Two blistering centuries, one form both sides. But, only one triumphed over the other in the end. Well, to Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul’s delight, it was their side that ultimately got the better of hosts Chennai Super Kings, as the visitors posted a nail-biting 6-wicket win over CSK.
CSK, who lost the toss and were sent out to bat first, were powered by a captain’s knock of a century from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and yet another fiery display of hard-hitting from Shivam Dube, which helped the hosts put up a daunting total of 211 for the visitors.
Gaikwad, more specifically, was the man of the hour for Chennai Super Kings, as he slashed and dashed his way to post the finest of captain’s knocks, a fabulous 108* in just 60 balls, laced with 12 fours and 3 sixes.
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“Very special, especially when it’s a game like that… I think they (CSK) started off really well and put us under pressure. 170-180 would’ve been a great total here but they batted really well,” stated a humble KL Rahul in a post-match interview.
But, all of CSK’s efforts would all be in vain ultimately as Marcus Stoinis’ ironman stand of 124* off just a mere 63 balls proved to be the ultimate point of difference.
The Aussie weathered through all the loss of wickets with no loss of heart and kept pummeling the CSK bowlers for boundaries galore, putting on an unbeaten 124* laced with 13 fours and 6 sixes.
In reality, it was all a gamble that skipper Rahul took, promoting the hard-hitting Aussie Stoinis up to number 3, but one which paid off.
“We felt like we needed to be braver and capitalize the powerplay and needed 1 power-hitter in the top-3. I’ve realized that T20 cricket has changed in the past couple of years, 170-180 doesn’t always cut it. You need to go harder in the powerplay and the impact player rule also gives you a bit more depth,” said Rahul.
“Full credit to Stoinis though. It was not just power hitting, it was very clever batting. He picked his bowlers and played very well.”
It was a brilliant showcase of batting from both sides, but nerves got to the best of CSK’s bowling force as Pathirana and Mustafizur just could not contain Stoinis’ onslaught and were punished heartily for the same.
With their win, LSG now go up to 4th place in the table with 10 points, as CSK dangle on the edge of the playoff contention spots at 5th with 8 points of their own.
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