Here come out the players! Nehra and Mustafizur. Remember the names. Admittedly not the easiest of batting conditions but a head on the shoulders should see Pune home. One slip for BK
"We started pretty well today. Dinda gave us a great start, got David out and then we chipped in. Very happy with the way the ball is coming out of my hand. We just have to go out there and get a start, try and not lose wickets in the first few overs," says R Ashwin near the sidelines. He finishes his interviews so quickly as if they were his overs.
This was not an innings, it was a run-tease, and a frustrating one at that - three wickets and three boundaries in the powerplay, no boundaries but two wickets in the next six overs after that, and then the trend never bucked. Dhawan, out there till the end to register a fifty, broke the shackles in the thirteenth over to arguably propel Hyderabad out of toe-curling embarrassment, given that Hyderabad were 39/5 at the halfway mark. Pune had gambled on a new bowling combination up front and gosh, didn't they deliver. If Dinda started the slide with bowling figures of 2-1-7-2, which included the high-stakes wicket of Warner, Mitch Marsh worked his way frugally to hand Morgan a two-ball duck. Hooda, Henriques and Co. helped accrue single digits to the telephone number of a scorecard and but for Bhuvneshwar's cameo, this could have been shambles. Might still be one. Chase coming up!
19.6 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan will carry his bat through but his team has not got enough I reckon. Mistimes the drive to long-off for a single on the last ball of the innings
19.5 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 2 runs, is a full toss really that difficult to be put away? This time Dhawan swings across and hits it wide of long-on for a couple
Ashish Nehra, right handed bat, comes to the crease
19.4 -
T Perera to Bhuvneshwar, out Caught by du Plessis!! He would have been better off skying the full toss again, but this time hits it better. But not better enough to clear the fielder stationed at long-on. An easy one for the South African there. Bhuvneshwar c du Plessis b T Perera 21(8) [4s-3 6s-1]
T Perera to Bhuvneshwar, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
19.3 -
T Perera to Bhuvneshwar, 2 runs, takes this one on the full and skies it high towards mid-wicket. Fielders in the deep and before they can reach the scene, a couple has been stolen
19.2 -
T Perera to Bhuvneshwar, FOUR, I do not even need to type. Should have just pasted the description of the previous delivery. Kumar made room a touch and carved it past the fielder at short third man once again
19.1 -
T Perera to Bhuvneshwar, FOUR, third man inside the ring and Kumar has made use of it. Slices this fullish delivery past the man at short third man, fetches himself something to bowl at
18.6 -
Dinda to Dhawan, no run, wider than the previous delivery but Dhawan spoiled his team's chances of extra run by giving himself too much of room. The ball scooted past him in a jiffy
18.6 -
Dinda to Dhawan, wide, what could have been the last over of Dinda's spell has gone down the leg-side. He will have to bowl that one again
18.5 -
Dinda to Bhuvneshwar, 1 run, now Bhuvneshwar wants to lap it, behind the keeper. The line was well wide off and he has to manage with a thickish edge towards point
18.4 -
Dinda to Bhuvneshwar, SIX, there is a little battle going on between Bhuvneshwar and Ashok. And I am loving it. Dinda bowled it full on the stumps and Kumar lofted it across the line, got it off the middle of the bat and Rahane from long-on was just an onlooker
18.3 -
Dinda to Bhuvneshwar, no run, take that. In fact, play that is the response from Dinda. Bumper and Kumar has to sit under it
18.2 -
Dinda to Bhuvneshwar, FOUR, cliche time. 'Fortune favours the brave.' Short ball and Kumar threw his bat on the flash, a thick top edge beats the fielder stationed at third man
18.2 -
Dinda to Bhuvneshwar, wide, a rare bad ball from Dinda tonight. Slips this one down the leg-side, called a wide
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, right handed bat, comes to the crease
18.1 -
Dinda to Dhawan, out Bipul Sharma Run Out!! Yorker on the stumps and Dhawan nutmegged himself on the flick, the ball rolled down towards short fine leg. Sharma had to run anyway, he did so but could not beat the direct hit from the Sri Lankan. Bipul Sharma run out (T Perera) 5(5)
Dinda to Dhawan, THAT'S OUT!! Run Out!!
Third umpire has a bit of work to do once again. It will be an easy one I guess, direct hit and Sharma is gone
17.6 -
T Perera to Bipul Sharma, no run, this is ugly. Sharma rotated himself on the heave and was beaten by the slowness of the delivery. The ball just bounced over the stumps, Dhoni collects on one bounce
17.5 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 1 run, drills this fullish delivery towards long-off for an easy single
17.4 -
T Perera to Dhawan, SIX, fifty for Dhawan, picked the length in time and cleared his left leg. Swung across the line and dispatched it deep into the mid-wicket stand
17.3 -
T Perera to Bipul Sharma, 1 run, once again Sharma prefers to stay leg-side to give himself some room. Chops this slower delivery towards sweeper cover
17.2 -
T Perera to Bipul Sharma, 2 runs, back of a length delivery on the middle and leg, Sharma stayed leg-side and then tucked in front of deep mid-wicket, called for two and sprinted back in time
17.1 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 1 run, yorker on off, Dhawan jams it after taking the bottom hand off the bat. Extra cover tidies up
Thisara Perera [2.0-0-8-0] is back into the attack
16.6 -
Dinda to Bipul Sharma, 2 runs, that is some smart running between the wickets. Sharma cut this back of a length delivery outside off to third man, he had a bit of distance to cover to his left. Sensing the opportunity, Sharma called for the second run and got it with ease, despite running to the danger end
16.5 -
Dinda to Bipul Sharma, no run, Sharma pushes this length ball off the outer part of the bat to point, wanted a single. Was never there
Bipul Sharma, left handed bat, comes to the crease
16.4 -
Dinda to N Ojha, out Bowled!! Those twitter trolls have been put to silent by Dinda tonight. Another special delivery and it has got the better of Ojha. Fullish on the stumps, in fact a yorker it was. Ojha swung at it, missed the line by good 3-4 inches and the ball crashed onto the base of the stumps. Dinda leaps in the air and does his famous fist pump. He is delighted, should be for what he has done tonight. N Ojha b Dinda 18(21) [6s-1]
Dinda to N Ojha, THAT'S OUT!! Bowled!!
16.3 -
Dinda to N Ojha, no run, bumper and a quick one, Ojha wants to pull it. Was in no position and the ball hurls past him into the gloves of Dhoni
16.2 -
Dinda to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan reads the slower short delivery outside off and doles out a slap to extra cover, special effort from Saurabh Tiwary means that Hyderabad can get only one
16.1 -
Dinda to Dhawan, no run, Dhawan wanted to be cute but Dinda was too clever. Dhawan moved across trying to lap it behind the keeper. But Dinda bowled it slow and well outside off to deceive the batsman
Ashok Dinda [2.0-1-7-2] is back into the attack
15.6 -
Murugan Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, whips this quicker one from the crease to deep mid-wicket for a single
15.5 -
Murugan Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, flat and quick on the stumps, defended from the crease
15.4 -
Murugan Ashwin to Dhawan, 2 runs, Dhawan miscued the loft after coming down the track. Rahane from long-off rushed in and got both hands to it, but somehow let it slip as he made contact with the ground. In the meantime, the batsmen tried to steal the second run and did that without any damage in the end
Third umpire being summoned for a run-out appeal. Ojha is the man in question at the bowler's end. But he looks safe to me. The cheer from crowd said it all. Not out it is
15.3 -
Murugan Ashwin to N Ojha, 1 run, Ojha slogs this one off the inner part of the bat to deep backward square leg, has to be content with a single
15.2 -
Murugan Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, half-tracker and Dhawan pulls it well in front of square. du Plessis from deep mid-wicket covers good ground to his left and keeps it down to one
15.1 -
Murugan Ashwin to N Ojha, 1 run, flatter on the stumps from Ashwin, Ojha works in front of deep mid-wicket for a single. Was looking for second as well but the Aussie is quick, really quick
Murugan Ashwin, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack
Five overs to go. What is a realistic target from here? 120?
14.6 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, 1 run, off-pace delivery once again, Ojha tries to smack it down the ground. Did not time it that well, long-on collects on one bounce
14.5 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, angles this one from round the wicket, back of a length delivery it was, Dhawan works it to mid-wicket
14.5 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, wide, pressure talking! Slower delivery gone horribly wrong, well wide of off and called a wide
14.4 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, 1 run, drives this length delivery on the up towards extra cover to bring Dhawan on strike
14.3 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, SIX, it is clear now that these two have decided to target Bhatia. Ojha slogs this length delivery hard and connects well to send it soaring over the deep mid-wicket fence. Will this resuscitate the innings?
14.2 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, eases this one down the ground to long-on for a single
14.1 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 2 runs, the other Ashwin has done a tremendous work at the deep backward square leg fence. Dhawan swept this one wide of him, he moved along the turf, dived and released the ball quickly to save two runs for his team
13.6 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, whips this one off his pads very fine on the on-side to retain the strike for the next over
13.5 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 2 runs, really smart work from Ashwin, saw Dhawan coming down the track and dragged the length. Dhawan cut it to the left of Smith at point, who dived to keep it down to two
13.4 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, 1 run, eased the pace a bit this time and kept it around off, Ojha drives it towards long-off
13.3 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, no run, quicker for the right-hander, defended back to the bowler
13.2 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, much slower for Dhawan, he waits on it and taps in front of point softly for a quick single
13.1 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, 1 run, arm-ball on the stumps, Ojha sinks low and sweeps to deep backward square leg
Time-out in place. David Warner, Tom Moody, Muttiah Muralitharan are out in the middle talking to the batsmen.
12.6 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, 1 run, off-speed length delivery around off, Ojha lifts uppishly towards Jinx at long-off
12.5 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, no run, punched crisply but Bhatia fields and denies Ojha a single
12.4 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhoni aims and misses. Ojha was a goner there. Dhawan taps it towards short point and calls for a quick single. Ojha wouldn't have made it, even with a dive
12.3 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, 1 run, 90ks? Isn't Afridi, the legspinner quicker than that? Full and Ojha plays it to long-on
12.2 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan brings up the 50 with a chop towards backward point
12.1 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, FOUR, Dhawan anticipates and charges down the pitch, takes it on the full and lofts it gun-barrel straight, a couple of bounces and into the fence
11.6 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, no run, tossed up on middle, pushed back to ASH
11.5 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, low full toss on the pads, Dhawan can only clip it to deep square leg
11.4 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, sliding down leg, Dhawan flicks hard but finds short fine to perfection
11.3 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, 1 run, straighter one targetting the stumps, knocked to long-on
11.2 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, no run, flat and quick outside off, Ojha keeps it down in front of short mid-wicket
11.1 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, floated up invitingly on the stumps, Dhawan uses his feet to ease one down to long-on
10.6 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, generate your own pace if you can seems to be Bhatia's mantra. A dart on middle and leg and Dhawan is content with a nudge through mid-wicket
10.5 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, no run, same line again, Dhawan toe-ends the drive back to Bhatia
10.4 -
R Bhatia to N Ojha, 1 run, 113ks stump-to-stump line, Ojha lifts tamely over a non-existent mid-on
10.3 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, 1 run, Dhawan, this time, waits cleverly on the back foot and clips this full delivery off his pads
10.2 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, no run, slightly fuller outside off, driven with soft hands towards mid-off
10.1 -
R Bhatia to Dhawan, no run, the military medium pacer bowls a slower length ball around off, Dhawan looks to work it to leg, badly mistimed back to the bowler
Rajat Bhatia, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
39/5 after 10 overs? HYD are in a bit of horlicks now...Dhawan seems to be only ray of hope and here comes Rajat Bhatia to deny just that
9.6 -
Ashwin to N Ojha, no run, the legbreak on off, punched back to the bowler
9.5 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, advances and drives neatly wide of long-off
9.4 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, half-hearted appeal for leg before but that's gonna miss leg-stump. Dhawan went for the agricultural swipe and missed by a long mile, hit in line with middle and leg
9.3 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, looped up around off, pushed down the ground
9.2 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 2 runs, slowish and short just outside off, Dhawan rocks back and pulls airily wide of mid-wicket
9.1 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, flat and quick at the toes, flicked straight to mid-wicket
8.6 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, 1 run, full on leg-stump, Dhawan on-drives to mid-on
8.5 -
Mitchell Marsh to N Ojha, 1 run, short delivery climbing onto the batsman, Ojha rises as high as he can but still fends it awkwardly into the leg-side. Might have been off the glove. Oh! That hurts...
8.4 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, 1 run, short of length outside off, Dhawan punches off the back foot past point
8.3 -
Mitchell Marsh to N Ojha, 1 run, full and drifting away around the wide tramline, Ojha slices the drive behind backward point and is off the mark with a single
8.2 -
Mitchell Marsh to N Ojha, no run, good length, straightened after pitching in the outside off channel, play that if you can - Ojha lifts his bat and lets it go
Naman Ojha, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Pune are cock-a-hoop at the moment...
8.1 -
Mitchell Marsh to Henriques, out Caught by Dhoni!! Marsh comes and takes another wicket. Half the Hyderabad side are back in the hutch. This, to be honest, isn't a wicket-deserving delivery by any means. Full and snaking down leg, Henriques flicks late and could only find toe-edge which travels into the gloves of MS who judges it to perfection. Diving full-length to his left. Strangled down leg and we have a stragetic time-out in place. Henriques c Dhoni b Mitchell Marsh 1(4)
Mitchell Marsh to Henriques, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
Mitchell Marsh [3.0-0-10-1] is back into the attack
7.6 -
Ashwin to Henriques, 1 run, clipped off the pads behind square leg
7.5 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, 1 run, cut square on the off-side
7.4 -
Ashwin to Dhawan, no run, huge appeal for lbw but that doesn't flinch the umpire one bit. Sharp eyes! Dhawan got a big inside edge on the forward push, would have been a dead duck had there been no bat invloved
7.3 -
Ashwin to Henriques, leg byes, 1 run, sliding down leg, Henriques fails to tuck, rolled away to the leg-side off the thigh pad
7.2 -
Ashwin to Henriques, no run, punched back to the bowler
Moises Henriques, right handed bat, comes to the crease
7.1 -
Ashwin to Deepak Hooda, out Caught by Dhoni!! Deepak Hooda tries to be too cheeky and pays the price. Gently flighted on and around off-stump line, Hooda attempts a reverse sweep and his premeditation has cost him dearly. The ball takes the glove and lobs to the right of MS who dives and snaffles sans any fuss. Deepak Hooda c Dhoni b Ashwin 1(9)
Ashwin to Deepak Hooda, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
No slips for ASH...
Ravichandran Ashwin, right-arm off break, comes into the attack
6.6 -
T Perera to Deepak Hooda, 1 run, drifting away in the outside off channel, Hooda push-drives through cover and keeps the strike
6.5 -
T Perera to Deepak Hooda, no run, a direct hit and Hooda was gone for all money. Hooda dinks this length ball towards Steve Smith at cover and seeks a quick single. Dhawan isn't intersted but Smithy's throw just missed the timbers
6.4 -
T Perera to Deepak Hooda, no run, that's what pressure can do! A 129ks delivery on the pads is flicked straight to mid-wicket
6.3 -
T Perera to Deepak Hooda, no run, slower short delivery wide of off, Hooda mis-hits the cut to backward point
Steve Smith and MS converge to discuss something. Meanwhile Hooda needs a new willow
6.2 -
T Perera to Deepak Hooda, no run, offering no room whatsoever, tight on off-stump, Hooda had to B-L-O-C-K
6.1 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 1 run, back of a length on the stumps, Dhawan camps back and taps it into the on-side and sneaks in a quick single
Thisara Perera [1.0-0-6-0] is back into the attack
5.6 -
Mitchell Marsh to Deepak Hooda, no run, there's the banana swing for Marsh, on a good length and veering away viciously in the danger zone, Hooda is circumspect. Not remotely interested in playing at that one
5.5 -
Mitchell Marsh to Deepak Hooda, no run, length on middle, Hooda shuffles and offers a straight willow in defence
5.4 -
Mitchell Marsh to Deepak Hooda, no run, kept low from a fuller length, Hooda bunts it towards the off-side
Deepak Hooda, right handed bat, comes to the crease
5.3 -
Mitchell Marsh to Eoin Morgan, out Caught by Dhoni!! Nicely set up by Mitch Marsh and Eoin Morgan is out for a duck. Pitched up and luring Morgan into a drive. Morgan saw the width and went chasing with his feet stuck in blob. Nearly off the toe-edge and MS ain't dropping that. Eoin Morgan c Dhoni b Mitchell Marsh 0(2)
Mitchell Marsh to Eoin Morgan, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
5.2 -
Mitchell Marsh to Eoin Morgan, no run, bustles to the crease and hits the deck hard on a good length, Morgan hops and fends it onto the pitch and yells a loud "no"
5.1 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, 1 run, fullish on middle and leg, tucked away towards mid-wicket
Eoin Morgan, left handed bat, comes to the crease
4.6 -
Dinda to Tare, out Caught by T Perera!! Dinda gets his second and ends Tare's struggles at the crease. Pacy bouncer outside off, Tare decides to pull sans any conviction and feeds a fat, top-edge into the safe palms of Perera at cover. Tare c T Perera b Dinda 8(14) [4s-1]
Dinda to Tare, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
4.5 -
Dinda to Dhawan, 1 run, 142ks goodish length on off, Dhawan punches past the non-striker and races for a quick single
4.4 -
Dinda to Dhawan, 2 runs, short at the ribs, Dhawan pulls along the ground through square leg
4.3 -
Dinda to Dhawan, no run, shorter and wider of off, Dhawan watches it sail through to the keeper
4.2 -
Dinda to Dhawan, no run, tad fuller on middle, Dhawan clips and gets an inside edge onto his pad
4.1 -
Dinda to Dhawan, FOUR, length ball shaping in towards leg, Dhawan drives and ekes out a thick inside edge which skims past the leg-stump and into the fence
Ashok Dinda [1.0-1-0-1] is back into the attack
3.6 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, 2 runs, bumper outside off, Tare sits back and fetches the pull from there, a thick top-edge that goes high into the night sky and lands well behind a backward hustling MS
3.5 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, sweetly punched towards backward point
3.4 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, FOUR, that's a gift! After all those good stuff Marsh decides to bowl a dross on Tare's pads, flicked away nonchalantly through mid-wicket
3.3 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, inviting another punch/cut, Tare punches half-heartedly and sees backward point diving to his left, saved a couple of runs there
3.2 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, drags his length back slightly and keeps it around that fifth stump zone, Tare seeks to cut but is late on the shot
3.1 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, too full on leg-stump, Tare is late on the tickle, the ball thuds the pad and lands in the safe mitts of MS
2.6 -
T Perera to Tare, 1 run, slanted into the pads, Tare flicks wide of fine leg and scampers for a single
2.5 -
T Perera to Tare, no run, darted away outside off from a length, Tare swishes and misses
2.4 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 3 runs, sat up nicely outside off, Dhawan punches square on the off-side. Bhatia dives and pushes it wide of Steven Smith who came in from cover. A single saved nonetheless...
2.3 -
T Perera to Dhawan, no run, goodish length on the stumps, played back to the bowler
2.2 -
T Perera to Tare, 1 run, another slower one, at 126ks. Held on the pitch for and angled in around off, Tare checks his flick and luckily it lands wide of a sprinting mid-on
Two slips for Tare and one for Dhawan...
2.1 -
T Perera to Dhawan, 1 run, Thisara starts with an off-cutter, hurls it on the pads and Dhawan glances it down to fine leg
Thisara Perera, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
1.6 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, fullish and homing in around leg-stump, Tare wristily flicks but cannot get it past mid-on
1.5 -
Mitchell Marsh to Tare, no run, another peach from Mitch! Finds good length and swings it away from the right-hander, well outside off and Tare is happy to let that go
An extra slip has been added now...
1.4 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, 1 run, touch fuller in the outside off zone, Dhawan drives with hard hands, to the right of mid-off who throws himself and keeps it down to a single
1.3 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, no run, fantastic! Good length delivery that straightened in the corridor of uncertainty, Dhawan doesn't bother with it
1.2 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, no run, too full on middle, Dhawan manages to squeeze it out towards cover
1.1 -
Mitchell Marsh to Dhawan, 2 runs, fullish and nipped away ever so slightly, Dhawan had plenty of room on offer and hence threw the kitchen sink, a thick outside edge that races in the gap through short third man. Dinda slides in the deep and saves a certain boundary
Mitchell Marsh, right-arm medium, comes into the attack
Mitch Marsh from the other end. One slip for him too..
0.6 -
Dinda to Tare, no run, pacy good length delivery outside off, Tare lets it be
0.5 -
Dinda to Tare, leg byes, FOUR, full and swinging down leg, Tare fails to tickle, off the pads and into the fine leg fence
Aditya Tare, right handed bat, comes to the crease
0.4 -
Dinda to Warner, out Caught by Rahane!! Warner out for nought and Dinda is absolutely ecstatic. Jumps high and wears a wry smile as Warner makes his way back to the pavilion. Short and wide, Warner cuts uppishly and spoons it low towards backward point. Rahane has a safe pair of hands, he grabs it near his bootlaces. Warner c Rahane b Dinda 0(4)
Dinda to Warner, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
0.3 -
Dinda to Warner, no run, that should have been a boundary but Steven Smith has flung himself superbly. Fuller and wider of off, Warner slashes and the Smithy at cover dives desperately to his left
0.2 -
Dinda to Warner, no run, another one that curves in late around middle, Warner jams it towards mid-wicket with a closed bat face
0.1 -
Dinda to Warner, no run, oooh! Swing for Dinda. Very full and swinging in around middle, Warner keeps his eyes all along and opens the bat face on the drive towards cover
Warner and Dhawan are at the crease. Warner is on strike. Dinda will open the attack
So, some toss luck, the bowling renaissance and a bit of rain helped Dhoni arrest the slide and inject Superkings-like spirit (dare I say) back into the Supergiants. The fielding was good, the bowling top-notch and the batting scathing in reply. Dhawan's near run-a-ball 56 stood out among the shambles but that was about it, and so is it from us. Join us tomorrow. For now, a good night from Pratyush Sinha on behalf of Raju Peethala, Abhishek Chaudhary and Siva. Ta-ta!
"Very happy. The wicket is good for fast bowlers and I maintained the lines and lengths. Dhoni always helps me to bowl well - how to bowl to Naman Ojha and others. I am a big Ronaldo fan and that's why that celebration," says Ashok Dinda who is the Man of the Match
Dhoni: "It's important to win games. We had only won one out of the first five. You cannot be in the middle of the chart to qualify for the semis. There are quite a few teams on 4 or 6 points and we are within reach. Apart from the first toss, I have won them all. We never thought about the rain as a factor; the reason we bowled first is because the wicket stays good. When you are chasing, you don't worry about the rain much. Length from the bowlers were good and Ashwin bowled the way he wanted to bowl. When there are a few wickets in the first few overs, the spinners don't feel the pressure. The batsmen and the fast bowlers did well. I don't mind (playing for 10 years) but another 5 years would be good. A few average fielders in the side and the ball goes to them mostly. So we have score those extra 10 runs. This is one game where we did well in all the departments."
"Couple of half-trackers went to hand, a strangle down leg but they bowled well. We have to keep batting like we were doing when we were chasing. Boys tried hard. We lost wickets trying to get the momentum early on. Looking forward to the two home games. Yuvraj is close (to selection) and let's see what the selectors say. Really appreciate the fans and their support," says David Warner after the loss
Handshakes all around. Disappointment for the crowd, given the rain cut and the home team's loss but that's how things roll. Wait for the presentations if you aren't rubbing your eyes in sleep already!
Hyderabad had won three in a row before today's game. Dare I say that complacency crippled them against an out of form team. But tonight is Dhoni's men's night. Let's not take it away from them, they checked every box. Mahi, at the toss, said that one win will get them rolling. Pune would believe they have got the roller-blades!
Pune needed this! For a captain like Dhoni, who is not used to being in the bottom half of the table in the T20 League, this win will serve as the IV drip. They were all over the hosts today and deserve this thumping victory. Will also do a world of good to their net run rate. Free coupons are not out of fashion as of yet. It started with some rain, delayed the proceedings for an hour and just when Pune were cruising along, returned to insert 'DLS' in the final result.
00:03 Local Time, 18:33 GMT, 00:03 IST: The drizzle looks mellowed down in the backdrop of that big floodlight. The head groundsman, donning a cowboy hat, is fidgety out there. Shuffling on the edge of the covers and a peel-off might not be too far away. Live pictures shows a meeting between the umpires and Warner....and they are now calling Dhoni too. Called off? Yes. The captains shake hands after a laugh and the match has been called off! Pune win the game
The news from the ground is that it's a very light drizzle at the moment. Covers are on. David Warner, Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan and Kane Williamson are playing football (take that, cricket! You were certainly devised by the most caring of species - a mother)
23:53 Local Time, 18:23 GMT, 23:53 IST: About 25 minutes of time left, so the covers have to be removed quickly for a game (is it really one?) or else PUNE are acing this courtesy Duckworth Lewis extrapolations
The players are going off (thank the rains) and so are my get-to-bed-by-midnight plans. Hold on for more updates as Mr. MS Ramakrishnan exercises his fingers in an air-conditioned press box to send us all his eyes can spot. "PUNE are ahead on DLS by 34 runs," he pings
10.6 -
Nehra to Dhoni, out Caught by Tare!! Dhoni is gone but Nehra stole the thunder. Nehra jee has stunned. Not with the ball - which was an average short-wide delivery - but with the celebration that was atypical. Knew Tare had pouched this uppish cut shot by flinging to his left at backward point, still turned back to ascertain if Dhoni was out and then responded with a namaskaram to the umpire. Oh Nehra jee, Sehwag has a reason to love you after all. Dhoni c Tare b Nehra 5(4) [4s-1]
Nehra to Dhoni, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
10.5 -
Nehra to Smith, 1 run, stays put, gets his bat high and back foot punches this to cover
10.4 -
Nehra to Smith, FOUR, bats help you live. Shuffled to tickle it to fine leg, shuffled more than required and eked out an inside edge onto the stumps that rolled through fine leg. Close, very close
It's back. They are back. Not Game of Thrones. But the rain.
10.3 -
Nehra to Smith, no run, gets high and chops a cut to backward point
10.2 -
Nehra to Smith, no run, a 132ks short ball banged in, Smith swivels to pull but the ball arrives slow. Smith completes the circle and then sees the ball frisking the leg-side
10.1 -
Nehra to Smith, no run, on the pads, on a fuller length and clipped straight to mid-wicket *yawn*
10.1 -
Nehra to Smith, wide, down leg and wided
Ashish Nehra [2.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack
31 runs off the last 10 overs. MS Ramakrishnan has brought with himself rains, a delayed start and a contest lopsided this bad. Not fair, Ramki!
9.6 -
Henriques to Smith, 1 run, loop-loop repeat-repeat, as Raju Peethala would type. This time times it too well and there's just a run. Despite. Dhoni. At. The. Crease
9.5 -
Henriques to Smith, 2 runs, bat goes a full circle as Smith clips this pitched up delivery off his pads. A couple of runs to mid-wicket
9.4 -
Henriques to Dhoni, 1 run, reaches out to this wide one outside off and flashes it to third man
9.3 -
Henriques to Dhoni, no run, bunts it into the pitch and balloons it in front of Henriques
9.2 -
Henriques to Dhoni, FOUR, DHONI! *Ravi Shastri style* Full ball and Dhoni wants to win it quick. Crosses his bat and clubs it over mid-on. Lots of bottom hand, lots of power and lots of the old Dhoni into it
MS Dhoni, right handed bat, comes to the crease
9.1 -
Henriques to du Plessis, out Caught by N Ojha!! Here's the wicket! Here it is, out of the cold storage, if Hyderabad can afford one in this heat. Biffs this on back of a length, gets it to hold and scissor away just a touch as du Plessis looked for a run-down to third man. Feathers the bat and deposits itself in the keeper's gloves to invite an instantaneous appeal. du Plessis c N Ojha b Henriques 30(21) [4s-3 6s-2]
Henriques to du Plessis, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
8.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, no run, gets forward and across, meets this length ball and screams it with a checked flick to mid-wicket
8.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 2 runs, glides it to third man with a high elbow and runs a brace to get back on strike
8.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 3 wides, there are pockets of brilliance on this pitch - pockets which the ball hits and makes up for all the moaning that complements Indian pitches. Banged, down leg too and the keeper's leap ain't good
8.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 2 runs, gets his front leg across, reaches out with a flat bat and crashes it to deep cover
8.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to du Plessis, 1 run, tailing in full, du Plessis jams it out with a flick to long-on, and with a followthrough that could wipe a windshield. Wristy!
8.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 1 run, length on the pads now, Smith stays rooted, just rotated his torso and shave this (without cream) off his pads towards backward square
8.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, no run, old ball and Bhuvneshwar hits a length outside off. Smith opens up on the shuffle and blocks to backward point
Bhuvneshwar Kumar [2.0-1-8-1] is back into the attack
Time-out! 48 runs req. in 72 balls. This is like my grandmum's present. Predictable.
7.6 -
Henriques to du Plessis, SIX, fetch that, bowler! Strides out of the crease making room, Henriques bowls it full on the pads to cut the room and what does du Plessis do? Uses his dough-soft wrists and flicks it over deep mid-wicket...that power that should be harnessed to improve power shortages (in Bangalore, please)
7.5 -
Henriques to du Plessis, no run, has to reach out to meet this full wide ball and pats it to backward point
7.4 -
Henriques to du Plessis, no run, that's a wild swish. Overamibitious. Perhaps had it planned after that inside edge. Shimmies out for a loft downtown but the full ball seams away and denies him
7.3 -
Henriques to Smith, 1 run, reaches out to drive but lack of movement denies him. Inside-edged onto the pad, loses the sight of the ball and then recovers to steal a single
7.2 -
Henriques to Smith, no run, bowls it full outside off, Smith shuffles to get behind (he anyway shuffles) and drills the half-volley back to Henriques
7.1 -
Henriques to du Plessis, 1 run, opens the face of the bat and guides it to third man
Moises Henriques, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
6.6 -
Bipul Sharma to Smith, FOUR, stays back to this short one, gets the width and the time to late cut it wide of backward point. 17 runs off the over! That's the whole of chicken breast on a Thanksgiving
6.5 -
Bipul Sharma to du Plessis, 1 run, on the pad to cut off the room and it's been thumped to long-on, rather tamely
6.4 -
Bipul Sharma to du Plessis, SIX, too short to be swept? du Plessis pulls it imperiously. Stayed back, perhaps anticipated this and clobbers over deep mid-wicket
6.3 -
Bipul Sharma to du Plessis, FOUR, there's the fifty run stand. Had his room made, stretched forward as much as he could and broomed it away with a sweep through mid-wicket
6.2 -
Bipul Sharma to Smith, 1 run, two baby steps down the pitch, Bipul Sharma doesn't shorten length and it's an easy clip round the corner
6.1 -
Bipul Sharma to du Plessis, 1 run, a dart on off drilled to long-off
Bipul Sharma, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack
Deepu Narayanan says hello with this: Lowest total defended by HYD is 119/8 v PUNE in Pune in 2013
5.6 -
Mustafizur to Smith, no run, slow in pace, grips on back of a length and bounds up. Smith gets high to ride it and punches it towards cover to end this over
5.5 -
Mustafizur to Smith, 2 runs, all a loop - on the pads, flicked and runs on the leg side. Mid-wicket this time
5.4 -
Mustafizur to Smith, FOUR, that's a whip! Fullish on the pads, waits and then thrusts a lot of bottom hand to pick it up over mid-wicket
5.4 -
Mustafizur to Smith, wide, tries to not dish out on the pads, hurls it wide but overdoes the plan. Full and past the tramline, wided
5.3 -
Mustafizur to Smith, FOUR, ah, those wrists! Moved his front foot away, let this full ball arrive and flicked it through mid-wicket
5.2 -
Mustafizur to Smith, no run, wow. A yorker that threatens to dip in front of middle, has the batsman committed but then curls away late to miss Smith's flick
5.1 -
Mustafizur to Smith, no run, lets this 124ks delivery arrive and belatedly tucks it off his pads towards square leg
4.6 -
Nehra to Smith, leg byes, 1 run, length ball that Smith wanted to tuck round the corner, ball holds up making Smith's bat swivel early and takes the pads to give a leg bye
4.5 -
Nehra to Smith, no run, full delivery arrowed across and crying to be driven. Smith does so but chops it into the off-side. Was perhaps late to lean into that
4.4 -
Nehra to Smith, no run, slides back seeing the length fullish, gives himself the room to hunch lower and blocks it into the pitch
4.3 -
Nehra to du Plessis, 1 run, backs away to this good length delivery on the stumps and smartly thumps it with a cut shot barreled to cover
4.3 -
Nehra to du Plessis, 3 wides, oh T20s! I see Nehra bowling a rip-roaring bumper seeing du Plessis advance but it's too high. Dupes a leaping keeper too
4.2 -
Nehra to Smith, 1 run, full ball nudged round the corner
4.1 -
Nehra to Smith, FOUR, poor, poor ball. Nearly carried to Tare at deep backward square but it deserved a boundary and so it got. Short ball on fourth stump down leg, room already there to swivel and pull it. Errs in not rolling his wrists and the ball luckily dips in front of the fielder in the deep
4.1 -
Nehra to Smith, wide, change of ends for Nehra and he might have had his glasses reversed too. Length down leg and Smith's hands can't go behind...they aren't long strands of rubber
Ashish Nehra [1.0-0-5-0] is back into the attack
3.6 -
Mustafizur to Smith, 1 run, very full ball seeing Smith on the back foot. A crouch and a jammed drive to mid-off
3.5 -
Mustafizur to Smith, FOUR, that was an edge! Didn't expect this off-cutter to do so much and with his feet in a pot, nothing's going to look pretty. Reaches out to cover for the dart away, manages a thickish top-edge that runs wide of the keeper to the third man boundary
3.4 -
Mustafizur to Smith, FOUR, Nehra jee has let that go! Mustafizur flicks his wrists again, bowls it at pace (how does he manage that?) but it's full on the pads. A pie. Smith clips it, Nehra half-stops it at mid-on and ends up chaperoning it to the fences
3.3 -
Mustafizur to Smith, no run, gets Smith to fish wide of the stumps with an off-pace one bowled full, the batsman stays flat-footed and glides it to backward point
3.3 -
Mustafizur to Smith, wide, tries the slower bouncer but the radar's down leg. Wided
3.2 -
Mustafizur to Smith, no run, that was an off-cutter? Hell yes. Bangs this one in, gets it to climb up past Smith's bat and squares him up as Hyderabad goes "ooooohhh"
3.1 -
Mustafizur to du Plessis, leg byes, 1 run, loud appeal but not out. Skids this slower one onto the pads of du Plessis already standing on leg-stump, appeal but the umpire gives it a short shrift
Mustafizur Rahman, comes into the attack
2.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 2 runs, lesser movement and saner bounce sees a length ball tucked round the corner
2.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, no run, this is it. Gets it to swing in from wide of off, stays low to make things rather ugly for Smith who jumps and digs it into the pitch
2.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to du Plessis, 1 run, skips out early with a readymade room, Bhuvneshwar holes it on his pads and du Plessis drives it wide of mid-on with a wrist-cock
2.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to du Plessis, FOUR, this will do. Everything will do. The good, old French cut! Looked to thump it with a cut, gets it off the under-edge that evades the stumps, rolls to fine leg and leaks a single
2.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to du Plessis, no run, goes full and gets the ball to curl in. Well, he does day like he brushes teeth. du Plessis squeezed it out off the front foot
2.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, 1 run, looked a slow ball that was darted on short of a length, Smith shoves it to third man for a single
1.6 -
Nehra to du Plessis, no run, fullish length and du Plessis drives off the front foot, but straight to one of the off-ring guarders (extra cover, if lack of specificity kills you)
1.5 -
Nehra to du Plessis, no run, how good is Henriques! Stabbed into the pitch as du Plessis opened up and Moses flew high to latch onto the rebound at cover
1.5 -
Nehra to du Plessis, wide, looping off the pitch but down leg, du Plessis spindles, gets his bat high and watches the keeper collect that
1.4 -
Nehra to du Plessis, no run, fullish within the stumps and du Plessis drops it in front of an on-rushing point
1.3 -
Nehra to du Plessis, no run, gets high and jams it into the off-side
1.2 -
Nehra to du Plessis, FOUR, that's a Warner pull. Oh, the Australian connection. No. This is the Protea. All the same, no? Good short ball, I would have to say, but doesn't get up enough for du Plessis who swivels and renders it mediocre with a pull
1.1 -
Nehra to du Plessis, no run, bangs it in on a shortish length, du Plessis opens up with the over the wicket angle and punches off the back foot
Ashish Nehra, left-arm fast medium, comes into the attack
Early bored call: A last-over thriller. Blow me down otherwise
0.6 -
Bhuvneshwar to Smith, no run, an urgent block back to bowler. Was looking to play it through covers, but adjusted and blocked it back off the splice. Two slips were there for Bhuvneshwar
Steven Smith, right handed bat, comes to the crease
0.5 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, out Caught by Eoin Morgan!! Crikey! Morgan, you juggler! Short and wide ball - the sort of ball that gets wickets in your fancies. Here it does. A punchy sort of a cut high and straight to backward point, where Morgan leaps, tips the ball and holds onto the rebound. Rahane c Eoin Morgan b Bhuvneshwar 0(5)
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, THAT'S OUT!! Caught!!
0.4 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, no run, shuffles across to get beside this length ball hurled wider and then opens the blade to block it to backward point
0.3 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, no run, lovely. Full and drilled ever so softly past Bhuvneshwar's hoisted left leg and a mid-off dive cleans it up
0.2 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, no run, fuller he goes, gets more outswing and invites Rahane forward to defend
0.1 -
Bhuvneshwar to Rahane, no run, length ball that moves away a touch, Rahane shuffles and bunts it back. Fuller Bhuvneshwar, fuller!
Rahane and du Plessis are at the crease. Rahane is on strike. Bhuvneshwar will open the attack