IPL SRL All-Stars | Game 3 - Pollard-de Villiers’ late blitz takes South to another victory
After succumbing to a defeat in the second game against the Northern side, South bounced back with a stunning run-chase led by their superstars AB de Villiers and Kieron Pollard. However, upfront, it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling effort which restricted North to 183/3 after 20 overs.
Match Review
South won the toss away from home and immediately put their counterparts to bat first in their own backyard. However, it looked like a bad decision immediately, thanks to their openers KL Rahul and Shubman Gill putting on a show. They continued their dominance from the last game, with the duo adding 147 runs for the first wicket. While Rahul scored 64, Gill scored 72 of his own and a late blitz from Rishabh Pant took them to a grand total of 183 at the end of 20 overs.
On the other hand, the Warner-Rohit bromance continued as the duo put on a fabulous show early on in the innings. The duo put on a 69-run partnership as Warner exited the chase-scene first, falling to the West Indian all-rounder Andre Russell. However, three quick wickets put brakes on their run-chase. And with the middle-order consisting of AB de Villiers- Hardik Pandya - Kieron Pollard, the chase went till the end over, with the South side coming away with another victory.
Turning Point
Kieron Pollard’s cameo certainly was, is, and will always be the turning point of this encounter. With the southern side struggling despite ABD controlling the innings, it needed the special brilliance from the West Indian Pollard to take them home. The all-rounder scored 29 runs in just 16 deliveries, including hitting three sixes. And that alone took them home on the night.
Highs and Lows
If the opening partnership is art, North’s opening partnership definitely is the artist. The duo of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul took the onus upon themselves and put on a brilliant opening wicket partnership. While Rahul ended up scoring 64, his counterpart Gill scored 72 in what was arguably one of the best, if not the best partnership of the tournament.
A rare bad day for the Indian pacer, Jasprit Bumrah. If you are Bumrah tonight, you would certainly want to go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep. Talking about the performance, it was terrible, as he conceded 55 runs in just four overs. On another occasion, he would have conceded as many in an ODI game. Such is his brilliance that even a bad day looks a big deal. He was taken to the cleaners right from the word go, with 27 runs in just the two overs. The next two had a similar treatment - with as many runs.
Rating Charts
Powerplay exploitation: North 9/10 and South 8/10
Okay then, I might have been horribly wrong about Rohit-Warner’s opening partnership as an art. In this encounter, things turned around, so much so that KL Rahul-Shubman Gill looked like two Gods on the cricketing field. The duo scored runs for fun, sometimes putting the fielders back to their place and sometimes finding the gaps that didn’t exist. And, after the powerplay overs, they scored 74 runs without a reply from the Southern side. Phew! What a sensational opening wicket display.
On the other hand, there was the established pair in the form of Warner-Rohit, who on the night did an alright job, although not the best, I might have to say. South too scored the same amount of runs - 74 after six overs - the reason that they get only eight is that they had lost two wickets. While one was the opener, Warner, the other was the terribly out-of-form Virat Kohli. Kohli continued his terrible run and did nothing on the night as well.
Middle-overs manoeuvring: North 8/10 and South 8/10
Several words come to my mind instantly when you talk about North’s middle-overs, them being beautiful, graceful, elegant and merciless. Both openers put on a show until the end of the middle-overs. Till the end of the middle-overs, they had scored 139 runs without a reply from the bowling team. Some overs were full of singles, the others had boundaries in them - a perfect way to play out the spin threat of the Southern side.
Talking about South’s middle-overs manoeuvring, the more you talk about, the better. Despite them crossing the 139-mark set by the Northern side, the way they reached there was delightful to watch as a spectator. After Rohit’s dismissal at 97/3, the next block of overs was a delight, as the duo of de Villiers- Pandya scored runs for fun. In the overs from 11th to 15th, they scored 43 runs, which is good considering they were under immense pressure.
Death bowling: North 6/10 and South 7/10
The reason that North side have got fewer marks on their death overs bowling is purely because of the way they defended the mark. It was right in their alley at one point in the game when Rohit walked out to the pavilion. However, since then, they did nothing, absolutely nothing. They allowed the Southern side to score 43 runs for the loss of just two wickets from a winning position.
Well, the southern all-star side did their best with the ball, restricting them from 139/0 to a total of 183/3 at the end of the innings. Despite them having all the wickets remaining, the Northern side should have done better with their finish to the innings - sometimes lacking the firepower that the openers showed.
Match Frenzy O Meter - Entertaining
Well, undoubtedly the best match so far in the three-match series, it went right down to the wire. The deliveries flew to the boundaries like a tracer-bullet and the bowlers were pumped when a wicket fell. So much on display - runs, emotions and sweat - on the night as both of them fought neck-to-neck in a rather classical T20 contest. In the end, it was worth the money, some might even say better than what they hoped for.