Gibbs keeps it going

Gilly’s onslaught

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the rest of the Chennai Super Kings side could be pardoned if they thought their final total of 165 would be fairly competitive against the might of the Deccan Chargers’ batting line-up. By the end of the fourth over,however,the Hyderabad score read 60-0,and the Chennai bowlers didn’t seem to know what hit them. Adam Gilchrist was unforgiving,smashing them for four fours and three sixes. By the time the Hyderabad captain went,falling to a soft dismissal off Suresh Raina for a 19-ball 44,Herschelle Gibbs & Co were left with the simple task of knocking off 99 runs in close to 14 overs. Gibbs was equally devastating and clobbered Manpreet Singh Gony for 20 runs in his only over.

The remainder of the chase didn’t prove as straightforward though,as the Chennai spin-attack of Raina and Muttiah Muralitharan choked the run-flow in the middle overs — only 55 runs came between the fourth and the 14th overs. Gibbs held the chase together with an unbeaten 56-ball 69 and with eight needed off the final over,cleared the square-leg boundary off Laxmipathy Balaji’s first delivery to all but seal the Chargers’ fourth straight win.

Spin in the tale

Earlier,the Super Kings lost Parthiv Patel on the second ball of their innings,caught-behind off Fidel Edwards. But Matthew Hayden continued in his free-flow fashion and,with good support from Raina,provided Chennai with a flying start. Dwayne Smith and RP Singh suffered the most as 62 runs came off the first six overs. Raina’s dismissal in Rohit Sharma’s first over stemmed Chennai’s scoring rate,but at the strategy break,they looked well set for a big score at 88-2.

But Pragyan Ojha turned the game around for Hyderabad yet again,removing both Hayden — after a 35-ball 49 — and Dhoni in his second over. Jacob Oram,who returned to the team in place of the injured Andrew Flintoff,then provided some momentum towards the end with 41 off 29 balls.

Forget them not

• Raina and Rohit Sharma may be known more for their batting prowess,but it was their bowling that took centre-stage on Monday. Raina got the wickets of Gilchrist and VVS Laxman in his spell of 2-18,while Rohit finished with 1-18 in his three overs.

• Fidel Edwards bowled with pace and control in his spell of 1-21 off four overs.