Chennai: Michael Hussey (83 not out) marked his return to Indian Premier League (IPL) as he anchored the Chennai Super Kings to a 21-run victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who slid to their third defeat in four matches here Saturday.
Dropped thrice, Hussey carried his bat through and helped the Super Kings post 183 for five. And then RCB never quite recovered fully from the early loss of wickets and finished on 162 for seven with AB de Villiers making a fighting 64.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' cricketer Michael Hussey plays a shot
It was Super Kings' second win in three matches and they did well to bounce back after their shock loss to Kings XI Punjab, who chased down a target of 189 at Mohali earlier this week.
Sloppy fielding as much as Hussey's power hitting marked the first half of the match as the Super Kings profited on the lapses to pile up a big total.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, right, and Michael Hussey interact during their innings
Hussey revealed his ability to hit the big shots as he fully capitalised on an early let-off to hold the innings together with a blend of caution and aggression.
In fact, Hussey played the role of an anchor to near perfection as the others batted around in. Opener Murali Vijay (31), Suresh Raina (29) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21) scored quickly while the Aussie went about his task methodically.
In Image: Hussey in action
For the visitors, seamer Johan van der Wath was the pick of bowlers. Though he went for 49 in his four overs, he had three catches dropped off him and these misses seemed to have disturbed his concentration.
Early on, the pitch had some pace on it with the ball coming on nicely, but as the innings progressed, it tended to slow down making batting that much more difficult.
Hussey adapted well to the changing situation while the other batsmen played without inhibitions as the Super Kings showcased the depth in their batting.
In Image: Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Daniel Vettori, left, celebrates the dismissal of Chennai Super Kings' Murali Vijay
The final few overs saw runs coming in a torrent even as the Bangalore attack seemed to wilt under pressure. The lack of depth in their bowling stood out in bold relief while the home batsmen made merry to post another 180-plus total.
RCB stumbled early in their chase, losing three wickets in the power-play. These dismissals brought Kohli and de Villiers together. The two survived some close calls as they rebuilt the innings with flashes of aggression.
The introduction of left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati provided a heaven-sent opportunity for the RCB pair who indulged in some big hitting to provide momentum to the chase.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left, and Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Daniel Vettori interact during their match
However, Jakati, showing a lot of character, hit back by having Kohli caught in the deep in his next over to end the threatening 42-run partnership.
Despite mounting pressure, de Villiers underlined his class with some bold hits, specially targeting Jakati who proved rather expensive, conceding 36 runs in his three overs.
But wickets kept falling at the other end and though de Villiers kept battling until his dismissal in the 19th over, the target proved just beyond RCB's reach.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot
Dropped thrice, Hussey carried his bat through and helped the Super Kings post 183 for five. And then RCB never quite recovered fully from the early loss of wickets and finished on 162 for seven with AB de Villiers making a fighting 64.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' cricketer Michael Hussey plays a shot
It was Super Kings' second win in three matches and they did well to bounce back after their shock loss to Kings XI Punjab, who chased down a target of 189 at Mohali earlier this week.
Sloppy fielding as much as Hussey's power hitting marked the first half of the match as the Super Kings profited on the lapses to pile up a big total.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, right, and Michael Hussey interact during their innings
Hussey revealed his ability to hit the big shots as he fully capitalised on an early let-off to hold the innings together with a blend of caution and aggression.
In fact, Hussey played the role of an anchor to near perfection as the others batted around in. Opener Murali Vijay (31), Suresh Raina (29) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21) scored quickly while the Aussie went about his task methodically.
In Image: Hussey in action
For the visitors, seamer Johan van der Wath was the pick of bowlers. Though he went for 49 in his four overs, he had three catches dropped off him and these misses seemed to have disturbed his concentration.
Early on, the pitch had some pace on it with the ball coming on nicely, but as the innings progressed, it tended to slow down making batting that much more difficult.
Hussey adapted well to the changing situation while the other batsmen played without inhibitions as the Super Kings showcased the depth in their batting.
In Image: Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Daniel Vettori, left, celebrates the dismissal of Chennai Super Kings' Murali Vijay
The final few overs saw runs coming in a torrent even as the Bangalore attack seemed to wilt under pressure. The lack of depth in their bowling stood out in bold relief while the home batsmen made merry to post another 180-plus total.
RCB stumbled early in their chase, losing three wickets in the power-play. These dismissals brought Kohli and de Villiers together. The two survived some close calls as they rebuilt the innings with flashes of aggression.
The introduction of left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati provided a heaven-sent opportunity for the RCB pair who indulged in some big hitting to provide momentum to the chase.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left, and Royal Challengers Bangalore's captain Daniel Vettori interact during their match
However, Jakati, showing a lot of character, hit back by having Kohli caught in the deep in his next over to end the threatening 42-run partnership.
Despite mounting pressure, de Villiers underlined his class with some bold hits, specially targeting Jakati who proved rather expensive, conceding 36 runs in his three overs.
But wickets kept falling at the other end and though de Villiers kept battling until his dismissal in the 19th over, the target proved just beyond RCB's reach.
In Image: Chennai Super Kings' captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a shot
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