IPL 2011 Final: CSK grinds RCB into submission

CSK’s dynamic opening duo were meticulous in extracting a single when none existed, converting ones into twos which was veneered by occasional big shots

The Chennai Super Kings scripted their name in the trophy for the second time in four editions and their home-juggernaut this season was exemplified with a victory on the final making it 8-0 at home, an achievement the other franchises could hardly spot.

The final of the Indian Premier League was upon us and the game did legitimately allow writers to overdose on the superlatives.

Finally a big game was good enough to fill the stands and the crowd apparently backing the home team on the big day.

Two captains took up the field, one with a game-changer in his team and the other with arguably the most balanced side in the IPL.

Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat wary of the slowness of the pitch that will come into play as the game progresses. “We don’t come out with set target in the minds,” said Dhoni at the toss, almost prescient about what is to come.

The Chennai Super Kings looked absolutely nerve-free on the big day, the kind of aura that Dhoni is always capable of imparting with his astonishing sense of calmness.

Vijay and Hussey, CSK’s dynamic opening duo were meticulous in extracting a single when none existed, converting ones into twos which was veneered by occasional big shots that was good enough to keep the run-rate close to ten in the powerplay overs. The statistician in me observed that the no. of twos exceeded the singles and the sixes exceeded the fours in the first ten overs.

The so far off-color Vijay struck form exactly when his services were called for. His game was marked by the stand and deliver stuff mostly targeting the mid-wicket region against the medium-pacers.

Chennai set a series of records on the big day which include:

• The Hussey-Vijay pair put up the highest opening partnership for any team in this edition.
• Vijay scored the second fastest fifty for the Chennai Super Kings in this edition.
• Chennai’s fastest 100 this edition came in 10.3 overs.

Apart from the openers one other thing had its say, the Chennai weather. The heat and humidity took toll of the batsmen leaving them exhausted around the 15^th over.

The 150 came in 14.2 overs which was a vestige of the kind of dominance the openers had.

The first breakthrough for the Bangalore came in the fifteenth over as Hussey dragged one flat into the hands of Mithun at long on, not before getting to a brilliantly paced 45 ball 63.

Dhoni, who suddenly seems to have rediscovered his aggressive self, came at No.3 ahead of Suresh Raina. Dhoni did not deprive Gayle of feeling he imparts into his opponents as he tonked two sixes off the same over.

The end to a remarkable innings came with Vijay borrowing from Gautam Gambhir’s playbook: throwing it away after looking all set to score a famous century on a final. Arvind picked up Dhoni off the very next delivery in the 19^th over. Dhoni departed after a brief cameo for a 13 ball 22.

Gayle bowled a brilliant final over with four dot balls and more importantly two wickets off successive deliveries creating faint hopes of a good ending. Bravo, however, finished the innings in style (as Ravi Shastri would put it) by striking the last ball off bowled by his country-mate for a six.

Apart from Chennai’s exceptional batting, the game’s first half exposed Bangalore’s bowling frailties which apart from Zaheer and Vettori has no genuine match winners.

Chennai posted a monumental 205 on the board despite the collapse late in the innings.

Bangalore’s only hope was for their openers to do something special or in their words they wanted Gayle to get going.

The instinctive Dhoni threw the new ball to a cool and gritty Ashwin and soon reaped rewards for the move as the off-spinner priced out the Gayle who has been lethal in treating bowlers so far, with the one that straightened. He then nailed Agarwal in his second over exposing Bangalore’s porous middle order in as early as the third over.

Jakati soon picked up A B de Villiers as the swayed across the stumps only to be caught in front. Pomersbac soon chipped one back to Jakati granting him his second wicket in two overs.

Soon the buck was passed to Kohli and Saurabh Tiwary (who was beholden to justify his price tag) to excavate the side from trouble and see the team through.

Raina soon caught Kohli in front further blurring their prospects of winning the game.

The bowling card read 62 for 4, 69 for 5, 70 for 6, 92 for 7 as RCB’s performance spiraled downwards capitulating to 147 for 8 at the end of 20 overs and the word finalists were prefixed to the Royal Challengers Bangalore as the defending champions successfully defended their title.

Dhoni’s sagaciousness is something to be lauded as he placed more trust on his team’s strength than impeding his performance by worrying about his opponents. He could have easily bowled first keeping in mind the Gayle-factor but was scrupulous in anticipating the slowness that catches up with the Chennai pitch as the game progresses.

Bangalore’s trust on Gayle wasn’t misplaced given the way he has changed the team’s fortunes after his arrival but the game showed up why it is so risky. It also elucidated the importance of TEAM over individuals.

However there was one thing that the cricket lovers were deprived from – the entertainment the game promised. Suffice it to say that this was the most one-sided of all the finals the IPL has hosted.