A massage for Raina

The IPL speedometer hasn't been the most accurate on some occasions this season, one Piyush Chawla delivery in one of the earlier games clocking more than 130kmph. However, he did bowl a quicker delivery today that won him a wicket. In the 11th over, Chawla fired one in outside off to a charging Michael Hussey, who missed and was stumped by Gurkeerat Singh.

The Chennai heat is unforgiving and it wasn't a surprise when, during the first strategy break, a four to five man contingent, including the coach, emerged from the dug-out and headed towards Suresh Raina and Hussey. Raina was given a back massage by S Anirudha, both batsmen had their heads wrapped in towels, were gulping down liquids; Hussey, through the break, was down in knees. All these in conditions without any breeze not a speck of cloud in the sky.

Rajagopal Sathish hadn't done anything out of the ordinary in his three previous games this IPL, but he single-handedly brought about the downfall of MS Dhoni for 2 today. Dhoni turned Sathish, who was bowling, to midwicket and tried to scramble back for the second. Sathish ran across from the pitch, slid, collected the ball and returned a good throw to the striker's end where Gurkeerat took off the bails to find Dhoni just short of the crease.

Raina misfielded one from Shaun Marsh in the penultimate over, when he struck one down the ground. But in the over before, he did something spectacular. Marsh drilled Dwayne Bravo wide of long-on, and it looked certain to go for four. Raina ran to his right and dived full length to stop the ball on the half-volley with one hand, and kept the batsmen to two. That misfield, therefore, was a shocker.