Dhoni, Raina fire Super Kings to glory

RANCHI: Chennai Super Kings stayed at the top of Group B in Champions League Twenty20 2013 with a thrilling defeat of Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs on Thursday Mahendra Singh Dhoni treated his hometown to some ballistic hitting, scoring an unbeaten 19-ball 63, while Suresh Raina scored a scene-setting 57-ball 84 to seal the win at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.
Despite losing a crucial toss and being put in to bat, Chennai thrived. They absorbed the early pressure, kept their wickets intact and attacked relentlessly at the death. The fourth-wicket stand between Dhoni and Raina added 60 in just 25 balls and from 115 for 3 in the 15th over, Chennai ended up with 202 for 4.
Chennai’s prowess lies in the fact that they know what their strengths are, and they play to a set plan. When Raina walked in at No. 3, with the score on zero after Murali Vijay fell for a two-ball duck, the agenda was to keep the scoreboard ticking, and it didn’t necessarily need to be through explosive hitting. Mike Hussey and Raina added 45, mainly through singles, with the odd boundary. Hussey, on one occasion, punished Ishant Sharma with a swiveling six pulled over square-leg.
Hussey (23 off 21) soon walked off after edging JP Duminy to the wicketkeeper, but S Badrinath came in and he was the perfect partner for Raina. Badrinath sealed up one end and constantly fed Raina the strike. The paucity of boundaries gave the impression that Hyderabad were in control, but that was far from the case. The two took the total past 100, as Raina completed a 38-ball half-century.
As the death overs approached, they began to attack. Raina smashed a straight six off Darren Sammy, but when Badrinath (13 off 18) tried the same, he holed out to Dale Steyn, who took a lovely catch on the run. The wicket proved a blessing in disguise, as Dhoni walked in. During the course of his match-winning knock, Dhoni cracked a couple of records. He hit the fastest half-century in Champions League T20 history, off just 16 balls, and also the highest score off an over in Champions League T20s, his five sixes against Thisara Perera yielding 34.
Perera’s cause wasn’t helped by a couple of wides, but whatever he managed to keep in line he was hammered over the fence. Dhoni made it seem effortless with simple swings of his blade, even as Raina took a backseat. A frustrated Perera got some relief in the next over, when he managed to hold on to a brilliant, one-handed catch to dismiss Raina off Steyn. But Dhoni carried on, hammering 19 in the final over bowled by Sammy to take the total to a formidable 202 for 4.
Presented with a mammoth chase, Hyderabad needed a strong start. They got that through their openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Parthiv Patel, who put on 88 to allow their middle order a fair tilt at the total. Dhawan was at his fluid best and his knock had it all – cheek, beauty and brilliance. Twice, he stepped well across the stumps and lifted fours behind fine-leg. There were also quite a few well-timed shots for boundaries, including a middled six straight down off R Ashwin.
Patel, meanwhile, provided Dhawan with some good company. He was solid himself, and even matched Dhawan stroke for stroke, hitting six fours as he raced to 38. His innings came to an end when he was run out after brilliant work in the field from Raina, who then had Duminy bowled. Ashwin then claimed the biggie, Dhawan, who was caught behind for 48. Those three quick wickets changed the course of the chase.

Sammy, in at No.5, targeted Ravindra Jadeja and scored 22 off his over, including three sixes, in the death. He exhibited some powerful batting, punishing everything short and wide. While Sammy battled, he had to witness wickets fall at the other end – Perera (12) and Ashish Reddy (3). Sammy was then hurt by a Jason Holder yorker, which struck him on the toe, but despite limping badly, he carried on bravely. For all his efforts though, the chase proved too big as Hyderabad ended up at 191 for 7.


TODAY’S MATCH
Mumbai vs Highveld Lions
(Ahmedabad, 14.30 GMT)