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IPL 2019: Harbhajan Singh shines as CSK take down RCB by seven wickets
The Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni read the pitch correctly and included three spinners in the XI. Dhoni was spot on as the slow surface played villain to the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen, who got all out for 70 – the joint-sixth lowest total ever.
Two love affairs continued at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. While one has been vouched for many times recently, the other stayed true like old love. MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh, two veterans nearing 40, showed once again how deep their connections go with this venue in the opening match of the IPL 2019. ((Full Scorecard))
‘Thala’ Dhoni just senses the behavior of this iconic stadium. The Chennai Super Kings captain read the pitch correctly and included three spinners in the XI. Dhoni was spot on as the slow surface played villain to the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen, who got all out for 70 – the joint-sixth lowest total ever.
Harbhajan, who caught Steve Waugh’s Australia in a spin web here 18 years ago, turned out to be the architect-in-chief in bringing a star-studded RCB to the ground. He accounted for the wickets of RCB captain Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Moeen Ali in the first eight overs to keep his love for the venue going strong.
CSK reached the target in 17.4 overs and ensured that RCB’s wait for a win here got extended. They last won here in 2008.
ALSO READ: IPL 2019, CSK vs RCB at Chepauk, Highlights: Jadhav, Jadeja guide Chennai to seven-wicket win
Early assault
Reading the slow nature of the pitch that would trick batsmen like Kohli and de Villiers later on, Dhoni introduced Harbhajan right in the second over after winning the toss. The fact that Harbhajan went wicketless in the three matches that he has played in 2019 raised doubts about the veteran’s effectiveness.
But if it’s Chennai, can Dhoni be wrong? Very unlikely. The first three overs saw the RCB skipper and fellow opener keeping quiet with some tight bowling from Deepak Chahar and Harbhajan. That the ball was holding up a bit made it even tougher for the batsmen to get going.
With frustration imminent, Kohli pulled Harbhajan from outside the off-stump in the fourth over. Dhoni had placed Jadeja at deep-midwicket for such occasions and the latter’s safe hands caught Kohli to give CSK the break. Harbhajan followed that up with Ali’s wicket in the sixth. He got extra bounce off the pitch as the England batsman misjudged and gave the easiest of catches to the bowler.
If losing their captain and No. 3 batsmen inside the powerplay was not enough, RCB received a telling blow in losing de Villiers in the eighth over. Again Bhajji was in the thick of things. The South African great tried to sweep the off-spinner but misread the pace of the delivery to top-edge to Jadeja at midwicket.
At 38/3, RCB hoped their new recruit Shimron Hetmyer to emerge as the savior. Instead, he got run out in the same over as de Villiers. Harbhajan ended his four overs with figures of 3/20.
ALSO READ: IPL 2019, CSK vs RCB - Turning Point: Dhoni bowls Harbhajan out in the first eight overs
Tahir’s late show
By now, Dhoni had fully understood that his spinners would hold key. He introduced Jadeja and Imran Tahir to keep the pressure going and even used Suresh Raina for one over.
If Harbhajan had provided the opening salvo, Tahir moped up the lower order lower taking out Shivam Dube, Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal to finish with figures of 3/9. Jadeja too accounted for two wickets. Their joint charge saw RCB losing four wickets between 10th and 14th overs. Among the RCB batsmen only opener Parthiv Patel reached double figures with a patient 29 off 35 balls.
Raina on Mount 5000
RCB too started with a spinner in Chahal and got instant result as the leg-spinner bowler CSK opener Shane Watson in the third over. But Raina and Ambati Rayudu played with patience to keep the hosts on course.
Raina even crossed 5000 runs in the IPL, the first player to do so, in his 177th match as the sea of CSK fans found an extra reason to cheer another favourite player of theirs. Raina (19) fell in the 10th over and Rayudu (28) go out in the 15th. CSK lost no other wicket to start the tournament with a win.
