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Mumbai Indians checks Chargers

Skipper Gilchrist, Rohit and Suman flatter only to deceive

Centurion: Mumbai Indians restricted Deccan Chargers to 145 for six in their Indian Premier League match at the Supersport Park, on Wednesday. Mumbai’s bowlers ensured no batsman could capitalise on starts, as wickets fell consistently.

Gilchrist, who chose to bat, began in earnest for the Chargers. Lasith Malinga sent across a swinging yorker that scurried to the square-leg boundary in the first over.

But at the other end, Dhawal Kulkarni, who replaced the injured Zaheer Khan, removed Herschelle Gibbs for a duck. Gibbs’ half-hearted drive at a wide delivery gave Sachin Tendulkar a simple chance at slips.

Sixes galore

Gilchrist and T.S. Suman paid no heed to the fall of Gibbs and the runs piled on. Suman helped himself to two sixes in Harbhajan Singh’s first over — an easy swing over long-off and a powerful strike almost immediately in the same area.

Suman looked good for more, but was deceived by the bounce from Dwayne Bravo to edge it to wicketkeeper Pinal Shah.

Gilchrist’s rampant striking went on briefly. His trademark six over mid-wicket executed on one knee covered a massive 106 metres off Harbhajan Singh.

Soon enough, Rohit Sharma almost mirrored his captain with a spanking six over mid-wicket off a short delivery from Rohan Raje.

Some aggressive running nearly gave the Chargers the edge going into the strategic timeout, before Gilchrist swung carelessly at Raje. The ball was pitched up on off, and Gilchrist was bowled.

Dwayne Smith’s leg-glance fetched him four runs off Sanath Jayasuriya after the timeout, but an over later, Jayasuriya had his man. Smith swung at a short delivery and failed to connect. The fourth Chargers wicket had fallen.

Stifling the batsmen

Mumbai’s bowling stifled the batsmen before Sharma’s cut fetched him a boundary at backward point against Jayasuriya in the 17th over. Venugopala Rao cleared mid-off for a six in the same over.

Sharma mishit Malinga for Bravo to play to the gallery with a catch-and-dive close to long-on. He departed for 38 with the score at 118. Forced to do all the scoring, Rao struck a couple of boundaries, but the Chargers could manage just 145.

SCOREBOARD

Deccan Chargers: A. Gilchrist b Raje 25 (29b, 2x4, 1x6), H. Gibbs c Tendulkar b Kulkarni 0 (5b), T. Suman c Shah b Bravo 20 (13b, 1x4,2x 6), R. Sharma c Bravo b Malinga 38 (36b, 2x4, 1x6), D. Smith b Jayasuriya 16 (12b, 1x4,1x 6), Y. Venugopala (run out) 28 (17b, 2x4, 1x6), R. Teja (not out) 4 (4b), R. Harris (not out) 5 (4b); Extras (lb-5, w-4): 9. Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 145.

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-37, 3-62, 4-85, 5-118, 6-137.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-24-1, Kulkarni 4-0-21-1, Harbhajan 2-0-23-0, Bravo 3-0-16-1, Raje 3-0-25-1, Jayasuriya 4-0-31-1.

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