -
Ishant to de Villiers, no run, lovely. Why would you try to swing a yorker out of the ground? Gets in a tangle, embarrasses himself and misses
18.4 -
Ishant to Kohli, 1 run, short ball and Kohli pulls off the front foot. Not in control but good enough for a single to long-on
18.3 -
Ishant to Kohli, FOUR, Smith is grimacing because he couldn't stop one at long-off. A full toss it was, Kohli throws his bat, almost put in too much power for the bat to turn. Smith runs across, overruns maybe because he might have sensed a chance but lets the ball go through
18.2 -
Ishant to Kohli, FOUR, happens when you play so long with de Villiers. Gets forward with a shuffle, gets outside the line and meets this ball on the full. A ramp through backward square leg that fetches four runs
18.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, no run, this is from the refrigerator of awesomeness. Yorker length outside off, too full to flirt and Kohli misses out with a squeeze that was intended to third man
18.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, wide, that looked close. Not a wide in my book. Yorker zooming over the tramline, Kohli reaches out, swings and misses
Ishant Sharma [3.0-0-31-0] is back into the attack
Kohli and ABD. 12 balls to go. Thank you T20 League.
17.6 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, yorker that curls in and cramps Kohli. A late adjustment with a jamming out and the ball has been wooded enough to roll to long-off
17.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, 2 runs, not the Kohli I know. More like a poor man's Rohit Sharma shot. Mistimed lofted drive over cover and the sweeper could cut it off with a jog
17.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, wide, wided. Needed a golf club to reach that outside off
17.4 -
T Perera to de Villiers, 1 run, too much of shuffling. This is salsa. Gets across and thumps it with a flat-bat to short third man. Would have wanted more
17.3 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, robbed off pace, full and wide inviting Kohli to do all the hard work. Kohli leans across and pushes it through the vacant cover region
17.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, SIX, no. That's a mediocre follow-up. Dishes a full ball buffet for Kohli to get under it and smoke it over mid-wicket. Carries all the way
17.1 -
T Perera to de Villiers, 1 run, lovely yorker on leg-stump, de Villiers was in the process of clearing his front leg and then jerks it hurriedly to avoid being hit. Squeezed out to fine leg this was
Thisara Perera [2.0-0-9-1] is back into the attack
Three overs...
16.6 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, Faf has stopped one which was floored in front of him at long-on. Then tumbles and fired the throw back. de Villiers had cleared the front leg to clobber this across the line, couldn't time it. Good that he didn't or Faf would have been in business
16.5 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, now gets his elbows straight to eat up the shortness on this and slog-pulls it over mid-wicket
16.4 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, time for some nomenclature. Let's call this dipping full toss a Bravo ball. de Villiers thrashes it rather tamely with a drill to long-on
16.3 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, floated on off and a single has been slog-swept to mid-wicket
Bhatia is in pain. The last flat throw from the deep hit the top of stumps and hit him on the jaws. All fine...say the live pictures and the piercing vuvuzela
16.2 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, dips in front of middle and de Villiers drills it to long-on
16.1 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 2 runs, almost a legbreak, holds in the pitch and the de Villiers thumps it over Bhatia's head. Smith again runs across and cuts it off, with a dive that rivals one he'd put for his life. Third Umpire has a look but it looks safe. My thick glasses say so. Yes, a good save
Rajat Bhatia [2.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack
Time-out time. What has the next 24 balls have for us?
15.6 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, down leg and an easy work off the hips for a single to backward square leg
15.5 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, dropped! You don't do that! Just don't. Kohli was scarced for runs anyway, and with de Villiers batting so well, he wants to chip in too. Throws his bat on this wide carrom ball, top-edges it and Ankit Sharma runs across from extra cover only to drop it at mid-off...with an eye-catching diving attempt
15.4 -
Ashwin to Kohli, no run, carrom ball, hit on the back pad, big appeal but it pitched outside leg
15.3 -
Ashwin to Kohli, no run, you do resort to legbreaks in such situations. And Kohli showed that he can bat the other way too. Changes stance and flat-bats it. A diving stop at backward point saves runs
15.3 -
Ashwin to Kohli, wide, overcompensation. Too far outside off and it's been wided
15.3 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 5 wides, trying too much and this is a horror stage show. Full toss that drifts down leg, misses Kohli's tickle that came after a shimmy and nutmegs Dhoni en route to the fences
15.2 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, attempted off-break staying low and de Villiers clips it with a crouch to mid-wicket. Quick single. When it isn't?
15.1 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, no run, carrom ball on the pads and it's been worked round the corner
Ravichandran Ashwin [2.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, another run down the pitch, another wide ball not allowed to kiss the turf and more importantly, this slap through extra cover keeps de Villiers on strike
14.5 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 2 runs, short again. Deliberate because the crease is not comfy enough at the moment. Worked with rolled wrists through mid-wicket
14.4 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, here's another half-century from the stylish run-machine. Skips out outside leg-stump and works this ball round the corner for a single
14.3 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, slower outside off, in fear, and de Villiers doesn't allow it to pitch. Runs out of his crease and flashes it to sweeper in the deep
14.2 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, dropped short intentionally seeing the shimmy and Kohli tucks it to long-on. Guess what, de Villiers is back
14.1 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, no run, this is lovely from Sharma. Sees Kohli make room with a shimmy and fires it on his leg. Just a bunt to cover
13.6 -
Murugan Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, full toss, Kohli drives it sanely to long-on and keeps strike. Why would you do that?
13.5 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, got his front leg forward but then adjusted with a slap through extra cover seeing the width
13.4 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, FOUR, wow. God save my fingers. On the leg-stump, de Villiers shuffles and sweeps it through backward square leg
13.3 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, no run, fired down leg and de Villiers misses the flick, off the pad
13.2 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, FOUR, bowlers, pitches and grounds don't matter. de Villiers is batting. Doesn't even let the ball pitch, reverses his stance and sweeps it past the diving backward point. Surreal
13.1 -
Murugan Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, looked like a slipped-out-of-hand yorker and Kohli waits for it to dip before driving square on the wicket on the off-side
Murugan Ashwin [1.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
12.6 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, iota of spin and Kohli opens up with a high-batted punch to ride the extra bounce on offer
12.5 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, no run, gets forward and drives defensively
12.4 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, Sharma has gotten away. Short and de Villiers's pull could only go as far as long-on
12.3 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, waits on front foot, lets the ball come in and then uses ounces of bottom hand to pinch a single to deep mid-wicket
12.2 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, fired wide of off and it meant that de Villiers had the room to thrash a single through extra cover
12.1 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, sees the skip, drops it short and then sees the batsman adjust with a bunt through cover
Ankit Sharma [2.0-0-20-0] is back into the attack
11.6 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, FOUR, wow. What a way to get to a fifty! Get your seat belt on, fellas! The top-spinner outside off, too short to threaten and de Villiers kills it with a cut shot through covers
11.5 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, flatter and on middle, Kohli gets forward and wrists it to long-on
11.4 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, flights this but it's a full toss that's driven to long-on
11.3 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, this pushed through delivery on leg-stump has been worked to mid-wicket
11.2 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, gets it to spin in and sees de Villiers punch a single to long-on
11.1 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, carrom ball? Might be but down leg and Kohli tickles it to short fine leg
Ravichandran Ashwin [1.0-0-4-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, SIX, this has been bullied, like a high school nerd. Short and sitting up, de Villiers slogs and brutalizes it over long-on. No ground is long enough when de Villiers's bat wants to roar
10.5 -
Murugan Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, worked with hard hands to long-off and gives ABD the strike
10.4 -
Murugan Ashwin to Kohli, 2 runs, talking about wheels in ABD's boots? Smith has one too. Runs across from long-off, dives and cuts this one off..just inside the ropes. Brilliant. And this was one hell of a shot. Lots of bottom hand in this cover drive but well
10.3 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, shortish in length and this has been delicately pulled to long-on
10.2 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, 2 runs, gets it to spin away outside off, de Villiers thrashes it to long-off and then uses his wheeled boots to steal a brace
10.1 -
Murugan Ashwin to de Villiers, SIX, wait, what? Never looked like one but it went all the way. Flatter on off, de Villiers kneels and gets a top edge over deep backward square leg. Second time he has got away with a top edge
Murugan Ashwin, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
9.6 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, another slower one from Bhatia, de Villiers punch-drives it to long-off
9.5 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 2 runs, de Villiers stays leg-side and drives it hard towards long-off
9.4 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, short of a good length and Kohli waits for it to cut to the left of the fielder at sweeper
9.3 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, lofts this fuller length delivery, luckily for de Villiers it fell short of the fielder at long-off
9.2 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, FOUR, short slow ball and de Villiers read it well to slap past extra cover. du Plessis from sweeper moved swiftly to his right and got a hand to it, could not prevent it from crossing the fence
9.1 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, a lot of bottom hand and wrist work from Kohli, this one was a length delivery outside off, Kohli worked it towards long-on
Rajat Bhatia [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
Time-out in place
8.6 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, SIX, what can a bowler do if top edges go for sixes. de Villiers moved across trying to sweep it, got it off the top of the bat, the fielder at deep backward square leg moved to his left, hoping for a catch but it eluded him and carried over the fence
8.5 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, again a tossed up delivery, Kohli wrists it to long-on
8.4 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, Ankit showed some courage tossing this one up. de Villiers drives it to the left of long-off
8.3 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli cuts this flatter delivery square of the wicket for a single
8.2 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, no run, Ankit sensed Kohli coming down the track, kept it short, Kohli adjusted and nurdled it towards mid-wicket
8.1 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 2 runs, Kohli goes deep in the crease and then flicks it wide of long-on, will pick up a couple
8.1 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, wide, slips this one down the leg-side and it will be called a wide
Ankit Sharma [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
7.6 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, Ashwin gives this one a bit of air, Kohli eases it down to long-on
7.5 -
Ashwin to Kohli, no run, this is the second time this season Dhoni has done that. Used his right leg to stop this intentional steer from Kohli, saved a few runs for sure. Kohli was looking for a single but it was not there
7.4 -
Ashwin to Kohli, no run, trifle short but Kohli cannot make the full use of it, mistimes the cut to extra cover
7.3 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, eases this tossed up delivery to long-on
7.2 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli stays leg-side and wristly drives it square of the wicket on the off-side
7.1 -
Ashwin to de Villiers, 1 run, floater on the middle and leg, de Villiers clips it to backward square leg
Ravichandran Ashwin, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, fuller length from Bhatia and de Villiers drills it to long-on for a single
6.5 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli prods across a touch and then works this fuller length delivery to mid-wicket
6.4 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, off-pace delivery around off, de Villiers gets an inside edge onto the boot as he tries to slog this one through the on-side, the ball rolled away towards point
6.3 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, slower ball on off and Kohli read it well, still can only cut it to sweeper cover for a single
6.2 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, no run, good length from Bhatia around off, Kohli mistimes the drive towards mid-off
Dhoni does not want to give these two any pace to work with
6.1 -
R Bhatia to de Villiers, 1 run, length on off, de Villiers punch-drives it to long-off
Rajat Bhatia, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
5.6 -
Ishant to Kohli, FOUR, Kohli charged this time but Ishant was smart to keep it short just outside off. Kohli did well and cut it over point, the fielder from third man covered good ground to his right, got to it but could not prevent Kohli from fetching a four
5.5 -
Ishant to de Villiers, 1 run, de Villiers was hurried by the pace a bit, tucked this back of a length delivery to the right of mid-on
5.4 -
Ishant to de Villiers, no run, good comeback from Ishant, length ball on off and de Villiers defends towards the off-side
5.3 -
Ishant to de Villiers, FOUR, dispatched this one off his sight like an irritant. Not that short but de Villiers judged the length to perfection and then smacked it over mid-wicket, the ball raced away to the fence
5.2 -
Ishant to Kohli, 1 run, that's the yorker which saves you on a free-hit. Kept it around middle and off, Kohli jammed it to point and set off for a single
5.2 -
Ishant to Kohli, no ball, Ishant has overstepped and we will have a free-hit. It was a length ball again which Kohli tapped to point
5.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, no run, Ishant keeps it around off, Kohli wanted to run it down to third man, gets it to backward point
Ishant Sharma [2.0-0-20-0] is back into the attack
Boundaries have come sporadically for BLR so far. Will things change with de Villiers in the middle now?
4.6 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, gets a stride forward on this occasion and drives this flighted delivery to long-off
4.5 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, no run, works this one from the crease to mid-wicket
4.4 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, good cricket from de Villiers, eases this one down the ground to long-off
4.3 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, FOUR, he has found the gap with his sheer smartness this time. Square drive on this flat delivery, opened the bat face a touch to get it to the sweeper cover fence
4.2 -
Ankit Sharma to Kohli, 1 run, touch flat this one, Kohli waits and nurdles around the corner for a single
4.1 -
Ankit Sharma to de Villiers, 1 run, warm-up delivery from Ankit, keeps it on the stumps, de Villiers stays leg-side and drives to long-off
Ankit Sharma, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
3.6 -
T Perera to de Villiers, 1 run, this one nips back in off the pitch a bit around off, de Villiers waited and then steered it to third man
3.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli taps this length ball to point and that will bring de Villiers on strike
AB de Villiers, right handed bat, comes to the crease
3.4 -
T Perera to Rahul, out Caught by Ishant!! That's an easy catch for Ishant Sharma at third man. Nothing shot from Rahul. He has thrown this away. Innocuous delivery, good length ball outside off and Rahul threw his bat on it, all he could get was a thick edge that carried to Ishant at third man. He settled under it nicely to send Rahul back. Rahul c Ishant b T Perera 7(10) [4s-1]
T Perera to Rahul, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
3.3 -
T Perera to Rahul, no run, short delivery this time and Rahul misses out, mistimes the cut towards extra cover
Dhoni has gone back. One wide slip in place
3.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, waits for this short of a good length delivery and nudges to mid-on for a single
3.1 -
T Perera to Kohli, FOUR, what a shot that is! Touch short and enough for Kohli to bring out that punch, gets on the top of bounce and punches through cover, found the gap to perfection
Dhoni is upto the stumps
2.6 -
Ishant to Rahul, no run, Rahul was initially trying to withdraw his bat but decided to tap it belatedly. It was a length delivery around off, hit the top of his bat and rolled towards gully
2.5 -
Ishant to Rahul, no run, good length delivery on off and Rahul taps it to the left of point
2.4 -
Ishant to Rahul, no run, and once again the luck is with the batsman. Short ball and Rahul was hurried on the pull, spooned it off the splice of the bat to the fielder at mid-on. KP dived in front but it just fell in front of him
2.3 -
Ishant to Kohli, 1 run, unnecessary throw allows a single, Kohli tapped this length delivery to point, the fielder broke the stumps at the striker's end. The ball deflects allowing the batsmen to add a single to the total
2.2 -
Ishant to Kohli, FOUR, this is even better, fuller length delivery around middle. Kohli prodded across and found the gap on the flick through mid-wicket
2.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, SIX, there was a fielder at fine leg but he was reduced to being a spectator, great pick up shot from Kohli. Moved across and chipped the flick that just carried over the fine leg fence
1.6 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, Perera goes full again around off, Kohli drives with an angled bat to the right of mid-on, enough time to steal a single on that occasion
1.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, no run, good length delivery just outside off and Kohli cannot do much except dabbing it to slip
One slip in place
1.4 -
T Perera to Kohli, no run, good length delivery on the stumps and Kohli checked his on-drive a bit, mid-on tidies up moving to his left
1.3 -
T Perera to Kohli, no run, this is good stuff from Perera. Keeps this one on the stumps and a touch short, Kohli defends it into the pitch
1.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, no run, short ball and Kohli rides the bounce, punches it towards cover, cannot find the gap though
The edge on the last ball of the previous over did not carry to the fielder there
1.1 -
T Perera to Rahul, 1 run, full delivery around off, Rahul pushes with an angled bat to mid-on for a quick single
Thisara Perera, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Ishant to Rahul, 1 run, did that carry to the fielder at slip? Replays will tell us, this one was a fuller length delivery outside off and Rahul poked at it, got an edge that rolled towards third man. Maybe it just fell in front of the slip fielder
0.5 -
Ishant to Kohli, 1 run, Rahul had to hurry a bit here but he is safe at the striker's end. Short of length and Kohli tucked to square leg for a single
0.4 -
Ishant to Rahul, 1 run, back of a length this time and just outside off, Rahul rides the bounce and then steers it to third man for a single
0.3 -
Ishant to Rahul, no run, half-volley outside off and Rahul leans into the drive, gets it right off the meat of the bat. However, a diving effort from Steven Smith at cover-point denies him any scoring opportunity
0.2 -
Ishant to Rahul, FOUR, Ishant is struggling to get his line right, bowled on Rahul's pads once again. He moved across and clipped it fine into the fine leg fence
No slip for Ishant
0.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, 1 run, this one almost carried to the fielder at fine leg, similar delivery and Kohli moved across and clipped it uppishly. Perera in the deep dived forward but the ball just fell in front of him
0.1 -
Ishant to Kohli, wide, not a great start for Ishant, seams this one down the leg-side, called a wide
Kohli and Rahul are at the crease. Kohli is on strike. Ishant will open the attack
So, a win for BLR that launches them to the third position. Now that seventh position looks lowly, doesn't it? Well, ask Pune who are now the new landlords of that spot. Ouch. This win cheers up Kohli and Co. as much as it gives heart to captains to not choose to chase. IPl has a lifeline, captains have heart, matches are flirting with fun; things looking headed upwards. The weekend is already here and I can hear the desperate double-headers knocking the door. Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Punjab in the mix for tomorrow. Lots of state flavours to look forward to. So join us, and sleep tight. You will always do after an ABD special. Good night from Pratyush Sinha on behalf of Abhishek Chaudhary and Sreenivas. Ta-ta!
ABD (Man of the Match): "I got myself into a bit of trouble with what should have been an easy catch (Murugan Ashwin's catch). I spun around in circles, not sure where the wind was taking it (the ball). Very happy to take it in the end. Some guys would have made it look easier but I am getting older now and I have to keep myself on my toes. Wasn't that easy a pitch. Got going with a few soft boundaries. Both my sweeps were not off the middle but they went for sixes. One or two things went my way but I think we batted very well. Pleased with our performance tonight. If we look at PUNE's batting lineup, it's all class. Perera kept us on our toes and made us go through all sort of game plans. He's a very dangerous player but happy that we crossed the line."
Kohli: "That was closer than we thought at one stage. Good to cross the line though. We have been playing good cricket. We are the only team to win it twice after batting first but I would like to win the toss next time. With the power Perera has, you can never relax. On good wickets and with a bit of dew, these guys can take the game away in a couple of overs. It was a lesson for us. Watson showed a lot of composure and showed us the way. It was good to stay calm and not change too many things. Davey (de Villiers) told me to stay calm. When a guy is hitting well, you have to hit your area, and hope he misses and you hit. We spoke about 175-180 and ended up getting 5 extra. I wasn't happy with my batting. Later, I accelerated my game. Great partnership with AB again. Such a world class player. Gave me the confidence to play the anchor role and made me feel better so that I could explode in the end. Not that easy a wicket, it doesn't have the bounce. Bowlers kept it tight in the middle overs for us. AB is the best batsman of our generation. It's a pleasure to bat alongside him. Love so many things about his game - his balance, his reactions, the way he's composed at the crease and the way he communicates. Very selfless person. Not many people help others all the time. He helps all the people around him. He's a much better human being than a batsman, and that's the good thing about him. I told him (Shamsi) that one guy got off the plane and knocked us out of the WC (T20 WC) and that he needs to do the same. Bowled well in his first game - against Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rahane. Off to Rajkot and the slow wicket there will help him."
Okay, that was long. The presentations are on. Kohli WILahore speak on air tonight..
"We lost three wickets for nothing. Faf got out, KP walked out injured and then Steve Smith got run out. We had to build a partnership. We were relying on the big-hitters to play a cameo and the target could then look in sight. Few runs too many. It was a par plus score but I am quite happy with the way we batted. Disappointed with the loss but plenty of good things in this game for us. KP's injury can be a blessing in disguise. Reason being that he's a big player but his injury gives me the opportunity to play Albie or someone like him. Puts in Deepak Chahar into the frame as well. It was always difficult to choose between Smith and KP. I have to leave one out of them to play an all-rounder. If we are not doing well, we need to strengthen our bowling. I feel, we have quite a few players playing their first T20 League, and with more games, guys like M Ashwin will get better. Not fussed by the recent results. Yes, we have not played the kind of cricket we can. If we can take catches, it will be good blessing. There are quite a few slow fielders in the team; if they can take the safe catches, I am not too disappointed. In fielding, we have to restrict 10 runs, and in batting, we have to get 10 extra runs," reflects MS Dhoni after the loss.
In fact, PUNE were let down by early setbacks. Faf du Plessis fell to Kane Richardson and Kevin Pietersen injured his calf to put pressure on the hosts. Rahane and Dhoni stitched a valuable 91-run stand to keep them in the game. However it has to be said that the duo took time to get off the blocks. In particular, Dhoni struggled to find the boundary. Shane Watson and Kane Richardson kept the lid on the scoring rate and picked up crucial wickets. Earlier in the piece, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli's sparkling 155-run stand for the second wicket propelled BLR to a very good score. de Villiers also pouched a couple of stunning catches.
Despite some lusty blows in the slog overs by Thisara Perera, PUNE couldn't pull off a jailbreak as they slipped towards their third defeat in four games. In the midst of chomped nails and jangling nerves, Perera and Bhatia smacked Harshal Patel for 25 runs in the 18th over to raise the spirits of PUNE' camp, but they had too much to do.
19.6 -
Kane Richardson to Ankit Sharma, 1 run, the chasing hoodoo is over. T20 League, you have a way out from that pipeline of boredom. BLR manage to defend 185 that looked iffy, especially given their bowling but Pune were hospitable in saving Kohli the blushes. Dipping full toss, Sharma was looking to force it away towards third man. Makes a mess, gets it off the inside edge and short fine leg collects the ball with a grin
19.5 -
Kane Richardson to Ankit Sharma, 2 runs, slogged, high and mighty, but mistimed and dips inside the deep mid-wicket ropes only to be cleaned up
Ishant Sharma, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.4 -
Kane Richardson to Murugan Ashwin, out Caught by de Villiers!! de Villiers is a freak. He is cricket's Elon Musk and his bat is SpaceX. And his fielding...well...I don't know. Just an off-pace delivery outside off, Ashwin looks to loft it downtown. Only intent, no timing and result is a mistimed shot wide of long-off. ABD is running across...he's quick...he loses the sight of the ball...turns 360 degress...still is able to spot the ball...and catches it with a smile. Oh ABD, where do you get all that from? Murugan Ashwin c de Villiers b Kane Richardson 0(1)
Kane Richardson to Murugan Ashwin, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Murugan Ashwin, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.3 -
Kane Richardson to R Bhatia, out Caught by Watson!! This is the game, if it wasn't already. Slow short ball that never arrives. Bhatia was on the front foot waiting for it, waits a little longer than he should have and then skewed the pull off the inner half to backward square leg. R Bhatia c Watson b Kane Richardson 21(11) [4s-1 6s-1]
Kane Richardson to R Bhatia, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.2 -
Kane Richardson to R Bhatia, 2 runs, nothing gets past ABD. Runs across from long-off, dives head-first and cuts it off to Kohli's relief. The ball was slow and full, and dished with width, Bhatia reached out, forced a drive but found de Villiers
19.1 -
Kane Richardson to R Bhatia, 2 runs, extra cover runs across, leaps and cuts this flashy drive with a half-stop. Sweeper, Harshal, clears it with a slide. Has the towel tail touched the rope? No but the Third Ump had a check
Kane Richardson [2.0-0-6-1] is back into the attack
21 runs needed off the last over. Richardson has to channel all his BBL gyaan to not embarrass himself
18.6 -
Watson to Ankit Sharma, no run, pacy shortish delivery outside off, Sharma looks to flat-bat it past the bowler, overestimates the bounce and the under-edge rolls to the keeper
Ankit Sharma, left handed bat, comes to the crease
18.5 -
Watson to Ashwin, out Caught by Harshal Patel!! Ashwin departs too. 21 runs needed off 7 balls. Not impossible. Watson bowls it slow on back of a length, asks Ashwin to manufacture power on the slog but Ashwin has none. Finds deep mid-wicket to perfection. Ashwin c Harshal Patel b Watson 0(1)
Watson to Ashwin, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
18.4 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 1 run, stays put and dissiminates this length ball .... as far as long-off ... all along the ground
Ravichandran Ashwin, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.3 -
Watson to T Perera, out Caught by Mandeep!! People who breathed a sigh of relief: Kohli, de Villiers, Vettori and the all of Bengaluru. Was looking to smack a length ball, gets it off base of the bat that pops all the way to extra cover. The bat turned courtesy all the desperate power and that was the undoing. Went too hard and paid the price. T Perera c Mandeep b Watson 34(13) [4s-3 6s-3]
Watson to T Perera, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
22 needed off 10 balls..
18.2 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 1 run, crashed to long-off with a brutal thrash
18.1 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 2 runs, Rahul has made a mess of it. He's dropped Bhatia! And does so after calling for it. Length ball criminally offered, Rahul runs across, overruns under it, then arches back like a bow but couldn't get to it
17.6 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, SIX, a six! Who would have thought? *Kohli is having jitters* Gets a full ball, takes on the invitation to get under it and does it ever so brutally. Swung with disdain over long-on
17.5 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, FOUR, oh Perera! That bat of yours. Full toss alright, but this was a drive in free fall. Thumps it through extra cover and the ball blazed off the turf
17.4 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, FOUR, gully cricket. Full toss delivered to start with, Perera swings it to deep mid-wicket where Mandeep has to run across....gets there...looks like...but he doesn't. Blinded by light? Rusted by bench-warming? Figure out. Almost ends up catching thin air when the ball drops in front of him and rolls away
17.3 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, FOUR, it will do. Anything will do. Dhawan will do. Tries to go big over cover, gets an outside edge and it runs to the third man fence. Luck, where were you?
17.2 -
Harshal Patel to R Bhatia, 1 run, chops this with an open bat to third man
17.1 -
Harshal Patel to R Bhatia, SIX, length ball - you eternal saviour. You don't need to do much. Gets low, slogs it across the line and murders it for 76 meters with an arc over long-on
Harshal Patel [3.0-0-21-1] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Watson to T Perera, no run, oh Watson! Two T20 veterans, well almost, locking horns. Sees Perera shimmy across to say the fifth stump outside off, bowls a full delivery at him and nutmegs him to the keeper. Beats the flick and shames him with it
16.6 -
Watson to T Perera, wide, another one. He's trying to cut off Perera's arc over mid-wicket but is overdoing his defensive tactics. Hurls it wide of the tramline again and umpire makes up for his missed cardio today
16.6 -
Watson to T Perera, wide, slower delivery attempted but it's a full toss dressed in lots of width outside off. Wided
16.5 -
Watson to T Perera, 2 runs, shortish delivery this time and Perera clobbers it to mid-wicket for a brace
16.4 -
Watson to T Perera, no run, this was eerie. And smart. Sees Perera shuffling across to his off-stump, bowls it wider and beats Perera's flick. Perera was looking for the ramp but Watson was brainier there
16.3 -
Watson to T Perera, SIX, no Watson, you don't bowl that. To Perera. Short ball, sitting up pretty at Watson's pace and Perera had to just swivel on the pull through square leg
16.2 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 1 run, rolls his fingers on this one and the ball gets the time to grip and bounce well. Hits Bhatia's splice on the defensive push but still concedes a single to backward point
16.1 -
Watson to R Bhatia, FOUR, Bhatia isn't slow...with the bat. Gets a short wide one, gets on his toes and uses a high bat to thrash it with a cut. Over backward point and to the fences
Shane Watson [2.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack
4 overs to go. 65 runs to get. Can we please have a close game? Over to you, Watson
15.6 -
Harshal Patel to R Bhatia, 1 run, opens the face of the bat and chops a single to backward point
Rajat Bhatia, right handed bat, comes to the crease
15.5 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, out Caught by de Villiers!! The width has gobbled Dhoni up. He's not Sehwag, afterall. Anyway, a wrist-roll wide of off, Dhoni had to reach out, managed it off the toe-end as he threw his bat at it and the long-off runs in an arc to pouch that. Good catch. Inches inside the rope as ABD had to turn back to have a look at where his boot was. Dhoni c de Villiers b Harshal Patel 41(38) [4s-3]
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.5 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, wide, 135ks. Can't be a slower bouncer, surely. But Dhoni had to wait. Perhaps read the length early, waited and aborted seeing the height, kilos of height, on this one
15.4 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, 1 run, tries the yorker and it ends up into a tasty full toss that dips. Perera hunches on his front foot and swings his bat, like in a sweep shot, to roll this away to long-on
15.3 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, 1 run, gets a short wide ball but not enough width, and Dhoni has to move away to make some on this cut through backward point
15.2 -
Harshal Patel to T Perera, 1 run, under-edges the pull to backward square leg, takes off the blocks and Sarfaraz Khan's throw misses the stumps at the bowler's end. Close, but no cigar
15.1 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, 1 run, fullish delivery and it's a mere push to long-off. Except that it was more. Dhoni wipes the windshield with his bat as he pushed at this ball. How does he manage all these idiosyncrasies?
Harshal Patel [2.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack
71 needed off the last 5 overs..
14.6 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to T Perera, SIX, why would you give the width on this one? Flatter outside off, Perera slogs across the line and deposits it into the deep mid-wicket orbit
14.5 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to T Perera, no run, pinned? No, says the umpire. Loud, loud appeal. Pings the pad with this regular delivery that spins in and that looked close. Very close
Thisara Perera, left handed bat, comes to the crease
14.4 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, out Stumped!! That's uglier than my handwriting. Why Rahane? Charges out early for the cross-batted heave ho, Tabraiz Shamsi shortens the length on this googly and fizzles it past his outside edge. Keeper latches on and lights the LEDs. Tabraiz Shamsi gets out his steering wheel celebration to mark the moment. Rahane st Rahul b Tabraiz Shamsi 60(46) [4s-8]
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
14.3 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, slowish on off and Dhoni has to respect it with a front foot defence
14.2 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 2 runs, the googly angled across gives him the room again to cut and pinches a single on the ice-rink that Dhoni sees for a pitch
14.1 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, FOUR, googly dropped short, Dhoni pounced on it. All flat-footed. All bottom hand into it. Crashed it through extra cover
Tabraiz Shamsi [3.0-0-23-0] is back into the attack
13.6 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, a complete whirlwind of the bat but this ball only fetches a single to long-off. Stays back, backs away a touch and thrusts power...to nab a single. Somebody harness that energy, please
13.5 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, picks this under his nose and wrists it to long-on
13.5 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, wide, that was supreme. And now negate it. Wide and full, no way Rahane could have reached it, wided
13.4 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, moves outside leg-stump and pushes this flatter one to long-off
13.3 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, clips it in front of square of the wicket on the leg-side
13.2 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, a pie dart on middle is eased to long-off
13.1 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 2 runs, reaches out to this wide, flat delivery and chops the cut to point. Throw at the bowler's end but Dhoni was in. Dhoni always is. However, Abdulla fumbles the throw and allows the extra run to be taken
Time-out!
12.6 -
Watson to Rahane, FOUR, that's what I take out of my house every morning - garbage. Slower ball-turned-full toss down leg, Rahane swivels and flicks it uppishly through backward square leg. An 8-run over won't do, Pune!
12.5 -
Watson to Rahane, no run, this is lovely. Bends back on this shortish delivery, Rahane licks lip on the cut shot but the extra bounce beats the top-edge
12.4 -
Watson to Rahane, no run, that's a shot for Rahane and a half, not Rahane. Bouncer soaring over his head, tries the cheeky ramp and misses. Too short to play that. Needed a jet pack
12.3 -
Watson to Dhoni, 1 run, rolls wrists on a length and sees an open-batted dab to point. That ball actually curled in the air.. Go, figure
12.2 -
Watson to Rahane, 1 run, sees the ball drop short after his shimmy and adjusts with an ugly makeshift front foot pull round the corner
12.1 -
Watson to Rahane, 2 runs, yorker length outside off greeted with a crouched stance and open bat. Through backward point for a double
Shane Watson [1.0-0-4-0] is back into the attack
Watson is back with his frugal run purse. 100 off 48 needed! Not out of the game surely *Akshay Maanay fidgets*
11.6 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, floats this on off-stump, Rahane had the time to rock in front and wrist a strike-retaining single to long-on
11.5 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, clipped off the pads to long-on
11.4 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, gets across and slaps a single to the sweeper. There's the fifty, his second of the season. Off the toe end and all given the width but that will do. Raises his bat instead of covering his ears. Take that, vuvuzelas!
11.3 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, gets forward and Dhonis a single to long-off. What is "Dhonis"? Well, get forward, reach out and use the bat like a push iron
11.2 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, makes up by darting it on leg, Rahane moves back, shuffles and clips a single to mid-wicket
11.1 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, lots of turn on this wide ball making the ball mediocre. Dhoni reaches out and cuts it through cover. Yes, that much time
106 runs off 9 overs..
10.6 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, no run, loops this one wide of off, Rahane looks to use the width for a cute dab but is late. Foxed for a dot
10.5 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, no run, straightens with good bounce, Rahane arrests his charge and bunts it horizontal-batted to backward point
10.4 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, FOUR, under the short fine leg's dive and it's a four! Tripe ball. Flatter down leg, Rahane punishes it with a tickling sweep
10.3 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, makes it shorter than it was with a hop across and crashes it to long-off
10.2 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, 1 run, goes across with the angle from over the wicket, Rahane hops back and taps it to backward point
10.1 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, a Dhoni single. Reaches out on front foot, meets this slider and pushes it to long-off
9.6 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 2 runs, "two, two" called Rahane as soon as he pulled this short one wide of Kohli at long-on. Kohli had a bit of work to do and it turns out to be an easy one in the end
9.5 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, Dhoni cuts this one past cover. There was a bit of confusion between the Pune duo but they get a single in the end
9.4 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, flatter outside off and Rahane cashes in, cuts it square of the wicket on the off-side
9.3 -
I Abdulla to Dhoni, 1 run, Abdulla gets it around off, also keeps it a touch fuller, Dhoni extends his arms on the drive. Sent down to long-off
9.2 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 1 run, flatter again, but Rahane played the length not the trajectory, pulls it uppishly to long-on
9.1 -
I Abdulla to Rahane, 2 runs, fraction short and Rahane pulls it wide of long-on, Dhoni was always going for the second run
Iqbal Abdulla, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
8.6 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, FOUR, splays it on the pads of Dhoni and he tickles it fine to beat the fielder at short fine leg. Given as runs so Dhoni did get some bat on it. An expensive over from Bangalore's point of view
8.5 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, 1 run, pats this one to extra cover and a misfield allows a single
8.4 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, FOUR, this is one way of dealing with him. Gets on one knee and sweeps it, bisects the fielder at deep mid-wicket and deep backward square leg
8.3 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, no run, this one went straight with the angle, was a googly! Rahane missed the drive and 'almost' edged it into Rahul's gloves
8.2 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, bunts this tossed up delivery to long-off for a single
8.1 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 2 runs, since the batsmen have not seen much of Shamsi. Dhoni is not taking any risk. Uses his feet and takes it on full, drives to the right of long-on for a couple
7.6 -
Binny to Rahane, FOUR, this is delicate from Rahane, too cute! Almost let it go and then opened the blade to roll it into the third man fence, played this late cut quite close to his body
What did I tell you, it's all singles with odd boundaries here and there
7.5 -
Binny to Dhoni, 1 run, Dhoni eases this one from Binny to long-off for an easy single
7.4 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, wrists this length ball to long-on and almost runs with the shot
7.3 -
Binny to Rahane, FOUR, yorkers do not deserve that treatment. But T20s werenever for the bowler, off cutter yorker and Rahane wanted to work it away, got it off the inside edge and it rocketed to the fine leg fence
7.2 -
Binny to Dhoni, 1 run, Dhoni gets on one knee and square drives this length delivery to sweeper cover
7.1 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, Binny dishes it full and Rahane drives it uppishly past the bowler, long-off does the mopping work moving to his right
Stuart Binny [1.0-0-11-0] is back into the attack
6.6 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, byes, 1 run, flighted outside off, Rahane misses the steer to third man, Rahul doesn't glove it cleanly either
6.5 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, waits for this one and worked past the square leg umpire, wanted the second as well. It was not there, also Rahane is no Kohli
6.4 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, no run, a little shimmy by Dhoni, misjudged the length, pushes it back along the pitch
6.3 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane gets across on this tossed up delivery and then works through mid-wicket
Looks like an off-shoot of Paul Adam's action. Correct me if I am wrong
6.2 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Dhoni, 1 run, Dhoni gets a big stride and then nurdles it to mid-wicket for a single
6.1 -
Tabraiz Shamsi to Rahane, 1 run, drops it short and Rahane hangs back to pull it to mid-wicket for a single
Tabraiz Shamsi, left-arm chinaman, comes into the attack
Time-out in place. That injury to KP has pushed Pune back and from here on the onus is on these two. The world knows if Dhoni stays he will take it close. That is his way of approaching a target, no bam, bam for a while. Especially with the powerplay over. Also they do not have much batting left, Perera and Bhatia to come after this. Cap is on for Mahi, Rahane continues in helmet. So T20 League moment for Tabraiz Shamsi. Will be interesting to see him
5.6 -
Watson to Rahane, 1 run, space on offer outside off, Rahane opens the blade and get it to third man
5.5 -
Watson to Dhoni, 1 run, Watson rolled his fingers on it, Dhoni got the tuck off the inside edge on his pads, the ball rolled along the pitch, Dhoni-Rahane were quick to steal a single
5.4 -
Watson to Dhoni, no run, half-volley outside off and Dhoni misses the opportunity, drives it off the toe of the bat, straight to the fielder at cover
Slip's vanished
5.3 -
Watson to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane would have wanted this cut to go a lot squarer. No luck there, short and wide, cuts it to third man
5.2 -
Watson to Dhoni, 1 run, for a moment Dhoni did not have any idea where it went but responded to Rahane's call for a single. Wanted to force the cut towards the off-side on this length delivery, got it off the inside edge onto his pad, that deflected towards square leg
5.1 -
Watson to Dhoni, no run, Dhoni gives Watson the charge and misses the swing on this full ball. Was rapped on the pad. Watson gives him a wry smile
Slip in place for Watto
Shane Watson, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
4.6 -
Harshal Patel to Rahane, no run, slower delivery from Patel, Rahane lunges forward and blocks it to the left of the bowler
Avg powerplay score for Pune is 55. I do not see that happening today
4.5 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, 1 run, dab/cuts this short of a good length delivery to third man for another single
4.4 -
Harshal Patel to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane waits by staying inside the line of the delivery and then dabs it to the left of third man
4.3 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, 1 run, fences this length delivery towards the point region, the fielder there got a hand to it but cannot prevent a single
4.3 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, wide, and Patel errs in line, hurls it down the leg-side, Dhoni misses the glance, earns an extra for his team
4.2 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, FOUR, full face of the bat from Mahi and that has fetched him a four. Drives it on the up, in fact push-drove this overpitched delivery, no chance for the fielder at mid-off
4.1 -
Harshal Patel to Rahane, 1 run, give him that touch of width outside off and he will keep running them down to third man for a single. Did that again
3.6 -
Kane Richardson to Dhoni, no run, short of length on off, Dhoni does not do this always but this time he did. Got tall and punched to cover-point
3.5 -
Kane Richardson to Dhoni, no run, good length delivery that tailed in off the pitch, more with the angle than anything else. Dhoni missed the flick and was rapped on the pad, appeal denied as it was going down the leg-side
3.4 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, 1 run, time and width allowed to Rahane to open his bat-face and run it down to third man for a single
3.3 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, no run, tight line from Richardson this time, keeps it close to stumps on a length, Rahane pushes it back to the bowler
3.2 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, FOUR, short and wide, Rahane accepts it gleefully, cuts it past the fielder at cover. There was a chase given by two fielders, neither reached in time
Once again it has come down on those broad shoulders of Dhoni
3.1 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, no run, angles this one in from back of a length, Rahane pats it back to the bowler
2.6 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, no run, fuller again, Dhoni wants to steal a single after working it to the left of the fielder of mid-wicket, it was never there
2.5 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, no run, fuller length delivery, Dhoni opens his stance and drives to mid-off
2.4 -
Harshal Patel to Dhoni, no run, length delivery, Dhoni keeps it out towards cover
MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease
2.3 -
Harshal Patel to Smith, out Smith Run Out!! Slower delivery and Smith missed the flick, there was a huge appeal for an lbw by the bowler. However, the umpire denied it. In the meantime, while the appeal drama was unfolding, Smith wanted to steal a single but slipped as he was sent back by Rahane. It was enough for Kohli to cash in, who from point underarmed a direct hit at striker's end to catch him short on the dive. Smith run out (Kohli) 4(3) [4s-1]
Harshal Patel to Smith, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
Third umpire in action on a run-out appeal. Smith is the man in question. Let's see what happened there. He is gone, gone by all his money.
2.3 -
Harshal Patel to Smith, wide, that is the pressure of getting hit for four on the previous ball. Hurls it down the leg-side and it has been called a wide
2.2 -
Harshal Patel to Smith, FOUR, splays it on the pads of Smith and that is bread and butter for him. Gets across and flicks it through backward square leg
2.1 -
Harshal Patel to Rahane, 1 run, Patel hurls it on a length around off, Rahane opens the face of the bat on the defence to get it past a diving backward point
Harshal Patel, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
1.6 -
Kane Richardson to Smith, no run, back of a length delivery, Smith gets tall and works towards the mid-wicket region
1.5 -
Kane Richardson to Pietersen, no run, short of length delivery eyeing for Pietersen's ribs, tucks it to mid-wicket and wanted a single. Was sent back. And now he is on the ground, might have hurt his leg, which part I am not sure. Commentator on air feels its the calf. That's a big blow. There was some good sporting spirit shown by the BLR players in the middle as Watson and Kohli checked with him. KP is walking off. In fact, he is limping back on his left leg
Kevin Pietersen, right handed bat, comes to the crease
1.4 -
Kane Richardson to du Plessis, out Caught by Harshal Patel!! Richardson has made the first incision. This the start BLR wanted. du Plessis got too ambitious and has to walk back. Wanted to force this length ball over mid-off, the bat turned in his hand and spooned it low towards the fielder at mid-off, who took a good catch moving to his right. Now this 185 will start looking bigger than what it is. du Plessis c Harshal Patel b Kane Richardson 2(3)
Kane Richardson to du Plessis, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
1.3 -
Kane Richardson to du Plessis, no run, this one hurried off the pitch, nipped in a touch as well. du Plessis was glued in his crease, gets an inside edge onto the pads and the ball rolls along the pitch
1.2 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane tries to force this one into the off-side away from his body, gets it off the inside edge towards backward square leg
1.1 -
Kane Richardson to Rahane, no run, Richardson too has been given a slip, bowls it back of a length just outside off. Rahane gets on top of the bounce and punches it towards the fielder at cover
Kane Richardson, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Binny to du Plessis, 2 runs, dishes this one on a length outside off and du Plessis leans into the drive, gets it square of the wicket on the off-side for a couple
0.5 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, misfield allows a single there, the fielder at point was the culprit, Rahane defended this one off the outer part of the bat towards Mandeep at point
0.4 -
Binny to Rahane, FOUR, there is hardly anyone better than Rahane in India when the ball comes nicely onto the bat. Length ball on off and Rahane drove it on the up, beat the dive from the fielder at mid-off
0.3 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, Binny comes back and keeps it tight on the stumps, Rahane defends it back to the bowler
0.2 -
Binny to Rahane, FOUR, just a gentle push and that will do. Did not try to hit that hard, just waited for the ball and let his arms take over, found gap to the left of mid-off
0.1 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, back of a length delivery around off, Rahane quells it down towards cover
Rahane and du Plessis are at the crease. Rahane is on strike. Binny will open the attack