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Just before the start of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) match, the mood in the Chennai camp was down. They had lost four out of four games. But, Maheesh Theekshana - The Sri Lankan saviour for Chennai Super Kings. One more loss would have made their playoff paths a lot tougher. Social media also saw Chennai fans downbeat, with one person exclaiming, “We do not know what to expect.” This is a big climbdown from the earlier days when there was assurance that CSK would do well irrespective of adversity.
On the other hand, RCB had won three out of four matches. Two former Chennai IPL players, Faf du Plessis and Josh Hazlewood, would play for the Kaveri neighbors. Du Plessis, having spent his entire Indian Premier League (IPL) career under the stewardship of MS Dhoni from 2012, would have gotten plenty of leadership and tactical skills. The major advantage though was this. RCB were third on the points table, CSK 10th.
Usually in the Kaveri derby, CSK had always held the upper hand over RCB when it came to skill, player and fanbase. Heading into this match, they were down on all three counts. When Du Plessis won the toss and chose to bowl, it prolonged Jadeja’s misery, having won just one in four games. At 66/2 in 10 overs, it seemed CSK’s miseries would continue.
Then, out of nowhere, Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube went berserk. Dube transformed into Du’Beast’ with his power-hitting which made many compare him with Yuvraj. Uthappa, on the other hand, was calculating and confident. Together, they hit a total of 17 sixes. CSK managed 156 in the next 10 overs and they had reached 216/4. But, now, they had a problem. With the pitch now getting better, the onus was on the weaker aspect of CSK which was their bowling.
Maheesh Theekshana rises above the hate
Before the bowlers came on against RCB, CSK had taken only one wicket in the powerplay in the last four matches. That was a shocking stat, primarily due to the massive void left by Deepak Chahar. Here, with RCB having a formidable line-up of Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik in addition to the youngsters, they needed someone to step up.
Maheesh Theekshana answered that call in emphatic fashion. Having not taken a wicket in the first match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Theekshana had plenty of pressure. Prior to that game, he became the first Sri Lankan in a decade to play for CSK. His arrival was not greeted well. He faced plenty of hate from fringe groups who called for his ban. Having been involved with the Sri Lanka Army, there was huge calls for Maheesh Theekshana to be removed from the side. #BoycottCSK and curses of ‘Hope this team does not win a match’ rained upon the side.
But, Maheesh Theekshana showed why Sri Lanka’s band of mystery spinners makes them more alluring. Ajantha Mendis and Akila Danajaya had made the cricket world beautiful with some magnificent exhibition of skills. Dananjaya could be an offspinner and a legspinner. Mendis, on the other hand, revolutionized the carrom ball to great effect. It is this carrom ball that has been copied by Ravichandran Ashwin with moderate success.
Maheesh Theekshana wreaks havoc
Now, Theekshana used the carrom ball to great effect to break the powerplay curse. He dismissed Du Plessis with an off-spinner to which the batter holed out to long on. But, his wickets of Anuj Rawat, Shahbaz Ahmed and Suyash Prabhudesai all showed his class. Maheesh Theekshana even troubled Karthik and would have had his wicket had Mukesh Choudhary not dropped a simple catch.
It was Theekshana’s wickets in the powerplay that gave Choudhary and Ravindra Jadeja confidence. Choudhary sent back Virat Kohli for 1 while Jadeja sent back Maxwell for the seventh time. The fact that Maheesh Theekshana got wickets in the powerplay as well as in the middle patch showed his value. More than Dube and Uthappa, it was Theekshana’s 4/33 which helped CSK break the jinx.
For all the hate that he suffered, this performance is an indication that Theekshana has risen above the hate. No wonder the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan have rated Theekshana as one of the stars of the future. This performance is an indication of better times ahead for Theekshana. But, CSK need to shape up on all fronts if they have to defend their title.
After the game against Sunrisers, CSK coach Stephen Fleming stated that the team needed to lift their game in batting, bowling and fielding. The batting and bowling could do with some tweaking. It is the fielding that will still need plenty of work.
