It was a match-up dripping with epicness: Virat Kohli’s “MC-BC” fire and brimstone versus MS Dhoni’s “Well of course” ice-cold confidence, Chris Gayle’s monstrosity versus Sir Jadeja’s divinity, Ashwin’s bewildering finger work versus AB de Villiers’ outrageous footwork – in summary, it was Chennai Super Kings versus Royal Challengers Bangalore in the mecca of knowledgeable cricket in India, MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Is it blasphemous to not have Sir Ravindra Jadeja in the fantasy team? #CSKvsRCB
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
The match began on a controversial, and touch farcical note, when RCB was forced to rest Sri Lankan Tamil Muttiah Muralidharan, owing to Jayalalitha’s ban on Sri Lankan players in Chennai, sparking allegations of the hidden hand of N Srinivasan in the proceedings. The Srini mama theory gained a lot of credence when RCB picked the baap of Chetan Sharma, Dan Christian, in its playing XI.
And when Chris Gayle nicked one to MS Dhoni off South African Chris Morris after CSK elected to field, the theory seemed all but confirmed.
Crowd already feeling cheated. Chris Morris ruined match-up of the century – Sir Ravindra Jadeja versus Chris Gayle #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
The knowledgeable Chennai crowd, however, knew that the game is bigger than any one individual, and apart from allowing itself a suppressed sigh of relief at Gayle’s exit combined with a pang of regret at having missed out on some exquisite T20 cricket, continued to watch with its sense of expectation more or less intact.
And sure enough, RCB got over the shock of the Jamaican’s exit, and rallied around Captain MC-BC Kohli to get a move on. Captain Kohli made a quickfire 58, and much to Gambhir’s amusement did not mutter even a boo to his CSK counterpart. AB de Villiers took over from where Kohli left, and made his mark – all over the crease it would seem, from the way he danced this way and that, to manufacture outrageous strokes in every region apart from the ‘V’.
CSK began its chase of 166 in Pondulkar fashion – the openers departed in an ungainly manner after making Test Cricket proud (in terms of strike rate).
Suresh Raina came good, adding a reasonably quick 30, before Kohli decided to stop messing around and take the easy way out by getting someone to bowl a short delivery. Ravi Rampaul would later get the nayi soch award for bouncing Raina, sending bowlers across the world into fits of laughter and/or bewildered ‘How-is-that-nayi-soch-Are-you-fricking-kidding-me?’ dropped-jaw incredulous stares.
Captain Dhoni and Subramaniam Badrinath player their parts, and politely exited the stage when the drama was at its apogee, leaving that man, Sir Ravindra Jadeja to do the honours to deliver this epic match a fitting end. 16 required off 6 balls.
Sir Ravindra Jadeja edged the first ball over the third man with masterful precision to collect Four off the first ball. He then walloped the second delivery well over long on to collect a Six. Then, as if realizing that the equation, 6 off 4, had become a bit too easy, Sir Ravindra Jadeja nudged the next delivery square, and passed the strike to young Chris Morris. Chris Morris, took three off the next two deliveries, leaving Sir Jadeja to get 2 off the last ball.
Now, how would a typical cricketer look to get 2 off the last ball? Take a risk and throw the kitchen sink at the ball in the hopes of getting a boundary? Nudge the ball and scramble like crazy to somehow get a double? Or shun all risk, get a single and take it to the super over?
Not Sir Ravindra Jadeja.
When 2 is needed off 1, Sir Ravindra Jadeja doesn’t scramble for 2, he makes the bowler bowl a no-ball and saunters for a single #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
Sir Ravindra Jadeja casually deflected the short ball to the third man region, ensuring that the ball is high enough for him to amble to a single, and placed well enough to make for an easy catch for the third man. And yeah, the masterstroke of course:
REVEALED: RP Singh did not bowl a no-ball, Sir Ravindra Jadeja moved the field back by 10 inches in his delivery stride #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
The reactions of the two captains as RP Singh bowled that no-ball was one for the Wisden Almaanack.
Sir Ravindra Jadeja can get two competing teams to celebrate at the same time (via Ramnath Shivam on FB) #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
Even as CSK players burst onto the field, RCB players hung their hands and plodded towards their dugout, the umpires picked up the bails…
While everyone was celebrating, Sir Ravindra Jadeja gives the umpire a WTF look and asks, ‘What about the Free-Hit?’ #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
Eventually, Sir Jadeja was somehow mollified, thereby bringing and end to a masterful display of cricket:
Sir Ravindra Jadeja showed everything there is to batting:top-edged a 4, middled a 6, scrambled a 1, got out, & still took CSK over the line — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
It doesn’t look good for RP Singh though, and one worries for the left-armer, especially after this tweet by Chris Gayle minutes after the match.
Just had a brilliant chicken pasta! — Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) April 13, 2013
If the normally cool Gayle tweeted that, one shudders to think what the captain and the team’s flamboyant bankrupt owner would have to say
Mallya: Today I felt like a KFA employee, ripped off by RP Singh — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 14, 2013
Breaking: Virat Kohli makes up with Gautam Gambhir, recruits him to swear all-night at RP Singh #CSKvsRCB — The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
The day ended with Sir Jadeja getting the Man Of the Match, but it did not even come close towards pleasing his most ardent devotees.
Breaking: 6 Crore Gujaratis want not Narendra Modi but Sir Ravindra Jadeja to be the PM (MT @khabarbaazi)
— The UnReal Times (@TheUnRealTimes) April 13, 2013
(Tamil folks can check out the Facebook wall snapshot featuring N Srinivasan, Tamil celebrities discussing the match on Tamil Unreal Times)