A hat-trick of wins for Kochi Tuskers

T20 cricket is all about power-hitting. But sometimes,low-scoring matches provide good entertainment,especially if the match goes down to the wire. Despite chasing a comparatively small target of 132 on home turf,Kolkata left a little too much for too late,as fourteen runs were needed in the last over. Unfortunately for the Eden fanatics,Rajat Bhatia and Iqbal Abdulla could only gather half the requisite runs as Vinay Kumar (1/21) bowled an outstanding final over.

While the Sri Lankan skipper won the Man of the Match for his brilliant on-field captaincy,it was Jadeja’s cameo of 29 runs,which included three lusty sixes,that eventually gave the Tuskers the momentum to restrict Kolkata in their chase.

On a wicket where stroke-play was almost impossible,Jadeja gave the KKR spinners a real hammering during his innings with the willow. Then with the ball,he gave 25 runs in four overs bagging the wickets of Manvinder Bisla and Manoj Tiwary. The latter played well for his 46 and was threatening to take the game away from the visitors. But he will rue the fact that he lost a golden opportunity to become a hero in front of his home crowd.

RP Singh,however,delivered a telling blow to the Knight Riders’ hopes. Gambhir was always going to be the best bet for the hosts against Muttiah Muralitharan & Co on a turning wicket,but RP produced the ball of the match to castle the KKR captain.

It swung late,forcing Gambhir to play down the wrong line,before landing on the base of middle-stump for a perfect yorker. Jacques Kallis,a person who has earned the tag of Mr IPL for his surreall consistency,went cheaply and once again a short ball did him in. With their best batsmen back in the dug-out,KKR’s inexperienced middle-order,couldn’t withstand the on-field pressure,let alone Jayawardene’s mesmeric tactics. Jayawardene’s captaincy made the task all the more difficult for them.