We are ready to go again. Are we about to see Kohli explore every nook and corner of the ground with his magnificence? Dinda has the new ball in his hand. He has a slip in place
It is hard to guess what would be the mood in the BLR camp after a poor day in the field. It felt as if they couldn't catch a cold. However, they have the required batting muscle to put that fielding effort behind them and pip PUNE
*After the early departure of Khawaja, BLR dropped a bundle lot of catches.
*Rahane and Tiwary made them pay by notching up a fifty each.
*Some decent death bowling + A few late blows from ASH and Bhatia = PUNE post a challenging total.
It's been a BLIP-GALORE in Bengaluru today. Is dropping catches a viral disease in cricket? BLR have certainly made me believe so. A bug named 'fumble' fiddled with Binny....he sneezed "scramble" turning to his right and the next ball....Sachin Baby stumbled trying to take a sitter. The virus wandered around, engulfed Watson, Rasool, KL Rahul and Varun Aaron (Excuse the pun please). Now then, who's left? Travis Head, ABD, Kohli, Chahal and Jordan. If BLR lose today, they have only thing to blame. Their fielding...well! Let's not talk about it anymore. Here's a simple synopsis for you:
"It had to be a little better than the last game. Had to pick myself up after it. So certainly a lot of motivation to do so. Some days, it just doesn't happen. Even I was involved in one dropped catch. Could have restricted them, but with our batting line-up we'll back ourselves," says an optimistic Watson. Well, 61 runs were scored off the last 6 overs, and that's not bad at all at this venue. You could say that the BLR have some momentum with them heading into the changing room.
19.6 -
Jordan to R Bhatia, 1 run, nails the yorker off the final ball and Bhatia can only chop it onto his boot off a thick inside edge.
19.5 -
Jordan to R Bhatia, SIX, whoa! What a blow! A length ball outside off, right in the slot. Bhatia opens his stance and cracks it up and over extra-cover, all the way
19.4 -
Jordan to Ashwin, 1 run, loses his shape this time and mistimes the slog to long-on
19.3 -
Jordan to Ashwin, no run, low full toss outside off, Ashwin swings hard and ekes out an outside edge. Good stop by the keeper diving to his right
19.2 -
Jordan to Ashwin, 2 runs, high full toss around off, doesn't that qualify to be a no-ball? In real-time, it really looked like it did. Ashwin slices it away over backward point and only a brilliant diving effort from third man can prevent a boundary
19.1 -
Jordan to Ashwin, SIX, Ashwin doesn't usually hit sixes. So Bangalore has hit one for him. Nah, that'd be really harsh. It's gone way back into the deep mid-wicket stands. Went really deep in the crease, converted it into a full ball and slugged it hard
18.6 -
Watson to Ashwin, 1 run, takes a couple of steps down the track and softly pushes a length ball into the off-side
Ravichandran Ashwin, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.5 -
Watson to Bailey, out Caught by Rahul!! Look at the scoreboard people. And then look at this bloke's figures. He's been brilliant, has Watto. And now he has some bragging rights over his compatriot. Must have known a thing or two about Bailey, spears it full and wide and Bailey can only edge it behind to the keeper. Bailey c Rahul b Watson 0(2)
Watson to Bailey, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
18.4 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 1 run, slower short of length delivery outside off, Bhatia mistimes the flat-batted swipe through the mid-off region
18.3 -
Watson to Bailey, leg byes, 1 run, ugh, Bailey's stance. Never been a big fan. Length ball on the pads, Bailey misses out with a flick and collects a leg-bye
18.2 -
Watson to R Bhatia, 1 run, full toss outside off, drilled straight to cover. Only a single
Rajat Bhatia, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.1 -
Watson to Rahane, out Bowled!! Watson nicks out the off-bail and is delighted with his achievement. Kept it simple, pounded it on a back of a length and targeted the top of off. Rahane strides towards leg to open up the off-side, tries to mow it through point but fails to connect. On replays, it's clear that Watson rolled his fingers across the ball to gain that extra bounce. This has been a pretty breezy knock though from the opener who is often accused of going too slowly. Rahane b Watson 74(48) [4s-8 6s-2]
Watson to Rahane, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
George Bailey, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Shane Watson [3.0-0-21-1] is back into the attack
17.6 -
Jordan to T Perera, out Caught by Watson!! This is a big wicket at this point. There are still a couple of overs to go, and Perera could have done some real damage. But as it turns out, he's sliced an overpitched delivery straight to cover. T Perera c Watson b Jordan 14(8) [4s-1 6s-1]
Jordan to T Perera, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
17.5 -
Jordan to T Perera, 2 runs, just over Kohli at mid-off. Again tries to slog against the over the wicket angle and ends up slicing it in the air. Enough bat though to clear the field
17.4 -
Jordan to T Perera, no run, now harpoons it full and at pace wide of off. Perera wound up so hard, that it wouldn't have mattered if he had connected. That's because the ball would have been shattered in a million pieces. Anyway, he doesn't connect
17.3 -
Jordan to T Perera, no run, well bowled. Slower short ball, labours away outside off and Perera is too early in the pull. Fails to make contact
17.2 -
Jordan to Rahane, 1 run, length ball outside off, pushed wide of cover
17.1 -
Jordan to Rahane, SIX, full toss. A rank bad full toss. And Bharath has rushed out to take a leak. Rahane makes room and launches it over long-off
Chris Jordan [2.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Chahal to T Perera, SIX, this is a much better delivery. But then, it's gone further. Well, it's Perera. Grounds his back knee, fetches the googly from well outside off and dispatches it over wide long-on
16.5 -
Chahal to T Perera, FOUR, Akshay Maanay is furious with Chahal. He is ranting his life away about why Chahal is bowling so full. Maybe he went for the yorker, but the execution was not upto mark. Missed by about six inches and is butchered straight down the ground
16.4 -
Chahal to Rahane, 1 run, closer to the stumps and swept away behind square
16.3 -
Chahal to Rahane, no run, tries to blast a sweep from outside off but then there's extra bounce and turn to beat the bat
16.2 -
Chahal to Rahane, FOUR, Rahane capitalizes on a half-tracker and tonks it with a forehand wide of long-off. Bounces just inside the ropes, a feet or so. Not good bowling
16.1 -
Chahal to T Perera, 1 run, shortish googly turning away wide of off, flat-batted down the ground to long-off
15.6 -
Watson to T Perera, 1 run, short and wide outside off, softly cut through the point region
15.5 -
Watson to Rahane, 1 run, slower back of a length delivery, nudged to long-on
Thisara Perera, left handed bat, comes to the crease
15.4 -
Watson to Dhoni, out Caught by P Rasool!! Stone the crows! What did just happen? Sorry people, I'll be back in a moment to wash my eyes. A catch has been taken. And Watson is hollering with his hands in the air. Full ball outside off, and Dhoni throws the kitchen sink at it. Only that he can't reach it properly. The ball is skewed off the outside edge and sails to the left of third man. Rasool moves across, takes it and tumbles over. Now I have truly seen it all. Dhoni c P Rasool b Watson 9(8) [6s-1]
Watson to Dhoni, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
15.3 -
Watson to Dhoni, SIX, Dhoni has his retribution straightaway. Seemed like he was waiting for the short ball. He's in position so early, swivels across and pulls it over fine leg
15.2 -
Watson to Dhoni, no run, Dhoni loves charging out to Watson. He does it every time the two are in battle. But Watson seems to have picked up a thing or two from all those sixes conceded in the past. Delivers it well outside off and Dhoni is forced to stand down and leave it alone
15.1 -
Watson to Dhoni, no run, rolls his fingers across and bowls it on a length around middle, pushed back down the pitch
Shane Watson [2.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
14.6 -
Chahal to Dhoni, 1 run, looped up on middle and leg, Dhoni steps forward and flicks it behind square for a single
14.5 -
Chahal to Rahane, 1 run, nurdled away behind square
14.4 -
Chahal to Dhoni, 1 run, darts in a sharp googly which cramps Dhoni up. He is wise enough though to collect a single to long-on
14.4 -
Chahal to Dhoni, wide, good flight from Chahal again, but the line is well outside off and Dhoni is happy to collect a wide
14.3 -
Chahal to Dhoni, no run, tossed up nicely and is softly patted
Listen to these roars. Unreal. Crowd doesn't know if they want to chant for Dhoni or their usual "Arcee-beee"
14.2 -
Chahal to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane thinks about two after tucking one through the vacant spaces on the on-side but has to settle with a single
14.1 -
Chahal to Dhoni, 1 run, clipped through the mid-wicket region to get off the mark
MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease
14.1 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, wide, out Stumped!! Tiwary has been completely fooled by Chahal. The bowler saw him coming and fired it wider outside off to sneak past his attempted heave. Tiwary makes a good effort of trying to plonk his bat inside by turning a full circle, but can't ground it in time. The third umpire wants to check if Rahul has collected the ball in front of the stumps, which he hasn't. So it's a legitimate stumping. Finally, Tiwary is dismissed. I repeat, Tiwary is dismissed. Didn't look like happening today after those dropped catches and missed stumping. S Tiwary st Rahul b Chahal 52(39) [4s-9]
Chahal to S Tiwary, THAT'S OUT!! Stumped!!
14.1 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, wide, slips it well wide of off from over the wicket
Yuzvendra Chahal [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
13.6 -
Jordan to Rahane, 2 runs, very very lackadaisical from Aaron. Is he here to play a deck of cards or what? Sitting down on the ground like that after collecting. Sliced behind backward point down to third man, and Aaron concedes a second run
13.5 -
Jordan to S Tiwary, 1 run, driven powerfully down to long-on
13.4 -
Jordan to Rahane, 1 run, makes Rahane reach out with a full and wide ball which is flirting with the tramlines. Rahane stretches out, but that seeps out all the power from the stroke and he taps it into the off-side
13.4 -
Jordan to Rahane, wide, oh this is harsh on the bowler. Yes, it's down the leg-side but Rahane has shuffled across to get inside the line and then he's missed. Cut some slack now
13.3 -
Jordan to S Tiwary, 1 run, short delivery that hurries onto Tiwary, he gets the pull away off the glove to fine leg
13.2 -
Jordan to Rahane, 1 run, dishes out a full toss and is nudged down to long-on
13.1 -
Jordan to Rahane, 2 runs, Jordan will soon become synonymous with yorkers. Here Bharath, I said it. Poor guy was pestering me. Near yorker on the stumps, clipped behind square for a couple
Chris Jordan [1.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack
Ugh, I forgot to mention that Rahane recorded a half-century with the boundary. But he's been so consistent with it this season, it doesn't come as any surprise.
12.6 -
Aaron to Rahane, 1 run, steers another one down to third man with ease. Will keep strike, after we are done with a strategic time-out
12.5 -
Aaron to Rahane, FOUR, rising short ball but it's down the leg-side and Rahane helps it on its way to the fine-leg fence with a well timed pull
12.4 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, 1 run, tucks it wide of mid-wicket and hurries across for his fifty. Tell you what, this could have been close had there been a direct-hit, but Tiwary had completely zoned out all the risk factors for the milestone
12.3 -
Aaron to Rahane, 1 run, short of length outside off, and elegently dabbed down to third man. The word in focus being elegant
12.2 -
Aaron to Rahane, FOUR, nothing soft about this one. He's slaughtered it over mid-wicket. Is it just me, or does Rahane actually look ungainly playing this way? Ah, never mind. It gets the job done. Plants his front leg forward and swipes it to the fence on the ball
12.1 -
Aaron to Rahane, no run, looked like the slower ball, Rahane waited on it and clipped it softly into the on-side
Varun Aaron [2.0-0-20-0] is back into the attack
11.6 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, FOUR, I hate my scorer's inclination to rewind every ball. Get your act together Sreenivas. Ooops, he informs me this is a new delivery. Apologies. Tiwary once again ran down the track, and blasted it straight back with enough power to beat long-on
11.5 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, FOUR, down the track he hurtles and whacks it straight over the umpire. Didn't get it off the meat I think, but enough to beat a diving long-on
11.4 -
P Rasool to Rahane, 1 run, I think he slightly misjudged the length here. Shaped for a dab, while waiting on a full length and quick off-break. But he's seeing 'em alright. Manages to chop a single towards short third man
11.3 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, 1 run, drifts one into the pads from round the wicket, and is clipped through square leg
11.2 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, 2 runs, ventures to leg, creates enough room and muscles a cut from the stumps past Kohli at extra-cover. It's wide enough of sweeper cover to hare back for two
11.1 -
P Rasool to Rahane, 1 run, rests on the back foot and punches a flat off-break to long-on
Parvez Rasool [2.0-0-24-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, slows the pace right down and is glanced behind square
10.5 -
Binny to S Tiwary, 1 run, walks down to a slower short of length delivery and works it wide of long-on. For a change, the fielder shows some urgency and cuts it to a single
10.4 -
Binny to S Tiwary, FOUR, this has been a shoddy spell of play for the BLR. It's a benevolent full toss dished out outside off, Tiwary chases after it and scythes it through extra-cover
10.3 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, that's not his game. Tries to whack a ball downtown and ends up swatting it off the inside half towards deep mid-wicket
10.2 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, Rahane is too late to whip a ball which skids on and hits his knee-roll. But there's no great appeal as his front leg was in the air and it would have easily gone over
10.1 -
Binny to S Tiwary, 1 run, slower length ball just outside off, Tiwary drags it down to long-on
Stuart Binny [1.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack
9.6 -
Watson to Rahane, FOUR, sliding down leg, Rahane neatly flicks it to the fine leg fence after twirling his wrists on it. BLR look lost at the moment
9.5 -
Watson to S Tiwary, 1 run, Tiwary backs away and drives it to Binny, who can't fire in a throw quickly and that facilitates a single
9.5 -
Watson to S Tiwary, wide, Watson tries a slower one but bowls it wide of off, Tiwary looks to make room and chop it, but can't get any bat on it
9.4 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, fuller length delivery from Watson, Tiwary drives it to cover
9.3 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, low full toss from Watson, Tiwary slices it to backward point
9.2 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, a tad fuller and just outside off, Tiwary defends it to cover, where Kohli stops. Maybe he is trying to lead by example
9.1 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, length delivery and angled away, Tiwary mistimes the drive back towards the bowler
9.1 -
Watson to S Tiwary, wide, short delivery and drifting down leg, Tiwary misses out with his pull, adjudged as a wide
Shane Watson [1.0-0-6-0] is back into the attack
8.6 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, 1 run, Tiwary taps it to sweeper cover for an easy single
8.5 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, FOUR, another pushed through delivery, Tiwary sits on one knee and sweeps it to the deep square leg boundary
8.4 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, no run, flatter delivery and outside off, Tiwary misses with his cut
8.3 -
Chahal to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane gets an inside edge on his tuck to short mid-wicket and hares down to the other end. Rahul looks to stop the duo from nabbing a single, but can't succeed in his endeavour
8.2 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, 1 run, the 50-run stand between the pair has been raised. Flatter delivery and outside off, eased down to cover
8.1 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, no run, is this some black magic that is affecting BLR? Not a single BLR player is getting a hand onto the ball. The googly from Chahal, Tiwary charges down the track, makes room, misses with his loft and the ball pops out of Rahul's hands and can't effect the stumping. This was a slightly tougher chance, but should have been taken
7.6 -
Aaron to Rahane, 2 runs, too straight from Aaron, Rahane nudges it to deep backward square leg for a brace
7.5 -
Aaron to Rahane, no run, Aaron changes in his line and bowls it outside off, defended
7.4 -
Aaron to Rahane, FOUR, it is getting from bad to worse for BLR. Another misfield and this time around, Kohli is livid. Speared down leg, Rahane works it to fine leg, where the fielder (Rasool) lets the ball go through his hands and into the fences
7.3 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, 1 run, sliding down leg, Tiwary tickles it behind square on the on-side
7.2 -
Aaron to Rahane, 1 run, too straight from Aaron, Rahane tucks it to square leg
7.1 -
Aaron to Rahane, no run, oh boy! BLR are having a wretched day in the field. Back of a length delivery from Aaron, Rahane looks to flick it and gets a soft leading edge. Neither Watson at mid-on nor Aaron get to the ball. The ball lands between them
6.6 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, FOUR, the flatter delivery from Chahal, Tiwary sinks on one knee and brings out the slog-sweep. Head at deep mid-wicket can't get to the ball. Lazy work from him
6.5 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, no run, fuller length delivery and it turns out to be a back of the hand googly, Tiwary tries to drive with his feet stationed in clay and the ball whizzes past the outside edge
6.4 -
Chahal to S Tiwary, no run, the googly from Chahal, Tiwary dabs it to short third man
6.3 -
Chahal to Rahane, 3 runs, slower through the air and Chahal gets a hint of turn, Rahane plays late and steers it towards the third man fence. Aaron, from short third man, hounds it down and gets a dive in to save a run for his team. He was fine there
6.2 -
Chahal to Rahane, no run, from wide of the crease, Chahal pushes it through, Rahane drives it back towards the bowler, who stops it on his followthrough. Chahal has a widish slip in place
6.1 -
Chahal to Rahane, no run, the straighter one from Chahal, defended off the front foot. He defended with his bat and pad tucked in together
Yuzvendra Chahal, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Time-Out in place now.
5.6 -
Aaron to Rahane, 1 run, short of length delivery and on the stumps, tucked to backward square leg
5.5 -
Aaron to Rahane, SIX, this time, Rahane waits for this back of a length delivery to arrive and ramps it over the fielder at third man fence. It clears the man in the deep with ease
5.4 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, 1 run, can you believe it? Now Sachin Baby drops a sitter, too. Short and wide, Tiwary cuts it to Baby at backward point, who despite getting a few steps forward can't grab the catch as it pops out of his hands. Kohli looks bemused
5.3 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, no run, holy moly! When nothing is going your way, catches get dropped. Binny is the cuplrit, here. Very full delivery from Aaron, Tiwary slices it to Binny at cover, who moves forward, but can't hold onto the catch. It should have been taken
5.2 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, FOUR, good timing and placement by Tiwary. Fuller length delivery and on off-stump, Tiwary drives it all along the ground to the deep extra cover fence. Fast hands on display by Tiwary
5.1 -
Aaron to S Tiwary, no run, back of a length and outside off, Tiwary heaves it to mid-on awkwardly
Varun Aaron, right-arm fast, comes into the attack
4.6 -
P Rasool to Rahane, FOUR, Rahane camps back, makes room to a delivery that actually turned and then punches it to the sweeper cover fence
4.5 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, 1 run, too straight from Rasool, Tiwary clips it to short fine leg
4.4 -
P Rasool to Rahane, 1 run, slightly shorter in length, Rahane pushes it to long-on
4.3 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, 1 run, Rasool belts out an appeal for LBW, but Tiwary was well down the pitch. Thus, rightly given as not out. Tiwary charges down the track and gets an inside edge and then hits his pad. The pair pinch in a single
4.2 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, FOUR, pushed through from Rasool, Tiwary goes inside-out with his drive and the ball zooms away to the extra cover fence
4.1 -
P Rasool to S Tiwary, no run, Tiwary uses his feet and drives it to short cover
Parvez Rasool [1.0-0-13-0] is back into the attack
Rasool has a slip in place now.
3.6 -
Watson to S Tiwary, 1 run, the slower one and outside off, Tiwary pats it to short third man
3.5 -
Watson to S Tiwary, FOUR, commentator's curse follows Watson! He uses the cross-seam bouncer this time, but does not get good shoulder on it and bowls it down leg, Tiwary pulls it to the fine leg fence
3.4 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, the slower short one from Watson. He is very good at bowling slower short deliveries and cross-seam bouncers. Tiwary looks to pull, but is too early into his shot and is beaten
3.3 -
Watson to S Tiwary, no run, fuller length delivery and angled away, Tiwary cracks the punchy-drive to mid-off
3.2 -
Watson to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane takes a step out of the crease and mistimes the drive to mid-on
3.1 -
Watson to Rahane, no run, fuller length delivery and on off-stump, driven into the cover-region
Shane Watson, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Jordan to S Tiwary, no run, again a wee bit of width on offer, Tiwary looks to cut and gets a bottom edge to the keeper
2.5 -
Jordan to S Tiwary, no run, shorter in length, Tiwary mistimes the pull to mid-on
2.4 -
Jordan to S Tiwary, FOUR, a touch of width on offer, Tiwary cuts it to the deep backward point fence. No need to run for those
2.3 -
Jordan to Rahane, 1 run, too straight from Jordan, clipped to mid-wicket
Saurabh Tiwary, left handed bat, comes to the crease
2.2 -
Jordan to Rahane, out Khawaja Run Out!! Khawaja has a history of being involved in terrible mix-ups. Here, too, he gets into a tangle with a mix-up, resulting in his run-out. A back of a length delivery that was angled in, Rahane tries to flick it around the corner and it hits him on his thigh pad. Rahane was ball watching. Khawaja looked to nab in a leg-bye. But when Rahane responded, it was too late and both were stranded almost at the same end. Watson from slip fired in a throw and Binny took the bails off by running in from mid-on. The umpires checked whether it was Rahane or Khawaja who had to go back to the hut. Eventually, Rahane had got his bat just back in. So, Khawaja was the man who had to take the long walk back. Khawaja run out (Watson/Binny) 16(6) [4s-2 6s-1]
Jordan to Rahane, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
2.1 -
Jordan to Rahane, FOUR, short delivery and subsidized with width, Rahane goes up and over the backward point region with his upper-cut. Aaron puts in a rather lazy dive and the ball zooms away to the fence
Chris Jordan, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
1.6 -
P Rasool to Khawaja, no run, a bit of hesitation in the middle, but no damage done. Khawaja clips it to square leg and Rahane looks for a quick single, but sent back at the right time. Rahane gets back in time
1.5 -
P Rasool to Khawaja, no run, Khawaja makes room and dabs it to short cover
1.4 -
P Rasool to Khawaja, FOUR, speared down leg, Khawaja uses the leg-glance and it runs away to the fine leg fence
1.3 -
P Rasool to Khawaja, SIX, this time, Khawaja dances down the track, takes it on the half volley and lifts it over the long-on fence for a maximum
1.2 -
P Rasool to Khawaja, 2 runs, from round the wicket, Rasool bowls a flatter delivery, Khawaja whips it all along the ground past the mid-on fielder. Head, with athletic strides, from mid-wicket gets to the ball and puts in a dive to parry it back into play. Another fielder flings in a throw
1.1 -
P Rasool to Rahane, 1 run, pushed through and on off-stump, Rahane taps it to long-on
Parvez Rasool, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Binny to Khawaja, FOUR, fuller length delivery and on the stumps, Khawaja looks to drive with cemented feet and gets an outside edge to the third man fence
0.5 -
Binny to Rahane, 1 run, Rahane takes a step out of the crease and aims to drive a fuller length delivery, but gets a soft leading edge towards the bowler who gets a finger on it. However, it is hard to call that as a chance. The duo pinch a single to mid-off
0.4 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, fuller length delivery and outside off, Rahane again shows pristine timing with a drive, but can't breach the gap through the cover-region
0.3 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, another pitched up delivery from Binny, Rahane drives it to mid-off. The crowd roars in the background
0.2 -
Binny to Rahane, FOUR, half volley from Binny, Rahane essays the drive all along the carpet to the deep backward point fence. The fielder in the deep runs around the circumference, but to no avail
0.1 -
Binny to Rahane, no run, fuller length delivery and a hint of shape away from Rahane, he checks his drive to mid-on
Rahane and Khawaja are at the crease. Rahane is on strike. Binny will open the attack
A spectacular Kohli ton to light up this Saturday. But the action is not over yet. The coin toss has already taken place in Mohali. Switch tabs to catch all the action there. From Sagar Chawla and Bharath Ramaraj, and also our scorer Sreenivas, it's a goodbye.
Kohli: "I was pretty determined tonight. Last time in Hyderabad we had to chase down 192 runs and I was pumped up. Tonight I had the motivation to go the extra mile, as we need to win 6 out of the remaining 7. The chase wasn't easy, especially as we needed to find the boundary frequently. Superb contributions from Rahul and Watto. It's important to keep your nerves in check. You can lose what you need to do, in the process otherwise. When you are chasing 12-13 an over, it's important to not get bogged down despite losing wickets. It's all about understanding the situation. I hadn't hit any T20 hundred before this, and now I have 2 this season. I don't really think about these things, the victory matters far more. Yeah I do look at the scoreboard. It's important to assess the scenarios."
Virat Kohli is Man of the Match, no surprises there.
Hang on for the presentations..
Good starts are what you need and a good start is what Rahul and Kohli ushered BLR to - from 46/0 after the powerplay to 94/0 at the 11-over mark. Soon after, Zampa struck twice in his third over to take out Rahul and de Villiers. Shaky waters then turned turbulent - for Pune, ironically - as Watson unleashed a barrage of fours at Perera, as many as five which were either deliberate or half-lucky, before falling to RP Singh. The complicated quadratic chase now stood simplified, and with (the Master of Chases) Kohli out there, looked even easy, dare I say. A held-back Ashwin's form stayed long-distanced and Kohli's sparkling ton - second of this season - buried BLR's fielding shambles to ace another chase.
19.3 -
Dinda to Kohli, FOUR, Kohli has won it in style for BLR! Trademark Kohli flick. Whips a low full toss through the square leg region and then sees his teammates barging towards him. My colleague Raju suggests that he should just hit them all with his bat the way they fielded earlier
19.2 -
Dinda to Kohli, 2 runs, Dinda darts it wider seeing Kohli walking across, Kohli tries to adjust by pushing it through the off-side but gets an inside edge which wanders behind square leg
19.1 -
Dinda to Head, 1 run, pastes a full toss down to long-on. Over to you, captain, for the winning runs
Ashok Dinda [3.0-0-19-0] is back into the attack
Just one hit away now. 4 required off the final over..
18.6 -
RP Singh to Kohli, SIX, Kohli has supernova'd here at the Chinnaswamy. Supernova - a star exploding? No? Okay. He blasts this full ball into the long-on stands and raises a spectacular ton. This is definitely IT, if the previous one wasn't. What a player, this lad. Gets a warm embrace from his partner and the crowd have gone nuts. Anyone who says a word against Kohli, they'd hang him upside down
18.5 -
RP Singh to Kohli, SIX, flogged behind square, and this is a game-clinching blow. It should be. Full on the pads, and Kohli uses those divine wrists to power it into the stands
18.4 -
RP Singh to Head, 1 run, another full ball at sufficient pace to hurry Head as he ekes out an inside edge onto pad
18.3 -
RP Singh to Head, no run, slower back of a length delivery outside off, and Head is way too early in the heave. Misses it by a distance in the end
18.2 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 1 run, drilled down to long-on. Good full ball. Can't get under those
18.1 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 2 runs, good comeback. Very full and Kohli can only flick it through mid-wicket for a brace
18.1 -
RP Singh to Head, no ball, 1 run, trust RP Singh to crop up with the most untimely no-balls. He bowled one in the final over of a tense contest against CHN, playing for BLR and costed his team the game. And now he's returned the favour to his former team. Very high full toss and Head slices his slog in the air to be caught at deep mid-wicket. But a free-hit is what he'll get. Or what Kohli will get rather
RP Singh [3.0-0-19-1] is back into the attack
18 from the Zampa over and it's turned in the home side's favour..
17.6 -
Zampa to Head, 1 run, darted in full on leg, squeezed through backward square
17.5 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli is absolutely furious with himself. Whacks his pads with his bat after reaching the other end. Couldn't get under it and jammed it to long-off
17.4 -
Zampa to Kohli, FOUR, now some luck. Shorter in length outside off, Kohli tries to carve it away through extra-cover but ends up slicing it off the outside-edge. Just about clears backward point and then skids off upon landing
17.3 -
Zampa to Kohli, no run, much better. Quicker through the air and very full just outside off, Kohli tries to launch but can only chop it off the inside edge onto pad
17.2 -
Zampa to Kohli, SIX, Zampa's plan of action has been to toss it into the blockhole so far. This over, he has missed it twice and has been belted for a couple of sixes. Prompts Dhoni to have a chat with his young Aussie leg-spinner. It was just a clean strike from Kohli who swung through the line and cleared long-off
17.1 -
Zampa to Kohli, SIX, he's just cleared a leaping Rahane at deep mid-wicket, who is now being helped off the field. Don't tell me that Pune have another injury concern. Anyway, Kohli mistimed his slog-sweep but these short boundaries came to his rescue
Adam Zampa [3.0-0-17-2] is back into the attack
And the required rate has soared because of the fact that just 10 runs were scored in the last 2 overs. Kohli the key here
16.6 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, might have been the carrom ball to which Kohli advanced, took it on the full and flicked it deep mid-wicket
16.5 -
Ashwin to Head, 1 run, clips this one away through mid-wicket
16.4 -
Ashwin to Head, no run, fires it on leg stump and manages to hit the flap of the pad as Head misses with his flick
Ashwin moves to round the wicket for the left-hander. One slip in place too
16.3 -
Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run, slightly fuller outside off, and slapped to deep cover
16.2 -
Ashwin to Kohli, FOUR, what a freakishly good shot this! On the back foot and creamed over extra-cover. Gave me the shivers when I first saw it, just the authority of the stroke. Darted short and wide and Kohli weaves it to the fence
16.1 -
Ashwin to Kohli, no run, darted in flatter and slightly short, Kohli drags it off the inside half back down the pitch
Ravichandran Ashwin, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
Finally, it's Ashwin time.
15.6 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 1 run, oh this has just dropped short of long-on. Such a teaser. Kohli is early into the flick, mistimes it in the air and falls short of a diving Bailey
15.5 -
RP Singh to Head, 1 run, short and rising ball around middle and leg, Head is slightly late on the pull and mistimes it to deep square leg
15.4 -
RP Singh to Head, no run, full ball which is driven to mid-off. Head can hit a big ball too, for those unaware of his BBL exploits
Travis Head, left handed bat, comes to the crease
The umpires have called for a strategic time-out.
15.3 -
RP Singh to Watson, out Lbw!! Watson plants his back knee down looking to slog the hell out of this one, but he misses and is hit on the back leg right in front of off. Oh this looks a tight call. Wouldn't it have missed the stumps with the angle? Marginal. But the chain-saw wielding henchman has to go. Watson lbw b RP Singh 36(13) [4s-5 6s-2]
RP Singh to Watson, THAT'S OUT!! Lbw!!
15.2 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 1 run, he's hit this one straight at RP, and it deflects off his legs towards long-off. RP hasn't even as much as grimaced. What has he got there, titanium?
15.1 -
RP Singh to Kohli, no run, runs down the track and still tries to mow RP into outer space despite the length being shortened. RP also did the clever thing of rolling his fingers across and Kohli swung too early. Missed it
RP Singh [2.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack
Just 10 an over needed off the final five overs. Has Ashwin been used at all till now? As a matter of fact, he hasn't. You can see where Dhoni is coming from, with two belligerent right handers at the crease. But maybe worth a gamble?
14.6 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, on the pads, clipped through mid-wicket
14.5 -
R Bhatia to Watson, 1 run, leg-cutter on a length outside off, Watson is tired of ripping Bhatia apart now. Pats it softly wide of cover
14.4 -
R Bhatia to Watson, SIX, my word. There was a poll run on TV at the start of the innings. And most users felt that luck is of paramount importance to defend a target at the Chinnaswamy. Boy gee, IT IS. If you miss ever so slightly, it disappears. Ends up being too full and is spanked over long-on. Monster hit
14.3 -
R Bhatia to Watson, SIX, wow. That's taken flight from Watson's blade. Only slightly short, Watson camps back and murders the pull over cow corner
14.2 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, clipped to deep mid-wicket
14.1 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, FOUR, Bhatia continues with those slower leg-cutters and this time he's been sliced supremely over backward point. It's flowing boundaries here
69 needed off the final 6 overs. And now the momentum is with the home team.
13.6 -
T Perera to Watson, FOUR, this is a behemoth over. Fifth boundary off it and it has yielded 20 runs. No two ways about this one. Full ball just outside off, Watson plants his foot down and smokes it straight of long-off
13.5 -
T Perera to Watson, FOUR, what can you do? This is very frustrating for Pune. Another attempted booming drive which flies down past short third man to the fence
13.4 -
T Perera to Watson, no run, pulls his length back and slows the pace down to beat Watson who loses balance trying to cut it very hard
13.3 -
T Perera to Watson, FOUR, hat-trick of fours! Although this one is a little cruel on the bowler and it has resulted for no fault of his. Very full outside off, Watson flashes at it and the outside edge races away through the vacant slip region
Dhoni has been standing up to the stumps, mind you
13.2 -
T Perera to Watson, FOUR, another short, wide stinker for Perera and he is punished again. Slashed through the point region
13.1 -
T Perera to Watson, FOUR, short and very wide outside off and it's been flayed away over backward point. Just about managed to reach it for a clean contact and lifted it over the infield
Thisara Perera [2.0-0-20-0] is back into the attack
12.6 -
R Bhatia to Watson, 1 run, fullish slower ball, swatted to the deep mid-wicket fielder
12.5 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, leg byes, 1 run, Kohli is left slightly puzzled by a leg-cutter, mostly because it didn't cut off the deck. He wanted to clip it through the on-side, but it sneaks past the inside edge, pops up off the flap of the pad and dribbles towards short third man
12.4 -
R Bhatia to Watson, 1 run, tries to muscle away a pull but gets slightly handcuffed and flat-bats it down to long-on
12.3 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, slower leg-cutter drifting in on the pads, tucked through mid-wicket
12.2 -
R Bhatia to Watson, 1 run, nudged away down to long-on. Another one of those cutters from Bhatia
12.1 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, length ball outside off, driven through the covers
Shane Watson, right handed bat, comes to the crease
11.6 -
Zampa to de Villiers, out Caught by T Perera!! Never mind what happened off the previous ball, there's no doubt about this one whatsoever. It's been superbly taken by Perera at long-off. AB slices a leg-break and his bottom hand comes off, Perera pedals back, hops at the right time, takes it overhead and then stalls his momentum inside the ropes. de Villiers c T Perera b Zampa 1(3)
Zampa to de Villiers, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
11.5 -
Zampa to de Villiers, no run, Zampa roars in appeal. Guys, this is a big moment in the game. AB has misjudged the length of one and he has tried to sweep a very full ball. Fails to connect and is hit very low on the front pad. Big, big shout for LBW but the umpire gestures that there's some bat involved. I can say with a fair degree of confidence, that there wasn't any bat involved
11.4 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, fails to get his cut past Tiwary at cover-point. Still, he's right at the edge of the circle, easy single
11.3 -
Zampa to de Villiers, 1 run, driven with the turn through the covers
11.2 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, tosses it up well and purposely bowls it very full so that Kohli can't get under it. Drilled to long-off
AB de Villiers, right handed bat, comes to the crease
11.1 -
Zampa to Rahul, out Caught by Bailey!! Oh, that little bit of turn. That little bit of turn has done the trick. It meant that Rahul got his lofted extra-cover drive more towards the bottom of the bat, and he sliced it straight to deep cover. PUNE would hope that this breakthrough slows things down a bit. Rahul c Bailey b Zampa 38(35) [4s-1 6s-2]
Zampa to Rahul, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Adam Zampa [2.0-0-14-0] is back into the attack
10.6 -
R Bhatia to Rahul, 1 run, drifts it onto the pads, clipped through mid-wicket
10.5 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, another leg-cutter, it's on a good length around off, patted into the off-side
10.4 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 2 runs, slower leg-cutter around middle, Kohli works it wide of long-on and bolts back for the second to bring up a half-century
10.3 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, FOUR, such a polite full toss on the pads, and Kohli whips him wide of long-on. Bhatia isn't coming to terms with this pitch, it's not his kind. But first, he needs to land them
10.2 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, FOUR, clattered through extra-cover. Too full from Bhatia, and Kohli punishes him with a withering drive. The BLR captain is turning it on, and the wheels have been set in motion
10.1 -
R Bhatia to Rahul, 1 run, slower length ball just outside off, Rahul slices it down to long-off. Swung too hard and couldn't get it off the middle
Rajat Bhatia [1.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
The last 2-3 overs have been fairly fruitful for BLR, and all of their wickets are still intact. I am no psyhcic but I think this is going to be a goodie!
9.6 -
T Perera to Rahul, 1 run, scrambled seam delivery from Perera, Rahul pushes it to mid-on
9.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, fuller length delivery from Perera, driven down to long-on
9.4 -
T Perera to Rahul, 1 run, fullish from Perera, Rahul drives it to long-on, but can't push for a brace
9.3 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, good length delivery and on the stumps, Kohli flogs it square on the of-side, who ushers in a poor throw, but no damage done
9.2 -
T Perera to Rahul, 1 run, Rahul backs away, but Perera follows him, Rahul chops it to short third man
9.1 -
T Perera to Rahul, SIX, now that was hammered by Rahul. Back of a length delivery and on the stumps, Rahul clubs it over the deep mid-wicket fence. It was measured at 89 metres. For Rahul, too, the keeper has come upto the stumps now
Thisara Perera [1.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack
Time-Out is in place now
8.6 -
Zampa to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, Zampa sees Rahul charging down the track. He shortens his length a bit, Rahul tries to work it through the on-side and misses. The two pinch a leg-bye to short third man
8.5 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, too straight from Zampa, clipped to deep mid-wicket
8.4 -
Zampa to Kohli, FOUR, Kohli waltzes down the track, makes room, drives it all along the carpet to the deep extra cover fence. Now, was there anything wrong with the shot? Near-perfection
8.3 -
Zampa to Kohli, no run, quicker delivery and on the stumps, Kohli mistimes the drive back towards the bowler
8.2 -
Zampa to Kohli, FOUR, Kohli, twins timing and placement to whip a pushed through delivery to the long-on fence. Vintage Kohli on display
8.1 -
Zampa to Rahul, 1 run, Rahul drives it to long-off for a single
7.6 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, no run, fuller and on the stumps, Kohli gets a soft leading edge, but it lands in front of Bhatia who dived to his left
7.5 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, SIX, Kohli kept his head very still there and that facilitated him to crunch a six down the ground. The slower one from Bhatia, Kohli lifts it into the downtown territories
7.4 -
R Bhatia to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, Rahul skips down the track to another off-cutter and misses. The two nab a leg-bye
7.3 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, 1 run, another very slow delivery from Bhatia, Kohli works it to deep mid-wicket, where Rahane tidies up. Kohli and Rahul have to make all the pace as Bhatia is bowling very slow through the air
7.2 -
R Bhatia to Kohli, no run, the off-pace delivery from Bhatia, Kohli chops it back down the pitch
7.1 -
R Bhatia to Rahul, 1 run, stump-to-stump line, Rahul tucks it to mid-on
Rajat Bhatia, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Zampa to Rahul, 1 run, Rahul backs away a touch and cracks the drive to extra cover. Kohli calls for a quick single and the pair scamper across. With it, the stand now is worth 50 runs. BLR have made a steady start, but the track seems to have slowed down a bit
6.5 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, very full from Zampa, Kohli drives it firmly to long-off
6.4 -
Zampa to Rahul, 1 run, another one on the blockhole from Zampa, Rahul gets an inside edge on his drive to backward square leg
6.3 -
Zampa to Rahul, no run, very full from Zampa, Rahul drives it back towards the bowler
6.2 -
Zampa to Rahul, no run, Rahul looks to take it on the full and misses. It hits his boot, but the angle was taking it down leg
6.1 -
Zampa to Kohli, 1 run, from wide of the crease, Zampa uses the slider, driven to deep extra cover
Adam Zampa, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
5.6 -
T Perera to Rahul, no run, another short of length delivery from Perera and outside off, Rahul has a tame poke at it before withdrawing his bat. It perhaps moved off the pitch a wee bit
5.5 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, good length delivery and outside off, Kohli flogs it to deep extra cover
5.4 -
T Perera to Rahul, 1 run, too straight from Perera, Rahul works it to mid-on
5.3 -
T Perera to Kohli, 1 run, Kohli dabs it to short third man for a quick single
5.2 -
T Perera to Kohli, SIX, fuller length delivery and just outside off, Kohli uses the lofted drive and the ball clears the deep extra cover boundary with ease. He nailed that one to perfection
5.1 -
T Perera to Kohli, no run, back of a length delivery and just outside off, Kohli hoicks it to mid-on
Thisara Perera, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
For Perera, too, the keeper is upto the stumps.
4.6 -
Dinda to Rahul, 2 runs, full toss and sliding down leg, Rahul whips it to deep mid-wicket. It didn't come off the sweet spot of the bat, but thankfully for him, it landed in no man's land
4.5 -
Dinda to Kohli, 1 run, the yorker and on the stumps, Kohli makes room and squeezes it out to short third man
4.4 -
Dinda to Rahul, 1 run, good length delivery and on the stumps, Rahul gets an inside edge on his tuck and onto his pads and the ball rolls across towards cover-point as the duo sneak in a single
4.3 -
Dinda to Rahul, 2 runs, very full and zooming in on the stumps, Rahul drives it firmly to deep extra cover to add two more runs to the tally
4.2 -
Dinda to Rahul, 2 runs, banged in bumper from Dinda, Rahul pulls it to fine leg for a brace
4.1 -
Dinda to Rahul, FOUR, fuller length delivery and on the stumps, Rahul lofts it into downtown territories for a boundary. He did not lose the shape of his shot there
3.6 -
RP Singh to Rahul, 1 run, short of length delivery and outside off, punched to cover
3.5 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 1 run, Rahul is just in there. Dhoni flicked it back onto the stumps between his legs, but the batsman had made his ground. Back of a length delivery and outside off, Kohli dabs it to short third man, Tiwary rockets in a throw and Dhoni does the rest, but to no avail
3.4 -
RP Singh to Kohli, SIX, Kohli backs away and smacks a length ball over extra cover for a maximum. BLR are on their way
3.3 -
RP Singh to Rahul, 1 run, leg bye, the slower short one from RP Singh, Rahul looks to pull and misses. Ball rolls into the off-side off Rahul's shoulder. Kohli scampers across for a quick single and dives, but he might have hurt his shoulder in that process. If Rahane at backward point had hit at the striker's end, Kohli would have been out despite a full length dive
Kohli is down on the ground and he is holding his left shoulder. He tried to nab a quick single and put in a desperate dive at the batsman's end, but seems to be fine now
3.2 -
RP Singh to Rahul, SIX, Rahul shows class and quality by lifting a fullish length delivery over long-off for a maximum. Lovely timing on that one. He held his pose after playing that stroke
3.1 -
RP Singh to Rahul, no run, the pressure is getting to Rahul as he takes a step out of the crease and aims to hoick it across the line, but misses
2.6 -
Dinda to Kohli, no run, full and just outside off, Kohli taps it to mid-on
2.5 -
Dinda to Kohli, no run, back of a length delivery and just outside off, Kohli punches it to mid-on
2.4 -
Dinda to Rahul, 1 run, shortish and outside off, eased down to third man. The keeper is upto the stumps for Kohli
2.3 -
Dinda to Kohli, 1 run, if Bailey at mid-off had flung in a direct-hit that would have been curtains for Kohli, but he survives. Kohli pushes it to Bailey, who swoops down on the ball quickly and fires in a throw, but misses. Kohli did put in a desperate dive, but that would not have helped him, if there was a direct-hit
2.2 -
Dinda to Rahul, 1 run, too straight from Dinda, clipped to deep square leg
2.1 -
Dinda to Rahul, no run, good length delivery and just outside off, Rahul drives it to the heavily packed cover-region
1.6 -
RP Singh to Rahul, leg byes, 1 run, a bit of drama in the middle as RP Singh dishes out an appeal for LBW, but turned down. Maybe it was pitching just outside the line of leg-stump. A hint of away-swing for Singh, Rahul closes his bat face as he looks to tuck it around the corner and misses. RP Singh's appeal not answered in the affirmative. He also took a tumble on his followthrough
1.5 -
RP Singh to Rahul, no run, a wee bit of width on offer, Rahul chops it to backward point
1.4 -
RP Singh to Rahul, no run, fuller length delivery from RP Singh, Rahul push-drives it to mid-on
1.3 -
RP Singh to Kohli, 1 run, good length delivery and angled away, Kohli tucks it to mid-on and steals a quick single
1.2 -
RP Singh to Kohli, no run, Kohli skips out of the crease and tries to pulverise a back of a length delivery and connects with thin air. Maybe he is trying to assert himself at the crease
1.1 -
RP Singh to Rahul, 1 run, fuller length delivery and outside off, Rahul looks to drive and ekes out an inside edge to deep backward square leg. He was early into his shot
RP Singh, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
0.6 -
Dinda to Kohli, no run, a tad fuller and outside off, Kohli steers it to backward point, but can't breach the gap
0.5 -
Dinda to Rahul, 1 run, Dinda ushers in the bumper and gets good height on it, Rahul pulls it to deep backward square leg. He did not exactly time that one though
0.4 -
Dinda to Rahul, no run, Dinda looks for the inswinger, but drifts it down leg, Rahul tries to flick it around the corner and it brushes his trouser on its way to the keeper. A muted appeal for a strangle down leg turned down
0.3 -
Dinda to Kohli, 1 run, the cross-seamer from Dinda, Kohli clips it to short mid-wicket and hares down to the other end
0.2 -
Dinda to Kohli, no run, length ball and just outside off, Kohli again drives it to cover
0.1 -
Dinda to Kohli, 2 runs, good length delivery and just outside off, Kohli drives it towards the cover-region, where Zampa puts in a dive to his left and saves a couple
Kohli and Rahul are at the crease. Kohli is on strike. Dinda will open the attack