Dhoni's monster hit
Plays of the day from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils in Chennai
Siddarth Ravindran
14-May-2013
MS Dhoni smashed one of the biggest sixes of the competition • BCCI
The six
Before the advent of Twenty20, a six used to be an incident you saw very few times in a match. This IPL, there have already been more than 550 sixes, and the frequency of big hits means that few shots stick in the memory. One of those few will be MS Dhoni's towering hit off Siddarth Kaul in the 18th over. Kaul served up a slower ball on a length, and a well-set Dhoni absolutely hammered it over long-on. It didn't just clear the rope, it nearly cleared the stadium itself, landing on top of the roof. It wasn't just the bowler who was disheartened, as a member of the ground staff had the tricky challenge of retrieving the ball from its lofty perch.
Before the advent of Twenty20, a six used to be an incident you saw very few times in a match. This IPL, there have already been more than 550 sixes, and the frequency of big hits means that few shots stick in the memory. One of those few will be MS Dhoni's towering hit off Siddarth Kaul in the 18th over. Kaul served up a slower ball on a length, and a well-set Dhoni absolutely hammered it over long-on. It didn't just clear the rope, it nearly cleared the stadium itself, landing on top of the roof. It wasn't just the bowler who was disheartened, as a member of the ground staff had the tricky challenge of retrieving the ball from its lofty perch.
The reprieve - 1
M Vijay hasn't had the best IPL season so far, and could have had another low score today. In the third over, with Vijay on 2, Ashish Nehra got the ball to seam away and Vijay nicked it through to the wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav. The ball went through low and to the right of Jadhav, whose tardy effort wasn't enough to pouch the catch.
M Vijay hasn't had the best IPL season so far, and could have had another low score today. In the third over, with Vijay on 2, Ashish Nehra got the ball to seam away and Vijay nicked it through to the wicketkeeper Kedar Jadhav. The ball went through low and to the right of Jadhav, whose tardy effort wasn't enough to pouch the catch.
The reprieve - 2
That wasn't the only chance that Jadhav missed off Vijay. In the seventh over, with Michael Hussey and Vijay switching to top gear, Vijay dabbed the ball past point and pushed for a quick second. It looked as if Vijay was going to make it in time, but just as he was about to complete the second, his bat got stuck in the turf. The throw came through to Jadhav, who was unaware that Vijay hadn't quite made his ground and didn't bother trying to break the stumps. Luckily for Jadhav, Vijay was run-out in the next over, a direct hit by Ben Rohrer.
That wasn't the only chance that Jadhav missed off Vijay. In the seventh over, with Michael Hussey and Vijay switching to top gear, Vijay dabbed the ball past point and pushed for a quick second. It looked as if Vijay was going to make it in time, but just as he was about to complete the second, his bat got stuck in the turf. The throw came through to Jadhav, who was unaware that Vijay hadn't quite made his ground and didn't bother trying to break the stumps. Luckily for Jadhav, Vijay was run-out in the next over, a direct hit by Ben Rohrer.
The reaction
When bowling, a poor delivery has never stopped Nehra from feeling distraught with the fielder when the ball is smashed for a boundary. It was on display again in the 19th over, when he offered a short and wide hit-me ball to Dhoni, who promptly slapped it behind point for four. Nehra, disregarding the fact that he had bowled a wayward ball, had a go at the third-man fielder, screaming at him to move squarer.
When bowling, a poor delivery has never stopped Nehra from feeling distraught with the fielder when the ball is smashed for a boundary. It was on display again in the 19th over, when he offered a short and wide hit-me ball to Dhoni, who promptly slapped it behind point for four. Nehra, disregarding the fact that he had bowled a wayward ball, had a go at the third-man fielder, screaming at him to move squarer.
The soft dismissal
Delhi Daredevils' chase was already in disarray when Rohrer walked to the middle in the ninth over. Things got quickly worse, as Rohrer too joined the procession, dismissed in the softest of fashions. He flicked a harmless, short of a length ball on the pads from Albie Morkel perfectly to R Ashwin at square leg. Ashwin barely had to move, and the ball looped gently to him as Daredevils' hopes plunged further.
Delhi Daredevils' chase was already in disarray when Rohrer walked to the middle in the ninth over. Things got quickly worse, as Rohrer too joined the procession, dismissed in the softest of fashions. He flicked a harmless, short of a length ball on the pads from Albie Morkel perfectly to R Ashwin at square leg. Ashwin barely had to move, and the ball looped gently to him as Daredevils' hopes plunged further.
Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo