Knight Riders implode on their home turf

Super Kings all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja snatches victory from jaws of defeat. The charge of the Knights was as suicidal as that of the Light Brigade without the heroism associated with the British cavalrymen. HT reports.

The charge of the Knights was as suicidal as that of the Light Brigade without the heroism associated with the British cavalrymen. No longer is the Eden unbreachable.

Encapsulating an effort where self-destruction seemed the new normal was Jacques Kallis going back without facing a ball. And Yusuf Pathan taking what seemed an unscheduled strategic timeout to decide whether he should go for a second run.

Against a team imploding with such panache, all Chennai Super Kings needed was to keep their wits about them.

You would expect that from a team whose skipper is called Captain Cool, has a batsman referred to as Mr Cricket when he represented Australia and, of course, an all-rounder they have knighted for fun — Ravindra Jadeja.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was denied by Eoin Morgan winging in but Michael Hussey calmly anchored another chase.

And then Jadeja backed his three-wicket haul to score 36 from 14 balls, ending the match by carting Pathan over mid-wicket. Till he decided enough was enough, KKR had spun a web around the visitors with Chennai Super Kings at 89/6 after 16.5 overs.

In a format this abbreviated, momentum once lost by the batting team usually stays lost. Especially, against a team studded with all-rounders, one that has played four of the five finals held so far in India's domestic T20 competition.

Chennai Super Kings conceded one wide and it came in the second ball of the innings from Albie Morkel after Gautam Gambhir cut the first for a boundary. And barring one misfield in the deep from Mohit Sharma, there were electric on the field.

Beginning of end
Ask Kallis. He took it just a little easy and Subramaniam Badrinath made the South African great look silly. And that is where, in the first ball of the seventh over, it began to go wrong for the defending champions.

Eoin Morgan, who six days ago played like he was born here, tried to improvise too much and then Pathan ended what till then was looking like his best shot at redemption.

From 46 for no loss after 5.5 overs, Kolkata Knight Riders were 55/4 after 8. The match was won and lost. “Schoolboys errors,” said Gambhir about the batting. He was being kind.

Promising start
It seemed so different when Gambhir and Pathan began the innings.

Pathan pulled Sharma out of the attack and was vindicating coach Trevor Bayliss's comment about him hitting the ball really well this term.

The stage was set for him early Saturday afternoon but KKR's most expensive all-rounder fell to a momentary lapse of reason.

Had he taken the catch Jadeja offered in the 19th over off Kallis, this match may still have ended differently. The comeback story ended as another missed opportunity.