and it's all over. Vinay Kumar gets a thick edge on an intended big hit, and it lobs to point where Yadav takes an athletic catch
That's all we have. Okay bye
Virender Sehwag "Absolutely happy. The wicket was not easy, I took the responsibility. Once we corssed 120, I thought we had got par. We were very happy we got 158. I was hitting the ball nicely, it was obvious I had to bat longer. I told myself if I just stayed longer we could get 130, a good total on this wicket. Just told my bowlers to bowl straight, and the wicket would do the rest."
Mahela Jayawardene "130-140 would have been competitive, but 160 is tough. Viru batted really well. It was crucial to get him early. The way we bowled in the last 10, we didn't have any control over things. Just the low bounce. The best thing was to bat without thinking too much about it. It's tough, but you have to adjust. We didn't bowl good areas. The first 10 we were good. Viru batted well as well.
Sehwag is pleased. Shares high-fives with van der merwe. Mahela is distraught. This day, however, belonged exclusively to Sehwag, who batted on some other planet. To me, considered how difficult this wicket was, Sehwag's 80 off 47 was the best IPL innings I have seen. I haven't seen many, though.
And Alastor strikes again: "Guess I have to add ROELOF! ROELOF! ROELOF! ROELOF! Woo hoo! 'cause he has almost the same figures as Morne." Why do I feel he will fit right in with Danny Morrison in a comm box? Do hang around for the quotes from the presentation
Chaitanya: "Sreesanth dies by his own sword - a low shooter. Poetic justice?"
full on the pads, worked away for one
RP Singh to face now
Taste of his own medicine for Sreesanth, who got two wickets with shooters, surlis himself. The boot is on the other foot as this pitches back of a length and hits the base of the off stump. Not much he could have done with this one
gets the yorker right this time, outside off, squeezing under his bat
Sreesanth to bat
Bowled him! No uneven bounce here, as it is a full toss that has gone straight through and hit the middle stump. Powar took half a step down the track, but was done in by this quick low full toss
In comes Ramesh Powar
Priya: "It's funny how Ajit haters are all quiet today!"
Full toss hit straight down wide long-on's throat, but they are checkingnif this is too high a full toss. No it isn't, says the replay. Off you go, Ravindra
looks for the scoop, can't beat short fine leg
length ball on the pads, right in his slogging slot, and is smacked over square leg for six. First boundary off Agarkar tonight
another yorker, hit down to long-on for one
yorker, digs it out, steals the single
back of a length, around off, pushed back to the bowler
AjitA comes back
quick, straight, middle and off, played back wide of him
yorker on the pads, squeezed out to midwicket for one
arm ball, quick, really quick, on the stumps, defended
full toss on the pads, not the best of connections, but he gets enough on it to clear the deep midwicket by a couple of feet
full, on the pads, played to deep midwicket for one
length, on the pads, pushed down the ground
Curious: "How does one rise to become an adherent of Sehwagology? I hope jumping on the nearest couch is not a pre-requisite." One of the commandments, as so delightfully put by Jarrod Kimber, is: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, but if he bowls a wide half volley hit it like it stole your donkey or ox."
Alastor can't contain excitement, much like an IPL commentator, afraid to say. He writes in, "MORNE! MORNE! MORNE! MORNE! Woo hoo!" Also reminds me of a song they used to play for Morne in South Africa. It's basically this, but they improvised a bit. Instead of "Barbara Streisand", they would go Morne Morkel.
van der Merwe to bowl now
short, into the body, and a dot ball to end yet another superb spell from Morne
makes room and slogs this down to long-on for one
short outside leg, and whipped away fine. Would have been a wide had he not gone for it
Over 19 • Kochi 119/10