April 22, 2015
Brief Scorecard: Sunrisers Hyderabad 176 for 4 (Warner 91, Dhawan 54, Morkel 2-31) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 101 for 4 in 12 overs (Uthappa 34) by 16 runs (D/L method)
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan added 130 for the first wicket, Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2015, Vizag, April 22, 2015
April 22, 2015
Brief Scorecard: Sunrisers Hyderabad 176 for 4 (Warner 91, Dhawan 54, Morkel 2-31) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 101 for 4 in 12 overs (Uthappa 34) by 16 runs (D/L method)
David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan added 130 for the first wicket, Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2015, Vizag, April 22, 2015
VISAKHAPATNAM – David Warner’s appointment as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s captain before the start of the 2015 Pepsi Indian Premier League had raised a few eyebrows, given his tryst with discipline-related issues over the years. Warner, however, vindicated his franchise’s choice on Wednesday (April 22) with an inspiring performance that front-ended Hyderabad’s 16-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, in a rain-affected game at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam.
After his 55-ball 91 negated an otherwise ordinary batting performance to take Hyderabad to 176 for 4, he led the team spiritedly for the team’s second success in five games this season.
When play resumed after the rain break during the change in innings, Kolkata were set a revised target of 118 in 12 overs. With all ten wickets in hand, it was always going to be a slugfest, but Warner was not going to be the first to blink.
He kept two slips and got the field well covered to cut down on the four balls. His ploy nearly paid off in the third ball of the innings, but KL Rahul, at second slip, and Shikhar Dhawan, at first slip, combined to grass an easy chance off Robin Uthappa. Then, off Dale Steyn’s next over, Praveen Kumar dropped Gautam Gambhir at fine-leg.
The two errors, however, mattered little as Gambhir played on to Praveen soon after and Uthappa, who was looking to run away with the game, gave Praveen an easy catch at short fine-leg off Moises Henriques.
The innings went through its ebbs and flows, Manish Pandey shepherding the chase and Andre Russell flaunting his hitting prowess with two massive sixes. But Ravi Bopara, Hyderabad's partnership breaker this season, had him caught at long-on.
The turning point of the game, however, came in the tenth over, with Kolkata needing 37 runs off 18 balls and the match on an even keel.
Having reserved Bhuvneshwar Kumar for the slog overs, Warner brought him back and the medium pacer produced a top-class over by mixing it up well and conceding only five runs.
It hampered the momentum of the innings, and Praveen cashed in in the next over, keeping Pandey and Yusuf Pathan quiet by conceding just seven runs. With 25 needed off the final over, it was never going to be easy against Bhuvneshwar, and it wasn’t.
That Kolkata were chasing only 118 was largely because of Morne Morkel, who returned figures of 2 for 31, which included the scalp of the dangerous Warner.
When Morkel returned for his second spell in the 15th over, Hyderabad, asked to bat first, were cruising along at 126 for no loss, with Warner hitting the ball cleanly and Dhawan playing the role of second fiddle to perfection.
It was already Hyderabad’s best-ever opening partnership, and Warner, who treated the spinners with disdain, looked set to be the franchise’s first centurion. He welcomed Morkel by reaching out for a wide full delivery and hitting to point to enter the 90s. Predictably, Morkel pulled his length back and Warner fell in to the trap as his lazy pull only resulted in Uthappa, the wicketkeeper, covering good ground to complete an easy catch at square leg.
Warner’s knock included nine fours and four sixes and he made batting look easy, but his dismissal stalled Hyderabad’s progress. The home team managed only four hits to the boundary and two over it in the next 34 balls, and had to be content with 176 for 4.
Bopara became Morkel’s second victim, and Dhawan, who had to accelerate at some point, found the transition difficult and was snapped up on the fence off Russell for 54, and Naman Ojha was castled by a good Umesh Yadav yorker. Johan Botha, playing his first game for Kolkata, also kept things tight and covered up for Sunil Narine’s ordinary day, as Hyderabad’s middle order once again failed to deliver.
But, after Warner had papered over another mediocre overall batting performance, Bhuvneshwar, who finished with 1 for 24, ensured that Hyderabad ended their Vizag leg of home games on a happy note.
Courtesy: Wisden India
