A brief Gayle and then a storm

Having been dropped for a match last week, Chris Gayle seemed to recover his early-overs mojo against Delhi Daredevils. Three balls into his innings here, he had the stands buzzing. Tim Southee's first ball was hit straight, and might have gone for four if it hadn't hit the stumps at the other end. The next ball was carved through the offside and the following one lifted into the sightscreen. But just when the Chinnaswamy seemed primed for a Gayle special, he cracked the next ball straight to Deepak Hooda at midwicket.

The pincushion
Harshal Patel might have been displeased when Sarfaraz Khan refused to attempt a second run off the last ball of the innings, but the rest of their side had only love for the young batsman. Virat Kohli was first on to the field to congratulate Sarfaraz for his knock. He clasped his hands together and bowed, offering a lighthearted Namaste. Other team-mates were a lot more hands on, mobbing Sarfaraz with back pats, bum slaps, and friendly knocks to the helmet. Thoroughly manhandled, Sarfaraz was still smiling when he eventually made it off the field.

The mix-up
Dinesh Karthik had already flung his bat several metres when he had played a part in the miscommunication that led to AB de Villiers' run out. He was cursing again when in the 17th over, he turned back for a second after Sarfaraz had hit one towards deep midwicket, but was sent back by his partner, a tad late. Karthik's dive could not save him, but Sarfaraz would ensure the innings stayed on course for 200.

The backhand
Sarfaraz had not been at the crease long, but having uppercut his first four, felt brave enough to try a rare innovation. James Faulkner sent down a length ball outside off stump and Sarfaraz played a reverse shot of sorts, only he used the back of his bat instead of the face. Though he sent the ball towards the third man area he had been aiming for, he could not get enough power on the shot to fetch more than a single.