The match we’ve all been looking forward to is finally here.
Thursday evening will see MS Dhoni’s Rising Supergiants take on Suresh Raina’s Lions in a face-off comprising the finest players from the disbanded Rajasthan and Chennai teams of the IPL.
While the events will unfold on a good batting deck in Rajkot, one can expect the game to throw up some exciting subplots in the form of battles between individuals from either side.
Here, we take a look at three of those key exchanges that will likely define the encounter between the two sides.
Dwayne Bravo vs Steven Smith
Bravo v Smith
With his spell of 4-22 off four overs, Dwayne Bravo knocked the wind out of Kings XI Punjab’s famed batting line-up and set up a memorable maiden victory for the Gujarat Lions a couple of days back.
And now Suresh Raina’s champion performer is out to trouble one of the best batters in world cricket. Add to that the famed Australia-West Indies rivalry, and you might have to sit back and grab some popcorn!
Bravo’s stock delivery is the slower ball which he uses to great avail towards the latter stages of the innings and Smith’s strength lies in the way he tackles slower bowlers.
Considering that in the Pune batting line-up, Smith is slated to come in at No. 4 or 5, how he plays out Bravo at the death will be pivotal to his team’s cause.
RP Singh vs Kevin Pietersen
It’s been nearly ten years since RP Singh helped India to a long awaited Test series victory in England with some splendid bowling. With 12 wickets in three games, Singh was one of the highest wicket takers in that series. In the opposition camp was Kevin Pietersen; the series’ highest run-getter.
A lot has changed since then as both players have fallen out of favour with their national selectors. But some things, like Singh’s ability to curve the ball back in to the right-hander and Pietersen’s susceptibility to the LBW, haven’t changed.
Expect Singh to pitch it at good length, angling back in, and Pietersen to look to flick him off his legs through mid-wicket.
Irrespective of his weakness, Pietersen holds the edge in this contest as Singh has been able to dismiss him only three times in the sixteen occasions they have faced each other in international cricket.
Ravichandran Ashwin vs Brendon McCullum
Ashwin v Big Mac
When the former teammates face each other on Thursday one thing will be certainly known to both – McCullum loves to use his feet and attack.
This will be a double edged sword for McCullum when he takes guard against Ashwin who has ample variation in his arsenal and will know each of McCullum’s trigger movements to prepare a strategy in advance.
McCullum in turn will need to be careful and would have learnt his lessons from his last outing. Stepping out unnecessarily is a risk and the risk magnifies when Ashwin is bowling and MS Dhoni is keeping.
India’s leading off-spinner has been having mellow days lately with the captain not giving him his full quota but come tomorrow a lot might change. Getting McCullum’s wicket early on might be the confidence boost that Ashwin needs right now.
