Dominating batting from Shane Watson and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Delhi Daredevils by 13 runs in the 30th Match of the Indian Premier League match yesterday. Chennai Openers Watson (78) and Faf du Plessis (33) provided a perfect start before skipper Dhoni and Rayudu (41 not out) finished the proceedings in style to power Chennai Super Kings to an imposing total.
In the chase, Delhi Daredevils’ middle-order batsman Rishabh Pant (79 runs off 45 balls;) and Vijay Shankar (54 not out) were the only players who faced the Chennai bowlers valiantly but their innings went in vain as no other batter rose to the occasion and went back cheaply.
Earlier in the night, Chennai got off to a flying start as openers Watson and du Plessis slammed the Delhi bowlers all around the park. The two took Chennai past the 100-run mark in the 11th over. While Watson hammered the bowlers, du Plessis rotated the strike. On occasions, the South African player also went for the big shots. But their start was a controversial one.
I know one man who needs to see "Padman.' Third umpire Nandan, that first ball LBW decision not giving Watson out was a shocker!
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) April 30, 2018
On the first ball of the match, Trent Boult bowled an inswinger to Shane Watson. Being completely beaten by the delivery, Watson was struck on his front pad. After being ruled not out by the umpire, Boult signaled to his captain to opt for the review.
The third umpire despite multiple slow-motion replays and snicko could not decide what did the ball hit first? The confusion was between whether if it was front pad first or the bat. After a long deliberation, Third Umpire ruled in the favor of the batsman and declared him not out. Watson went on to score 78 further runs.
Later we got to see the ball tracking and according to it the ball was crashing into the stumps. Delhi Captain Shreyas Iyer was really agitated by the decision and was unhappy on missing out on a great start. He announced the same in the post-match interview.
Iyer smilingly said,”I would like to complain about the first ball wicket. It did not go our way and that could have made a massive impact in the match. The way Watson started it totally changed the game. Not only me, the whole dressing room and obviously you also think the same – that ball hit the pad first and then the bat.”
Delhi Daredevils are now lying at the bottom of the table and are only hanging by a thread in the competition. They next face Rajasthan Royals at their home ground in Delhi.
