NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils overwhelmed caring champions Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets at the Feroz Shah Kotla here, on Tuesday, as Kevin Pietersen commence his agreement with the home team with a match-winning cameo.
England’s batsman struck a breezy 43 to help Delhi chase down the 111-run target with 40 balls to spare, after Virender Sehwag selected to field. Chennai had stagger to the paltry total after having endured 4 run-outs in their innings, and the result was never in doubt once Naman Ojha began Delhi Daredevils pursuit with three successive 4 off Albie Morkel.
When Sehwag return briefly to his blistering best for a 21-ball 33 – inclusive of a ripper off Morkel over extra-cover – the hosts were before now halfway across the line. The captain was wedged trying to hit R. Ashwin – who was introduced in the 4th over – out of the park. But the pair that follows kept up the scoring rate, even as Dhoni threw the ball to his trusty tweakers to stem the flow of runs.
It was then the turn of Delhi’s overseas reinforcement – Pietersen and Mahela Jayewardene – to substantiate their fat pay cheques. Pietersen did it in style; step out to butcher Ravindra Jadeja into the 2nd tier and staying back in the crease to slap the same bowler during cover. At the other end, Jayewardene was his usual classy self, as the duo added 61 in 44 balls to deliver a complete win to their team.
Earlier, Chennai started with a run-out and suffer from three more brain-freezes as their innings failed to take off. A top-score of 22, by Dwayne Bravo, ‘featured’ in the caring champion’s sorry batting performance on a humid ground and on what appear to be a midly 2-paced track – this after the match was late by about half-hour due to technical issues about the lights behind the sight-screen.
The yellow team was in trouble right away. Non-striker M. Vijay responded 1st ball to a FAF du Plessis call and was left stuck at the wrong end when the South African backed out of the single. Du Plessis struck a few blows next to Irfan Pathan, but was caught attempt to clear cover off Morne Morkel – later affirmed man-of-the-match for figures of 4-0-19-2. Suresh Raina was good for 2 sixes – including a shocking pull from outside off to over mid-wicket against Pathan – before he become the innings’ 2nd run-out, when Nagar shot in a fast return from point.
More wickets followed. S.Badrinath (15) was – you guess it - run-out and Jadeja (13) fell to a stunning catch by Ojha last the wicket. Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo set about a course alteration as the left-arm rotating pair of Roelof van der Merwe and Shahbaz Nadeem cut off the runs, bowling 7overs between them for just 24 runs.
Chennai crawl to 80-5 at the end of the 15th over. Dhoni was out trying to power the pace and the only event of note that occur in the last stages was the 4th run-out – that of Ashwin, as Chennai shut shop at 110 - a total devoid of any danger, as Delhi proved when they took strike.
Match 12, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:00 PM IST
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