Kochi crack the code again

After humbling Mumbai Indians,Mahelas side down champs Chennai.

As the Kochi Tuskers versus Chennai Super Kings match came to a standstill at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium half way through the first innings,a packed house twiddled their collective thumbs,unsure of whether the match would be abandoned due to the unseasonal rain,or if there would be the slightest chance of getting to watch their home stars the ones who had recently learned how to win on the western port of Mumbai wield their lengthy willows.

With Chennai on 65/2 at the end of the ninth over,the match had hardly taken off. Hungry for some real action,most present at the venue chose the latter option,braving the storm. And their patience was rewarded handsomely by the home side,especially opener Brendon McCullum.

For at half an hour past midnight the latest any televised cricket match has ended in India the home fans left with Cheshire cat smiles pasted on their faces and with their bellies full stuffed with happiness of witnessing their newly established team completing only its second win in their first season of the IPL. In a match reduced to 17 overs a side,Kochi overhauled Chennais target of 132 without breaking into a sweat,managing to achieve victory with as many as two overs to spare.

The sagging wet tarpaulin sheets were replaced with spreads of confetti,as Ravindra Jadeja and Brad Hodge embraced in the middle of the pitch,just like they had done against Mumbai,before acknowledging Chennai skipper MS Dhoni with a better luck next time handshake.

And as Kochis giant killing habit stretched over to the defending champions,McCullum flexed his tattooed biceps in the winning dug-out,happy to have played the key role in his teams victory.

Total recall

Exactly three years after he scored the whirlwind 158 against Bangalore in IPLs first ever game,McCullum repeated his feat of playing the match winning innings once again. With a shade under 10 runs required for a victory,McCullum got going as early as the fourth ball of the chase,slapping Albie Morkel over long-on for the first six of three sixes. Morkels pace provided just the perfect pace on the thick chunk of wood,and McCullum collared him for the second to kickstart the third over. Shadab Jakati wasnt spared either,as the Kiwi opener threw the kitchen sink at a juicy long hop,a ball that was lost somewhere between the fourth and fifth tiers of the cow corner stands.

While McCullum was baying for blood off every ball,skipper Mahela Jayawardene played a delicious innings,refusing to slog even rank half volleys. He casually timed R Ashwin over his head for a six,caressed him past backward square leg for a four next ball,and holed out in the third.

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Parthiv Patel blended in beautifully with McCullums fury,hitting as many as four boundaries and a six in his 26-ball 34. Patel and McCullum were dismissed within overs of each other to Doug Bollinger and Ashwin respectively,but it was too late for the lads from across the border,as Hodge and Jadeja did what they have started cherishing more than anything else ensuring that they are present when the final nail is drilled into the oppositions coffin.