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Yusuf seals Deccan’s fate

By Jamie Alter

 

Yusuf Pathan's 80-run stand in 48 balls with Manoj Tiwary pushed Kolkata Knight Riders to a total that was significantly more than the average score of 150 at this venue, and sure to test and unpredictable opposition. The chase lacked fight and the win pushed KKR up to second place in the league table.

Yusuf seals Deccan's fate

Gambhir persisted with his old mate Rajat Bhatia after the time-out and the bowler immediately made an impact, bowling Cameron White with a leg cutter and fortuitously picking up Christian for one. © AFP

 

By Jamie Alter

 

Hyderabad: May 3, 2011

 

Drop Yusuf Pathan at your peril. Deccan Chargers were victims of that bit of IPL truism under lights at their home venue. They were in the game for the first 13 overs, but then Yusuf was dropped on three and 12 and proceeded to smash three sixes in a 26-ball 47. His 80-run stand in 48 balls with Manoj Tiwary pushed Kolkata Knight Riders to a total that was significantly more than the average score of 150 at this venue, and sure to test and unpredictable opposition. The chase lacked fight and the win pushed KKR to top of the league table.

 

In a tournament dominated by spinners, DC’s duo of Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha had success early on. Mishra picked up an off-colour Jacques Kallis – who had clattered four boundaries in his first 15 deliveries but managed just nine singles and a two in his next 16 – in the 11th over. Gautam Gambhir had threatened to push on to a big score when he took on Daniel Christian after the dismissal of Eoin Morgan, pulling and cutting with ferocity while sharing words with Christian, but attempted one cute shot too many and edged Ojha behind for 35 five deliveries after Kallis had perished.

 

Suddenly KKR had lost two well-set batsmen and had two new ones at the crease. Even before he was set, Yusuf wound up against Ojha but was fortunate to be dropped by Mishra at deep midwicket. A monstrous six later, he was spilled by Christian at long-on, and he rubbed it in by carving the next delivery over extra cover for a flat six. KKR went into the second time-out on 110 for three with plenty to be thankful of, while Kumar Sangakkara’s worried expression from behind the stumps told a different story.

 

Tiwary had used his feet against the spinners to procure runs down the ground, but when Dale Steyn came on he backed away to spank the ball over point and through extra cover for boundaries that jacked the run rate up over seven-and-a-half. Further sixes to Tiwary and Yusuf meant KKR took 27 runs off overs 17 and 18, and when Yusuf was let off a third time, on 34, he promptly pulled four through midwicket to move to 42. There was to be no half-century, but Yusuf’s knock had ensured. Sangakkara’s decision to field had backfired.

 

Sunny Sohal came out blazing but failed to convert, cutting Iqbal Abdulla to cover for 26 to end an opening stand of 41 in 33 deliveries. Two deliveries later it was Sangakkara who was consumed, turning Abdulla off his pads straight to Kallis at midwicket.

 

Gambhir persisted with his old mate Rajat Bhatia after the time-out and the bowler immediately made an impact, bowling Cameron White with a leg cutter and fortuitously picking up Christian for one when umpire Sudhir Asnani failed to hear a big inside edge. Two double-wicket overs meant DC were always going to struggle to come close to KKR’s total, and it was left to Shikhar Dhawan to try and avoid an embarrassment.

 

Dhawan, who had until that blow accrued 29 off 27, opened up with a six off Bhatia, but that was the only time DC managed to cross the boundary. Dhawan who crossed fifty for the first time this season and with DB Ravi Teja showed some spirit to add 56 in 37 balls and delay the inevitable, but once the pair was separated in succession the candle went out for DC.

 

Brief Scores: KKR 169 for 4 in 20 overs (Yusuf Pathan 47*, Gautam Gambhir 35, Manoj Tiwary 33; Amit Mishra 1 for 22, Daniel Christian 1 for 27) bt DC 149 for 6 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 54, DB Ravi Teja 30, Sunny Sohal 26; Rajat Bhatia 2 for 26, Iqbal Abdulla 2 for 34) by 20 runs.

 

Man of the Match: Yusuf Pathan

 

Full Scorecard

 

(Jamie Alter is a freelance cricket writer, having worked at ESPNcricinfo and All Sports Magazine. He is the author of two books, The History of World Cup Cricket and Field of Dreams: The Story of the Dr. DY Patil Sports Stadium. His twitter feed is @jamie_alter) 

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