Page 43 - The Indian EYE 040723

SPORTS APRIL 07, 2023 | The Indian Eye 43

ed accelerating gradually, reached the
zone where he was bossing everything
and then just took off. Phew! This was
Pant at his beastly best. And when he
does that, there are usually no paral-
lels. The rest of his team made 59 off
57 balls. This kind of one-man show
is rare and this turbulent force made
it possible. The attack had formidable
names like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and
Rashid Khan.
AB de Villiers
129 not out (55 balls, 4x10, 6x12).
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs
Gujarat Lions. May 14, 2016. Venue:
Bengaluru. Batting points: 148.8
his was remembered as Virat
Kohli’s season. He made four
Tcenturies in a single edition of
IPL and this was one of the matches
where he crossed three figures. How
often do you see a 55-ball 109 pale
into insignificance? The incredible
AB made that happen, with some-
thing that only he was capable of.
Scoring runs for fun, hitting the ball
to seemingly impossible corners of
the park and working out improbable
angles without making the effort look
laborious, this South African genius
was on song. There are many mem-
orable knocks in the IPL, so many
centuries. But few had made batting AB de Villiers (ANI)
look so ridiculously easy. It was like
he could hit the same ball to three or
four corners of the ground and that’s VIRENDER SEHWAG 64/4 in the 10 over. That game, set started celebrating. Then came the
what he did. The greatest of batters 119 (56 balls, 4x13, 6x6). Delhi and match conceded? Right? Wrong, storm. Pathan was a serious and vig-
may have two shots to play off one Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers. May if you had Killer Miller in the mix. orous hitter of the ball. He packed
delivery. The incredible AB had four! 5, 2011. Venue: Hyderabad. Batting What appeared to be a match over appropriate power behind his shots
No matter where the ball was pitched, points: 135 became a tense struggle and then a and the Mumbai bowlers might still
he would send it where he wanted to. one-way movement towards an im- be remembering the hammering they
here is truth in the perception probable win. got. A fairy tale win was on the cards
Shane Watson that Sehwag did not live up to The South African proved his and Pathan would have been immor-
117 not out (57 balls, 4x11, 6x8). Texpectations when it came to value in no uncertain terms by pro- talised had he helped his team win.
Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers white-ball cricket, especially T20s. ducing one of the most unforgettable
Hyderabad. May 27, 2018. Venue: His game was perfectly suited for the rearguard acts in the history of IPL. WRIDDHIMAN SAHA
Mumbai. Batting points: 144 shortest format and yet, this is where Think about it. About 130 to get in 10 115 not out (55 balls, 4x10, 6x8).
he underachieved. On this day, how- overs, almost half the side dismissed Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight
his might have ranked high- ever, he hit all those conceptions out and you are home with two overs to Riders. June 1, 2014. Venue: Bengalu-
er in the order because the
TAustralian’s blistering century of the ground. Nobody else from his spare. ru. Batting points: 134.4
team made more than 17 in a success-
came in the IPL final. SRH had put ful chase of 176 to win and here he was YUSUF PATHAN his was historic in the sense
on a formidable 178 on the board standing tall with a knock that defied 100 (37 balls, 4x9, 6x8). Rajasthan that this was the first-ever
and despite that, the Watson wave adversities as well as gravity. Bowl in Royals vs Mumbai Indians. March 13, Tcentury in IPL finals. A wick-
ensured that CSK cruised to the title his arc and he will hit you out of the 2010. Venue: Mumbai. Batting points: etkeeper who had been part of sev-
without any trouble. On his day, he ground, with unrelenting regularity. 136.5 eral franchises by then and was not
was among the best and most brutal exactly a star performer chose this
hitters of the ball. David Miller nother century in a losing day to make his mark. KKR had a
This day saw him at his top, to- cause but not lost in memory. solid bowling attack spearheaded by
wards the end of his career. The tar- 101 not out (38 balls, 4x8, 6x7). Kings AThe incredible Yusuf did what Sunil Narine. Saha stunned the world
XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers Ban-
get was not easy, the attack was re- galore. May 6, 2013. Venue: Mohali. only he could and brought his team to and Narine by going deep back into
spectable and this was the final. CSK Batting points: 141 the cusp of victory from a hopeless sit- his crease and playing him from the
was coming back to the IPL after a uation. The Royals were chasing 213 back foot. He waited for the ball to
two-year suspension and the stakes ou got to put things in per- to win, a mammoth target even on turn and then hit it with supple wrists
were high. Watson’s power-packed spective before evaluating pitches made for batters. They were and deft control. Rarely has anyone
approach dwarfed a seemingly Yhow crucial this knock was. struggling at 66/4 in the 10th over. It mastered Narine to this extent in the
daunting target. Chasing 191 to win and reduced to was only a matter of time before MI IPL, even to this day.

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