In a crucial encounter against Rajasthan Royals, CSK were dealt with a major blow as they lost three quick wickets in the middle overs, including that of the impact player Ambati Rayudu. Yuzvendra Chahal struck the first blow by dismissing Rayudu in the start of the 14th over with a flipper. The CSK batsman miscued his pull shot towards deep mid-wicket, where Shimron Hetmyer took a stunning catch diving low to his right.
Chahal struck again in the same over, dismissing, Conway in the last ball of the over. Conway, who was looking set for a big score, went for a loft over extra cover, but ended up hitting it off the toe-end and was caught by Yashasvi Jaiswal at the boundary. His fifty was the only bright spot in an otherwise disappointing batting performance from CSK.
Earlier, Adam Zampa had taken the wicket of Moeen Ali in the 13th over, adding to the woes of the Chennai Super Kings. The left-hander went for a slog sweep, but only managed to sky it towards deep backward square leg, where Sandeep Sharma took a well-judged catch.
However, amidst all the chaos, the crowd at Chepauk had a reason to cheer as the skipper, MS Dhoni, walked out to bat. Dhoni’s ability to finish games and his experience at the highest level will be crucial for CSK as they look to chase a competitive total.
With Ashwin dismissing Rahane earlier in the game, it was evident that spin will play a crucial role in the outcome of this match. And Chahal and Zampa proved just that, weaving a web around the CSK batsmen and leaving them in trouble.
