RCB defeats GT as Kohli and Padikkal dazzle with their strokeplay
GT – 205/3 (Sai Sudharsan 100* off 58 balls) lost to RCB – 206/5 (Virat Kohli 81 off 44 balls, Devdutt Padikkal 55 off 27 balls) by 5 wickets
Man of the Match: Virat Kohli
A sensational 115-run partnership between Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal off just 59 balls led RCB to a comfortable 5-wicket victory over GT in the IPL league match in Bengaluru. Sai Sudharsan, the GT opener, scored a brilliant century, and GT were on course to a score in excess of 230, but faltered at the end of their innings to post only 205.
GT openers score a century partnership in quick time
The GT innings started well, with Sai Sudharsan being the aggressor, his square-cutting being a thing of beauty. He grew in confidence as the innings progressed. Hazlewood’s 2nd over was taken for 14 runs, as a chancy scoop for four was followed by two fierce cuts, one over deep point for a six and the next finer towards backward point for a boundary. Shubman Gill, on the other hand, faced only 7 balls in the power play, and his solitary boundary in this phase was off an uncharacteristic hack over mid-on fielder. The powerplay score of 57 without loss was not pathbreaking, but the pace was good enough, and they still had wickets to accelerate. Unlike many other IPL teams, this is the GT template, where they score at a decent rate while preserving wickets.
Sudharsan showed his intent in Shepherd’s first over and scooped a length ball high over the keeper for a six. He also reached his half-century with that shot off 33 balls. It was followed by a gorgeous cover drive for a four. Gill, who was on 12 off 11 balls, then unleashed a pull in the same over towards cow corner for a boundary, and the over went for 17 runs.
Next over from Krunal Pandya was taken for 16 runs as he tried his bag of tricks, bowling bouncers and round-arm deliveries. The bouncer went for a six over third man, and later that over, the bent-knee, round-arm delivery dispatched exactly in the opposite direction over cow corner by Sudharsan. Gill also started to open up as Krunal was slog swept in his next over for a six. The score at the end of 11 overs was 116/0 and GT were looking to post a huge total.
Suyash Sharma was hit for a massive six over long off by Sudharsan, and next delivery, the ball was cracked ferociously towards the bowler and hit him on the left-hand finger. Suyash was in pain but continued with the over, his bowling hand remaining unhurt. Two balls later, he got his reward, as Gill mishit a length ball straight to long on and was dismissed for an important, but ultimately underwhelming 32 off 24 balls.
Waiting for the final push
Buttler came in next and played a few attractive shots and maintained the pace of the innings. Soon, Sudharsan completed his century off 57 balls with a single on the off side. GT were looking to tee off when a Hazlewood bouncer got big on Sudharsan, and he was caught by the bowler to be dismissed for an even 100. Washington was the next batsman in and hit a six and a boundary off his first three balls. The score after 16 overs was 170/2.
The next three overs arguably changed the course of the match. With wickets remaining, Suyash, Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood gave only 4, 5 and 8 runs in their respective overs. Additionally, Bhuvneshwar took the wicket of Buttler, caught at short third, looking to play the reverse scoop. In an eventful last over, Rasikh Salam was into his run-up when he stopped and went down due to cramps. After much delay, he left the field, and Krunal was given the task to bowl the last over. Two balls and a six later, it was Krunal’s turn to hold his groin area with some discomfort. RCB bowlers seemed to be falling like nine pins. However, after another delay, he was ready. The last over went for 18 runs as Holder smashed him for a couple of sixers and a boundary. Still, a total of 206/5 looked a bit insufficient against the strong RCB lineup on this track.
Washington drops the catch, and RCB are up and running
As a fielding team, one batsman you would not want to drop a catch off is Virat Kohli, and that too, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. And Washington did exactly that. Third ball of the first over, an uppish flick straight to Washington at midwicket was shelled, as the fielder tried grabbing at the ball. Not too many sides would escape from that.
A couple of good-looking boundaries later, Bethell, filling up for an unwell Salt, was dismissed by Siraj in his next over. Devdutt Padikkal, the next man in, started with a bang. A lofted flick off Rabada went for a six over deep square leg. Off Siraj, he played the shot of the match with a gorgeous lofted drive for six over cover. Kohli too started getting into his elements with flicks and pulls off the pacers, as the powerplay score reached 58/1. Kohli was sublime in reading the bounce, sometimes even adjusting his strokes at the point of contact with the ball. Rashid was welcomed with a six over long on and a boundary towards extra cover in his first two balls. Next over, Prasidh Krishna was flicked for a four and a six by Padikkal and another lofted straight hit for a six over long off. Rashid’s second over went for 16 as Padikkal hit another majestic straight hit and then a powerful slog sweep over deep square leg, both of them for sixers. The second six got him to his 50 off 20 balls. In a match full of attractive stroke makers from both teams, the beauty of his shots was astounding. Kohli reached his half-century next over to an ungainly-looking pull for a single. His 50 was reached off 30 balls. Same over, he flicked Rabada for a four at backward square leg and a wristy six over midwicket. RCB were 131/1 off 11 overs, and the two batsmen were running amok.
Middle order stutter
Rashid came back after the initial hammering and managed to get Padikkal stumped off a wonderful googly. Padikkal’ s 55 came off 27 balls, and GT would require something remarkable to make a match of this. Holder, one of the more economical bowlers, got hit for 2 majestic sixers off Kohli in his third over, but had Kohli played on his stumps with a bouncer. Rashid came for his last over and got hit for another couple of sixers, but prised the wicket of Jitesh Sharma, with Manav Suthar taking a brilliant catch at cover. Next over, Suthar himself bowled with flight and guile to have Rajat Patidar mishitting to cover. At 175/5 in the 16th over, an easy chase suddenly became quite dicey.
With 28 required off 20 balls, Tim David swung for the hills, and a huge top edge sailed comfortably over third man for a six. This was the moment the match finally slipped away from GT. Krunal took a liking to his fellow left-arm spinner Suthar’s bowling and boshed 15 runs in the 18th over and finished the match with a crucial 23 off 12 balls. RCB won by 5 wickets with 7 balls remaining.
GT fought hard but were ultimately derailed by their own inability to maximise the slog overs and also by two batsmen in regal form. A missed chance and the rub of the green going their way, things might have been different. Sai Sudharsan’s dazzling century was consigned to be on the losing side on this day.