IPL 2020 | CSK vs SRH: Today I Learnt - Deepak ‘swinging’ Chahar, Sunrisers’ teenage day out and CSK needs a ‘chop’

ByAakash Sivasubramaniam, SportsCafe Editor

10/02/2020

It was just another day at the office for the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling unit, who reduced CSK to 42 for four before closing them out for a mere seven-run victory. However, at the other end, Priyam Garg’s partnership with Abhishek Sharma ensured that SRH got to a fighting total of 164.

Brief scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 164/5 (Priyam Garg 51 (26) and Deepak Chahar 2/31) beat Chennai Super Kings 157/5 (Ravindra Jadeja 50 (35) and T Natarajan 2/36) by 7 runs

Deepak Chahar is finally finding his groove

Until the third game for Chennai Super Kings this season, their key bowler in the powerplay - Deepak Chahar was still finding his groove. While he looked a bit rusty against Mumbai Indians, he started looking his own in the clash against Delhi Capitals. However, soon after his first ball, the signs were encouraging for the Men in Yellow, who desperately needed their pacer to fire again. It was visible in the very first over, where he swung the ball both ways. In particular, his plans to dismiss Jonny Bairstow were right-on-point. Two outswingers and then later, boom, there he was with a banana in-swinger, which caught the English opener off-guard and in process, taking his off-stump for a nice walk in the park. While he was excellent against the duo of David Warner-Manish Pandey, he couldn’t pick another wicket in his first spell to cap off one of his memorable spells this year for MS Dhoni and co.

A week’s break makes CSK happy and wise

After a week’s break, Chennai Super Kings were finally in action against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in a clash at the bottom of the table. Two titans of the IPL were finally up against each other but more importantly, CSK were just coming off a week’s break after their last loss against Delhi Capitals in their last clash. Until then, the Men in Yellow were missing the services of the all-rounder Dwayne Bravo coupled with the injury to their hero against Mumbai Indians, Ambati Rayudu which had cost them dearly in the batting department. However, starting from the first over, the entire team was ready for the clash and were on their feet, be it in their fielding or their bowling. Overall, it was a never-before-seen attempt from the Super Kings this season after their lacklustre performance against both RR and DC, which left them at the bottom of the table.

Sunrisers’ batting scouting finally pays off

Just in their last game against Delhi Capitals, it was SRH bowling that stood out, headed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and well-nourished by the Tamil Nadu pacer Thangarasu Natarajan with Rashid Khan also chipping in with big wickets. Natarajan, in particular, was extraordinary with his pinpoint yorkers. Against CSK, it was their young batting unit, headlined by the partnership between a 19-year-old Priyam Garg and a 20-year-old Abhishek Sharma, who absolutely snacked and later feasted to punish MS Dhoni’s mistake-prone bowling attack. They served them full-tosses as if starters, which was rightly dished out for boundaries by the duo. Sunrisers’ faith in the two had finally paid dividends, as they scored 97 runs in between them which took the Chennai team by surprise. But for VVS Laxman and their scouting unit, it was just another day watching the two take off in sublime fashion as they rescued SRH to a respectable total in the end.

CSK need another desperate ‘chop and change’

It’s 2020 and Chennai Super Kings are still trying their level best to give another opportunity to the ageing Shane Watson, who has nothing to offer more than a couple of overs with the bat. Alongside that, they have Kedar Jadhav, who is batting at No.4 with no real clue on what he has to do, neither does he contribute with the bat nor the ball. In the absence of an in-form middle-order that had a certain Suresh Raina last season, CSK’s weakness down the order is being exposed every other encounter, with the management not paying heed to it. “Thalaivan irukaan” (Boss is there) has been the statement that the CSK top-boss has been fretting since the start of the IPL but just his mere presence does not make any difference to the batting unit, which lacks even a good T20 batsman, don’t even try to count the likes of Jadhav and Watson as one after this knock.