IPL 9, Match 8: SRH v KKR - 5 Talking Points

The Kolkata Knight Riders righted their wrongs with a magnificent win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 8-wicket win ensures that Gautam Gambhir’s men pick up their second win from three matches in the ongoing edition of the IPL. As for David Warner and Co. The Sunrisers have plummeted to their second loss of the campaign. They will have to play out of their skin should they attempt to salvage their ongoing season that has begun rather badly.

1. Yadav and Morkel run riot:

Playing in Hyderabad, after a mighty long time, one may as well have expected the atmosphere to help the Sunrisers perform better. However, hearts were in mouths when Warner skied one from Morne Morkel. A no-ball ensured that Warner survived. The powerplay overs were shared by Umesh Yadav and Morkel. The latter was the first to strike when he removed the out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan. Warner’s tough time at the middle came to an abrupt end when he fell to Morkel’s strike partner Yadav. Moises Henriques too didn’t have the best of times with the bat as he was trapped leg-before. Three wickets fell in the powerplay as the foundation was dismantled by the irresistible KKR pacers.

2. Eoin Morgan and the art of English batting:

Eoin Morgan has been in terrible form of late. In the recently concluded World T20, Morgan was the beneficiary of a couple of golden ducks. With Deepak Hooda also dismissed soon after the powerplay, Morgan was joined by wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha. Morgan initially took his time to settle before finding his feet. Despite eating many more deliveries than expected, Morgan held a crippling innings together. He amassed 51 runs of 43 deliveries before being caught in the deep by Shakib Al Hasan.

3. Naman Ojha’s cameo:

Naman Ojha rose to fame in the IPL for his big-hitting in the ranks of the Rajasthan Royals. Since then, Ojha has plied his trade in the batting ranks of the Delhi Daredevils before making the move down south to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Now, a senior batsman in the side, Ojha knows fill well what is expected of him. He began his innings, striking the ball freely and more importantly, from the middle of the bat. This time around, Ojha played a wonderful cameo, smashing a 28-ball 37. His innings, despite showing a distinct swagger, ensured that Eoin Morgan had a partner at the other end.

4. KKR’s opening solidity:

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra may have not donned the Indian shirt as much as he would have liked. However, he certainly knows a thing or two about opening the batting. In a blog to the ESPNcricinfo magazine, Chopra suggested that the two ‘rejects’ of Indian cricket have adjusted their technique. Well, whether he is right or wrong, doesn’t matter. However, he has certainly got one thing right. They are making a mockery of the bowling attacks thrown at them. Robin Uthappa dealt with the pace of Barinder Saran and Mustafizur Rahman absolutely magnificently. Uthappa, along with KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir added 92 in quick time as a KKR win was rather ensured at that point.

5. In Gauti we trust:

In Gauti we trust? Well, he is the man for the big occasion, there is certainly no doubt about that. Who can forget the 2007 World T20 final, perhaps even the 2011 World Cup final. Despite going out of favor with the selectors, cricket fans get to see him during the IPL, plying his irresistible trade of left-handed batting. He is a virtuoso. Period. The likes of Barinder, Mustafizur, and others didn’t even hold a candle to the way he went about his unbeaten innings of 90. His trademark cuts and pulls are something certainly missing from Indian cricket at the moment. 90 off 60 deliveries is no joke. The real question is how long will the selectors wait before re-finding their talisman of yesteryear.

How did Twitter react to the game? – Twitter Reactions: Gambhir’s 90 propels KKR to an easy win