Dhawan, Williamson keep SRH rolling ‘Universe Boss is still here’
DOUBLE DELIGHT Duo’s 136run partnership helps hosts beat DD by 15 runs
EUROPA LEAGUE
Shikhar Dhawan roared back into form and Kane Williamson began this season in style as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) beat Delhi Daredevils (DD) by 15 runs in an Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Uppal here.
In reply to SRH’s 191/4 in 20 overs, DD finished at 176/5.
Dhawan, who has seen the worst of times in the last one year, was dropped from the national team and demoted to Grade C in BCCI’s central contract list.
The left-handed opener has taken all of it in his stride and is using the IPL 2017 platform to return to the spotlight. On Wednesday, against Delhi Daredevils, he reached his 26th halfcentury in the T20 extravaganza in just 40 balls. His innings included seven fours and one six. He made 70 (off 50 balls).
Though Dhawan reached the 50-run mark in just 40 balls, the innings was not brutal. The fact he took 26 singles in reaching the mark, shows his maturity. He had a marauding Williamson at the other end (89, 51b) and was happy playing the second fiddle.
Williamson, who is playing his first match of the season and was never considered as good a player in T20s as he is in Test cricket, proved his doubters wrong. The Kiwi hit six fours and five sixes. Dhawan, although slower, did not waste any ball. He kept the scoreboard ticking, letting Williamson go for the big shots. The two put on 136-run stand for the second wicket.
After reaching his fifty-mark, Dhawan freed his arms and hit two fours and a six. He ultimately fell for 70 (50 balls) to Chris Morris, but he had made a big impact by then.
This half-century comes after Dhawan scored 40 and 48 in two matches of this IPL. He had also scored a ton and half-century in the Deodhar Trophy.
He had said before the 2017 IPL that he would be taking the tournament as a way to return to the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy.
In reply, DD tried hard through Shreyas Iyer’s 50 not out off 31 balls and Angelo Mathews’ 31 off 23 but it didn’t prove enough. Sanju Samson (42) and Karun Nair (33) had added 71 for the second wicket to set a platform.
But the duo’s dismissal along with that of Rishabh Pant’s (0) pegged them back. It was here that Mathews and Iyer added 70 runs to give DD some hope.
Chris Gayle on Tuesday admitted that he was privileged to reach the 10,000 mark in the shortest format of the game; something that was on his mind for quite some time.
He is the first cricketer to register 10,000 runs in all three formats of the game.
After his 38-ball 77, Gayle, who was adjudged as the man-ofthe-match, said: “It was great fun. Good to be back. I wanted this so badly. 10,000 runs was on my mind.
“Pleased to get 77 runs. It (10,000 runs milestone) was actually playing on my mind a bit but I thought it’s time to have a go and it eventually it paid off.”
It wasn’t the best of seasons so far for the Jamaican who had aggregated just 60 runs in the last three matches he represented for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The side, too, has had a terrible run so far with four losses to their name already.
Thus, when Gayle finally unleashed the sort of knock he’s capable of, he was more than a happy man. Branding himself as the ‘Universal Boss’, he added: “Two triples, a double century in the 50-overs as well.
“So, the Universe Boss is still here, still alive and hopefully many more innings to come and entertain the fans as much as possible.
“Thank you Rajkot, it’s been fantastic and looking forward actually to beat Kolkata Knight Riders.”