Batters on song as Super Kings breach the 200-run mark
Ravindra and Dube mete out a harsh treatment to the Titans’ bowlers while conjuring up delightful knocks; skipper Ruturaj also chips in with a good innings; debutant Rizvi gives the final flourish, smashing Rashid for two sixes
Like most Indian venues, Chepauk is used to the chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin’ while cheering India’s most celebrated cricketer Sachin Tendulkar during his playing days.
Playing in only his second IPL match, Rachin Ravindra found a way into the hearts of the city’s passionate fans, who quickly belted out ‘Rachin, Rachin’ as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener produced another impressive cameo, against the Gujarat Titans, at MAC Stadium on Tuesday.
His rapid 46 (20b, 6x4, 3x6), followed by Shivam Dube’s 23ball 51 (2x4, 5x6), powered CSK to 206 for six after being asked to take first strike.
Elegant
Ravindra smashed Titans’ pacers Umesh Yadav and Azmatullah Omarzai all over the park with the typical elegance associated with lefthanders.
He started by flicking Umesh off his hips for a six over square leg to signal his intentions, and from there on, was pretty much unstoppable.
The 24yearold played some delectable shots, with some clean hits down the ground, and when the bowlers pitched short, he pulled them into the stands with disdain.
It needed a smart piece of glovework from Wriddhiman Saha to stop Ravindra, stumped off Rashid Khan, but not before the opener had helped CSK plunder 69 in the Power
Play. At the other end, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, too, chipped in with a valuable 46 after a slow start as Super Kings reached 104 for one at the halfway stage.
Dube, the Super Kings’ designated batter to take on spinners, did his role to perfection, lofting Sai Kishore for consecutive sixes off the first two balls he faced before dispatching Rashid into the crowd. The southpaw was kept quiet for a while by pacers Mohit Sharma and Spencer Johnson but found a way to get a few fours and sixes off them to bring up his halfcentury.
Sameer Rizvi, CSK’s ₹8.4 crore pick, gave the final flourish to the innings. Batting for the first time, he showed no nerves as he swept Rashid for a six off the first ball he faced before launching him over longoff to take the host past 200.