As a ‘still unfit’ MS Dhoni — the architect of many such magic nights for CSK — watched from the dressing room, Kishan played the kind of innings one expects from a top Indian batter. The victory took SRH into the playoffs along with Gujarat Titans and RCB, while CSK’s hopes now hang by a thread.
Chasing 181 was not going to be easy on a pitch where the ball refused to come on to the bat. Add to that the dimensions of Chepauk, which are not exactly over-boundary friendly. Wickets fell around Kishan and even trusted wrecker-in-inchief Heinrich Klaasen got out at the wrong moment, stumped off left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad after a brilliant 47 off 26 balls.
But Kishan found that zone one saw during India’s famous win against Pakistan in Colombo a few months ago. He gave himself a little bit of time, allowed Klaasen to prosper during the course of their 75-run third-wicket partnership and then cut loose once the South African was dismissed.
In the 18th over, bowled by left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary, Kishan found the big hits and took 15, virtually killing off the game.
Kishan fell with six runs still needed but SRH did enough to get over the line in the 19th over. CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, though, was disappointing with his handling of resources and failed to bowl his spin ace Akeal Hosein for four overs. The leftarm finger-spinner finished with 1/21 off three and it remains a mystery why the captain did not use him again when he had bowled so well in the early stages of the Klaasen-Kishan partnership.
While Kishan was the hero, SRH skipper Pat Cummins too deserves special mention. Cummins came on when CSK opener Sanju Samson was going great guns. Varying his pace and using the surface smartly, he removed Samson and then got the wickets of the in-form Kartik Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad to put the brakes on the CSK innings.
Cummins used the lack of pace on the pitch brilliantly and was well backed up by Eshan Malinga, Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain. All of them kept hitting hard lengths, took pace off the ball and made the CSK middle order huff and puff.
Dewald Brevis still tried to break free with a quickfire 44 but when Malinga got his wicket in the 18th over, CSK’s hopes of a 190-plus total took a hit. And that proved costly in the end as SRH held firm to enter the last four, beating a team that has consistently bothered them over the years.
Dhoni still unfit
MS Dhoni could not get fit in time for CSK’s final home game, revealed captain Ruturaj at the toss.