Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni propel Chennai Super Kings to 169/4 against Delhi Daredevils

A third-wicket partnership of 74 runs from just 40 balls between Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni ensured Chennai Super Kings posted an imposing target of 170 for the Delhi Daredevils to chase for their first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013.

Michael Hussey was unbeaten on 65 off 53 balls © PTI

Chennai: Apr 18, 2013
 
A third-wicket partnership of 74 runs from just 40 balls between Michael Hussey and MS Dhoni ensured Chennai Super Kings posted an imposing target of 170 for the Delhi Daredevils to chase for their first win of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013.

It was total carnage at the Feroz Shah Kotla after the halfway mark of the innings, particularly after Suresh Raina’s fall, when Dhoni promoted himself up the order.

Chennai began on a steady note with Hussey returning to the side to partner Murali Vijay up the order after sitting out the last game. Vijay played a couple of glorious strokes, including a front-foot cover drive and a back-foot pull to the long on fence for four early up. But the Chennai batsman was undone in the fifth over of the innings by a steaming Morne Morkel who trapped him leg-before for 18.
 
Raina walked in to make it a left-left batting pair in the middle and opened his account with an appealing cover drive for four. The duo then ensured Chennai did not lose any more early wickets and paced the innings at around six and over till the halfway point, reaching 60 for one. Then, they let loose.
 
Umesh Yadav came in to bowl his second over after the first had leaked 10 runs. The long break did not work for the Vidarbha pacer as Raina hit him for successive boundaries to get Chennai’s second-half surge going. The first was off a full and slow delivery just outside off to which Raina gave himself some room and smashed it to the extra-cover fence. Umesh switched to around the wicket for the next delivery, but erred by giving Raina width and was packed off to deep extra-cover for four more.
 
Hussey then stepped in and ruined Ajit Agarkar’s figures, who had bowled two overs for just five runs thus far. Hussey carted the Indian medium-pacer for a six over deep mid-wicket and then crashed him through to the deep-square fence for four. Agarkar went for 14 in his third as the Chennai batsmen brought up their 50 partnership in 44 balls.
 
Raina then tried to smack Irfan Pathan through the covers, but found the faint edge that carried straight to the wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav. Raina departed after a 30-run cameo and it was a wicket that came totally against the run of play. Surprisingly, it was skipper Dhoni who walked in at No 4 ahead of Subramanium Badrinath and Dwayne Bravo.
 
Dhoni has two ways of taking to a limited-overs game: Either he plays his anchor innings and keeps it late before going for the shots, or he brings out the helicopter straight away and spells doom for the opposition right from Ball One. Unfortunately for the Daredevils, it was the latter side of Dhoni that emerged at the Kotla. Irfan Pathan bowled short and just outside off-stump and Dhoni powerfully lashed at it and sent the ball booming to the mid-wicket fence to open his account.
 
Dhoni was dropped by Agarkar on 19 with the score at 123 for two at the end of 16. The India and Chennai captain ensured the Daredevils paid the price as he pummelled his way to 44 off just 23 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before being dismissed in the final over.

Hussey, meanwhile, brought up his second half-century of the tournament and carried his bat, scoring 65 off 53 balls as Delhi found themselves staring at a steep mountain to climb for their first win.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 169 for 4 in 20 overs (Michael Hussey 65*, MS Dhoni 44; Irfan Pathan 1 for 30) vs Delhi Daredevils.

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