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CSK Vs DC IPL Match 2 Review: Raina’s Return Eclipsed by Dhawan-Shaw Onslaught

CSK Vs DC– IPL 2021 Match #2 Quick Review!

Match Details

Scorecard: Match 2: CSK Vs DC Video Highlights

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Toss: DC won the Toss and chose to field first

Umpires: Anil Chaudhary & Virender Sharma

What Actually Happened

  • Winner: Delhi Capitals Won by 7 Wickets
  • Scores: CSK: 188/7 Vs DC: 190/3 (18.4 overs)
  • Player of the Match: Shikhar Dhawan
  • Best Figures
    • Chris Woakes – 2/18
    • Shardul Thakur – 2/53
  • Most Runs
    • Suresh Raina – 54 (36)
    • Shikhar Dhawan – 85 (54)

Moments of The Day

The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:

Surprises

  • The return of Suresh Raina: Several questions about his commitment over the past year, but he came back in style. The hoicks & cuts are back. 4 sixes. With Moeen Ali, it was exactly the impetus CSK were missing last year in the middle overs.
  • Dhawan-Shaw Make a Mark: Dhawan 85, Shaw 72, 138 opening partnership. With the declaration that Kohli-Sharma will open in the World T20I world cup and KL Rahul & Ishan Kishan as reserves, Shikhar Dhawan & Prithvi Shaw seem to be out of the reckoning. With a 23-man squad possible now, commanding performances like today will help their cases. Just toyed with the field!
  • The Battle of the Currans: In the penultimate over of the 1st innings, Tom Curran came to bowl in the death to Sam Curran. 2 fours, 2 sixes, and 23 runs later, the younger brother wins the battle.

Honorable Mentions: Free-flowing Moeen Ali, impressive Avesh Khan, 3 catches for Gabbar!

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day

  • MS Dhoni – #DhoniReturns was trending on twitter, but did not get much batting time as he was bowled for a duck.
  • CSK improved on the batting front with ‘intent,’ but with only specialist cutters (Bravo-Thakur-Chahar), the bowling was not threatening at all.
  • R Ashwin was the only DC player with an off day. Expensive 47 runs in 4 overs was not his best performance
  • More dropped catches….Santner, Bravo, Gaikwad the culprits this time around

IPL 2021 Points Table

No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table. We will keep updating it in every article!

TeamsPlayedWonLostTied/No-ResultPointsNet Run Rate
1. Delhi Capitals11002+0.779
2. Royal Challengers Bangalore11002+0.05
3. Mumbai Indians10100-0.05
4. Chennai Super Kings10100-0.779
Kolkata Knight Riders
Punjab Kings
Rajasthan Royals
Sunrisers Hyderabad
IPL 2021 Points Table

Tomorrow’s Preview

The Kolkata Knight Riders take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai. Who do you think will win this one?

Also, if you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:

  1. Chennai Super Kings – CSK Preview
  2. Delhi Capitals – DC Preview
  3. Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR Preview
  4. Mumbai Indians – MI Preview
  5. Punjab Kings – PBKS Preview
  6. Rajasthan Royals – RR Preview
  7. Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB Preview
  8. Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH Preview

IPL Match 1 Review: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

RCB Vs MI – IPL 2021 Match 1 Short & Sweet Review!

Match Details: Scorecard, Video Highlights, & More!

Scorecard: Match 1: RCB Vs MI Video Highlights

Venue: MA Chidambram Stadium, Chennai

Toss: RCB won the Toss and chose to field first (Yes Virat Kohli really did win a toss)

Umpires: KN Ananthapadmanabhan & Nitin Menon

My Pre-Match Prediction

What Actually Happened

  • Winner: RCB won by 2 wickets
  • Player of the Match: Harshal Patel (5/27 & 4*)
  • Best Figures
    • Harshal Patel (RCB) – 5/27
    • Jasprit Bumrah (MI) – 4/26
  • Most Runs
    • Chris Lynn – 49 (35)
    • AB De Villiers – 48 (27)

Moments of The Day

The IPL is full of surprises and memorable moments. Here are my moments of today:

Surprises

  • Washington Sundar opens….the BATTING: In a slow Chennai pitch, it was surprising to see Sundar & Maxwell bowling a combined total of 1 over (and Sundar taking a wicket). On the other hand, he came out to bat with Virat Kohli in absence of Devdutt Padikkal.
  • Harshal Patel Announces His Arrival: A major Indian first class player in recent times, he has never really lived up to his potential. Traded two years ago to the Delhi Capitals from RCB, he repaid their faith in style. After conceding 15 in his first over, came back with slower deliveries, yorkers, bowleds to get a 5-fer & almost a hat-trick. Hope it is a sign for big things to come. Also the first player to take a 5-fer against the Mumbai Indians in ALL 14 seasons.
  • AB De Villiers Is Still The Best In 2021: Last played in IPL 2020’s eliminator, he was timing it beautifully where most struggled!

Honorable Mentions: RCB’s collapse, Maxwell’s fluency, LynnSanity, & decent tall debuts by Marco Jansen & Kyle Jamieson were the other major moments today.

Rahul Dravid Breaks The Internet

But the best moment of all…actually happened right before the game. Rahul Dravid at his hilarious best—check this video out!

Also Read: What Rahul Dravid Taught Me

Broken Cricket Dream of the Day

  • Virat Kohli: Dropped the catch and almost injured his eye. The bruise was evident for the rest of the game. Hope it is okay
  • #BrokenCricketBats: Krunal Pandya actually broke his bat defending Jamieson’s delivery!
  • The Dropped Catches: The standard of catching in the IPL is depreciating by the year. Brilliant boundary saves & run-outs at one end and dropping dollies on the other. Mohammad Siraj, Virat Kohli, & Rohit Sharma the culprits today.Net

IPL 2021 Points Table

No need to go elsewhere for the Points Table. We will keep updating it in every article!

TeamsPlayedWonLostTied/No-ResultPointsNet Run Rate
1. Royal Challengers Bangalore11002+0.05
2. Mumbai Indians 10100-0.05
Chennai Super Kings
Delhi Capitals
Kolkata Knight Riders
Punjab Kings
Rajasthan Royals
Sunrisers Hyderabad
IPL 2021 Points Table

Tomorrow’s Preview

The Chennai Super Kings take on Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede in Mumbai.

  • MS Dhoni Vs Rishabh Pant
  • Watch Out For: The return of Ishant Sharma & Amit Mishra (DC)
  • Questions: Rahane Vs Smith, Tom Curran Vs Umesh Yadav Vs Ishant Sharma
  • Watch Out For: Faf Du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK)
  • Questions: Fate of Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali Vs Sam Curran Vs Dwayne Bravo Vs Imran Tahir

My Prediction: Delhi Capitals win

Comment on your thoughts below and share ahead!

If you have not yet read our IPL Previews, here is a list of all of them! Check them out and share ahead:

  1. Chennai Super Kings – CSK Preview
  2. Delhi Capitals – DC Preview
  3. Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR Preview
  4. Mumbai Indians – MI Preview
  5. Punjab Kings – PBKS Preview
  6. Rajasthan Royals – RR Preview
  7. Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB Preview
  8. Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH Preview

West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 Series Review: Positives Galore For the Windies In An Enthralling Series

Time for West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 Test Series Review—one of the most competitive series in recent times.

A dream for neutral fans. This series just had so many moments!

  • The return of Fidel Edwards, Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo to the T20I setup
  • Akila Dananjaya’s hat-trick & Kieron Pollard’s 6 sixes (in the same game), Hasaranga’s guile, Holder & Allen’s finishing abilites
  • West Indies’ rising HOPE (tons for Hope-Lewis-Darren Bravo)
  • Suranga Lakmal’s toil, Thirimanne’s resurgence, Dickwella’s non-hundred
  • Cornwall’s counterattack, another Bonner-Mayers-Silva 5th Day Test match, Kraigg Brathwaite’s marathon batting effort
  • Curtly Ambrose & Ian Bishop on commentary.

Without further ado, here is the series review for you!

Read till the end for my picks for World T20 World Cup Squad Predictions, video highlights, best moments, emerging players, and much more!

Also Read: West Indies Vs Bangladesh Review, West Indies Vs New Zealand Review

Results – West Indies Vs Sri Lanka

T20I Series: West Indies Win 2-1

* Player of Match

  1. West Indies won by 4 wickets *Kieron Pollard
  2. Sri Lanka won by 43 runs*PWH de Silva
  3. West Indies won by 3 wickets*Fabian Allen
Player of SeriesWest Indies Sri Lanka
Most RunsLendl Simmons – 73
(best of 26, 140.38 SR)
Pathum Nissanka – 81 runs
(best of 39, 115.71 SR)
Most WicketsObed McCoy – 4 wickets
(best of 2/25, 7.33 Economy)
PWH de Silva (Hasaranga) – 8 wickets
(best of 3/12, 3.50 Economy)
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 T20I Series Stats

ODI Series: West Indies Win 3-0

  1. West Indies won by 8 wickets*Shai Hope
  2. West Indies won by 5 wickets*Evin Lewis
  3. West Indies won by 5 wickets*Darren Bravo
Player of SeriesWest Indies
Shai Hope
Sri Lanka
Most RunsShai Hope – 258 runs
(best of 110, 100s-1, 50s-2, 86.00 average, 82.42 SR)
Danushka Gunathilaka -187 runs
(best of 96, 50s-2, 62.33 average, 95.89 SR)
Most WicketsJason Mohammed – 6 wickets
(best of 3/47, 18.00 average, 4.50 Economy)
Thisara Perera – 3 wickets
(best of 2/45, 24.00 average, 6.00 economy)
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 ODI Series Stats

Test Series: Drawn 0-0

  1. Match Drawn*Nkrumah Bonner
  2. Match Drawn*Kraigg Brathwaite
Player of SeriesWest Indies Sri Lanka
Suranga Lakmal
Most RunsKraigg Brathwaite – 237 runs
(best of 126, 100-1, 50s-1, average 59.25, balls faced 674)
Lahiru Thirimanne – 240 runs
(best of 76, 50s-3, 60.00 average, balls faced 601)
Most WicketsKemar Roach – 9 wickets
(best innings 3/47, best match 6/121, 23.55 average, 73 overs bowled)
Suranga Lakmal – 11 wickets
(best innings 5/47, best match 6/156, 1 5-fer, 21.45 average, 92 overs bowled)
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 Test Series Stats

The Moments

West Indies

1. A Tale of Three Captains: Holder, Pollard, Brathwaite

After West Indies’ remarkable victory against Bangladesh, stand-in Kraigg Brathwaite was made the permanent captain, replacing Jason Holder. Any claims of clash of egos, however, was much unfounded. Each of them contributed with the bat and Holder was even vocal on the field. Here is how they performed:

  • Pollard: 38 (11) w/ 6 sixes in 1st T20I, 53* (42) in 3rd ODI
  • Brathwaite: In Bangladesh, he scored 76 & 20 and 47 & 6. Stable but no daddy hundreds. This time, he made amends with 126 (311) & 85 (196). His 813 minutes marathon effort broke the all-time West Indies record, surpassing the likes of Darren Bravo, Brian Lara, Desmond Haynes, & Gordon Greenidge.
  • Holder: He might not be the captain of the West Indies, but showed that he is still the #1 Test All-Rounder in the world. With 5/72 & 5th day match-saving contributions of 18* and 71* in the two Tests, his calm influence was evident. In the T20Is, scores of 29* and 14* might not look like much, but defending Hasaranga in the 18th over, so Fabian Allen could finish it off with 3 sixes was one of my moments of the series.

2. The Return of Hope to West Indies Cricket

110, 84, & 64—Hope is back. With 10 centuries, 19 50s, & 53.74 average, he is one of best ODI batsman in recent times along with Babar Azam & Virat Kohli. With John Campbell struggling for runs, expect a Test recall.

When Hope does not score a ton, Evin Lewis will. Returned with 65 & 103. When neither of them scored a hundred, Darren Bravo came back with a ton.

Their strike rates were in question, but healthy top order partnerships is the positive for the Windies.

3. Nkrumah Bonner-Kyle Mayers Partnership No Fluke

At the age of 32, Bonner has toiled hard enough in first class cricket. Bonner narrowly missed his ton in Bangladesh with 86 & 90 in Bangladesh, but his dream came true with a 113* in the first test.

A couple of 50s for Kyle Mayers & handy partnerships with Joshua de Silva shows that the Bangladesh tour was no fluke.

4. A Word on Rakheem Cornwall

Time to appreciate Rakheem Cornwall. Bowled his heart out in the spinning pitches of Bangladesh, and without his counter-attacking knocks of 61 & 73, West Indians might have lost 0-2 against Sri Lanka at home. Let Rakheem be Rakheem.

Embed from Getty Images

Sri Lanka

1. Suranga Lakmal Bowls His Heart Out Yet Again

Suranga Lakmal could have easily slotted in one of the great Sri Lankan teams of the past. Unfortunately, after Herath’s retirement, he has to single handedly carry the Sri Lankan bowling on his shoulders. Highest wicket-taker across both sides and bowling 92 overs as a fast bowler in 2 tests—Commendable effort.

2. Hasaranga & Nissanka the Find For Sri Lanka

While Embuldeniya & Axar Patel bamboozled the English sides, the West Indies struggled against Hasaranga. If Sri Lanka are to progress further, watch out for the Embuldeniya-Hasaranga-Dhananjaya partnership.

Test century (103) on debut—Pathum Nissanka —take a bow! Followed it up with a 50 in the next innings. With Oshada Fernando also in good touch, finally good signs for Sri Lanka.

Talent ✔. Next goal — consistency.

3. Thirimanne Delivers A Decade Later

Thirimanne averages 25.87 now after a decade and 40 Tests to his name. Finally some consistency in the last four Tests with 2 centuries, 3 fifties (on this tour), a 43 & a 39.

Sri Lanka might have found a stable line up in Karunaratne, Thirimanne, Nissanka, Fernando, Mathews, and Dickwella. Speaking of Dickwella, so close yet so far. Scored his highest score of 92 (after 43 Tests). Brilliant character.

Also Read: Lasith Malinga, The Slinga, The Slayer, The SuperStar

Also Read: Carlos Brathwaite’s Broken Dream, Nicholas Pooran’s Inspirational Story

Squad Predictions for T20I World Cup

With 23-men squad for the T20I world possible now, here are my early squad predictions. A good mix of experience & youth for the Windies.

West Indies

  1. Lendl Simmons, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Shimron Hetmyer, 4. Kieron Pollard*, 5. Nicholas Pooran, 6. Rovman Powell, 7. Andre Russell, 8. Fabian Allen, 9. Kevin Sinclair, 10. Sheldon Cottrell, 11. Obed McCoy

Squad: 12. Jason Holder, 13. Chris Gayle, 14. Dwayne Bravo, 15. Andre Fletcher, 16. Darren Bravo, 17. Keemo Paul, 18. Alzarri Joseph, 19. Oshane Thomas, 20. Fidel Edwards, 21. Akeal Hosein, 22. Hayden Walsh Jr., 23. Kesrick Williams/ Chamar Holder

*captain

Sri Lanka

  1. Danushka Gunathilaka, 2. Pathum Nissanka, 3. Niroshan Dickwella (WK), 4. Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Thisara Perara, 7. Dasun Shanaka*, 8. Akila Dananjaya, 9. PWH de Silva, 10. Dushmantha Chameera, 11. Lakshan Sandakan

Squad: 12. Ashen Bandara, 13. Asitha Fernando, 14. Nuwan Pradeep, 15. Oshada Fernando, 16. Suranga Lakmal, 17. Ramesh Mendis, 18. Kamindu Mendis, 19. Dilshan Madushanka, 20. Suranga Lakmal, 21. Dimuth Karunaratne, 22. Avishka Fernando, 23. Lasith Malinga

Awards

West Indies Sri Lanka
Emerging PlayerFabian Allen Hasaranga, Pathum Nissanka
Surprise PackageDarren BravoLahiru Thirimanne
Broken Cricket DreamWhy Only 2 Home Tests?
Chris Gayle’s T20I form?
Angelo Mathews returns home
Embuldeniya?
West Indies Vs Sri Lanka 2021 Series Awards

Where Do They Go From Here?

Great Test cricket in recent times, and the West Indies Vs Sri Lanka series lived up to the billing—first 0-0 draw in the last 5 years. Sri Lanka follow this with two Test matches against Bangladesh in April at home(to complete matches from the pandemic).

With neither side qualifying for the WTC final, the next major tournament is the T20I World Cup. Gayle, Hetmyer, Pooran, Pollard, Bravo & Russell have reached for the IPL, while Sri Lanka has zero players in the IPL (once Sangakkara-Jayawardene used to captain IPL teams). In June, Sri Lanka will travel to England for 3 T20Is & 3 ODIs to prepare for the World Cup.

Finally, in Jan-Feb of 2022, England tour West Indies for 5 T20Is & 3 Tests, returning their generous favor of restarting cricket last summer.

Comment below for your favorite moments & squad predictions! Subscribe for more below! Share with your friends as well! Here is our Facebook Twitter pages.

Copyright (2021: 4/10/2021)– @Nitesh Mathur, aka Nit-X – bcd@brokokencricketdreams.com

Image Courtesy: Featured Image – Own Work, Getty Images (Cornwall)