Pace Trio Scores Rare Double at Chepauk

Upon viewing the Mumbai Indians’ scorecard, one might question the location of the game.

The Chennai Super Kings tend to dominate at Chepauk, with spin often being a crucial factor in their victories.

However, on Saturday (May 6), they defied convention in multiple ways to secure a win.

Despite spin being the key to their success against MI at the Wankhede earlier in the season, the pacers rose to the occasion and delivered the Super Kings their first double over their top rivals in almost ten years.

Despite their reputation for relying on spin bowling to overcome opponents, the Chennai Super Kings surprised many by employing three pacers to great effect.

Considering the conditions, playing surface, formidable opposition, and timing, the superb performance of their pace trio on a sluggish track bodes well for the team.

Recently, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande have faced criticism. Chahar’s poor injury record has caused him to miss many matches, leading to doubts about his value to the team.

Furthermore, in his last outing, he was unable to contain the opposition, conceding over 40 runs in four overs despite their modest total of 125.

Tushar Deshpande’s situation is a bit different. Despite being the Chennai Super Kings’ top wicket-taker and having held the coveted purple cap multiple times this season, his economy rate has been consistently high.

In particular, in matches where the CSK has come out on the losing end, Deshpande has often borne the brunt of the opposition’s attack.

However, both Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande rose to the occasion in a critical showdown, starting off strong and getting things right from the get-go.

As a result, for the first time this season, CSK relied on only two bowlers in the PowerPlay.

At the start of the match, Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande were able to generate movement with the new ball.

Despite the wicket being a bit slow, they found the perfect length to trouble the batsmen. Cameron Green lost his wicket as his stumps were sent flying, Ishan Kishan mistimed his shot, and Rohit Sharma fell to an away swinger.

In the space of just three overs, the Mumbai Indians found themselves struggling after losing their top order for very few runs.

From then on, they were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the match.

Chahar and Deshpande were clever enough to mix up the pace even in the PowerPlay and make full use of the surface that has finally started showing its ‘true’ colours.

Nehal Wadhera, who scored a fighting fifty, admitted after the game that batting became difficult whenever the two pacers took pace off the ball.

If that wasn’t enough, MI had to contend with Matheesha Pathirana at the death who made life far more difficult. It’s no secret that Pathirana’s stocks keep rising with each passing game.

And in this crucial encounter, he showed excellent composure to ensure the early advantage was not lost.

Even the well-set batsman Wadhera struggled to cope with the bowling attack and was eventually bowled out by a superb yorker.

After the game, Wadhera commented on his encounter with Pathirana, describing him as an unorthodox bowler who delivers the ball from an unusual angle similar to Lasith Malinga.

Facing a bowler with such a wide angle was a new experience for him, and he found it challenging to pick up the ball.

When Pathirana bowled a bouncer early on in the match, Wadhera had difficulty tracking the ball’s trajectory because of the low angle from which Pathirana delivered the ball.

It’s understandable that someone facing Pathirana for the first time would find it challenging, as even those who have encountered him in the nets find him difficult to handle.

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इंडिया नॅशनल क्रिकेट टीम

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Pathirana’s teammate on the Chennai Super Kings, revealed that he has only faced around 10-12 deliveries from the young Sri Lankan in the nets.

Gaikwad admitted that he didn’t relish the prospect of facing Pathirana because of how hard it is to judge the ball’s length and trajectory.

When facing Pathirana, one must first locate the delivery point and then try to determine the ball’s line and length.

Gaikwad noted that batting against Pathirana always leaves him slightly behind the pace of the ball, but he was glad to have him on his team.

Although the Chennai Super Kings have had a reliable death bowler in the form of Dwayne Bravo over the years, it seems that Pathirana has the potential to become even better.

Similar to his illustrious compatriot, Pathirana has the raw ingredients to be particularly deadly with his ability to consistently deliver high-speed yorkers.

Furthermore, the fact that most batters in the league are still unfamiliar with him is an advantage that CSK can exploit as they embark on a critical stretch of matches.

Considering their history, it is a rare occurrence for the Chennai Super Kings to have three pacers they can depend on at different points in the match.

What’s more, this has occurred towards the end of a tournament where the team has struggled with injuries to their pace bowlers.

This development must be especially satisfying for the team.

With their next two matches scheduled to be played at home, followed by the possibility of hosting the first qualifier, it appears that the Chennai Super Kings’ fortunes are once again on the rise.