KXIP a team who won the heart

Kings XI Punjab lost the Final game but certainly won many hearts from their performance throughout this tournament. If one compares their previous six sessions with this one then certainly one must realize and recognize their hard work to come to his far.

KXIP TEAM
© BCCI

They had literally been trashed in all six session in which they finished among bottom three almost all the time. But session, IPL7 had promised much more than just an improved performance than previous sessions for them.

They had taken all the right decision from the auction to finals. Weather it was inclusion of Virender shewag or appointment of George Bailey as Skipper or retaining an inexperience Manan Vohra to team, all these seemed to be going in their ways.

Glenn Maxwell had been proved to be a crucial buy for them. He was fantastic and one of those guys along with Miller who provide them the initial impetus in tournament. He was the leading runs scorer for them with 552 runs in 16 matches.

KXIP wasn’t just all about big foreign or Indian players. They had some great young Indian talent as well. Manan Vohra, Akshar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Sandeep Sharma and many others who performed whenever they got a chance to showcase their abilities.
Wriddhiman Saha was proved to be an exceptional player for them. The wicketkeeper batsman scored a century when its matter, Yes in Finale!! But his effort of bring KXIP from nowhere to 199 runs gone in vain.

Akshar Patel was another special talent came to the fore in this IPL. Left-arm spinner had impressed everyone with his consistency and also the ability to bat and field as well. He was awarded with “Emerging Player award”.

Sanjay Banger, the man who working with these boys from behind, surely deserve a lot accolades for his fantastic job. He was the brain (Of course along with many) behind their success.

Although, they lost the finale but undoubted they were the best team of this IPL. They had chased down many 200+ scores with so easy. It would be wrong if one says that they were the one who raised the standard of this year’s IPL so high.



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Match Report 6:India vs Australia

India beat Australia in a last match of a series by 57 runs at Bangalore on Saturday. With this win India won the seven match series by 3-2 (two matches were cancelled due to rain). On toss, Aussies skipper George Bailey after winning the toss chosen to bowl first.

Rohit Sharma
© BCCI

Indian opener Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were high on confidence after their 178 runs opening stand in last match and started in the same manner in this game too. They provided hundred runs opening stand and put together 112 runs in 19 overs. Dhawan was the first one who got out on 60 off 57. After that it was the flurry of wicket which also included last match hero Virat Kohli (0) too. 

But that match not gone be ended just like any other game. Rohit and MS Dhoni played some fantastic shots to placed really huge target of 383 runs before Aussies. They scored 167 runs in just 94 balls for fifth wicket that gave India a seriously good chance to win the series. Rohit scored double century and became the third man to do so in one day internationals. He scored 209 runs in 158 balls with 12 fours and 16 sixes, which is more sixes by any batsman in an innings. 

 Rohit Sharma's innings was an epitome of how one can score big runs and can hit big shots without slogging. He kept his innings cool and hit some breathe taking shots. Though Skipper MS Dhoni innings of 62 off 38 balls wasn't the talking point after the innings but he played his part really well in that innings.

Aussie bowling without Mitchell Johnson was lacking in pace and experience. Left-arm Xavier Doherty picked up couple of wickets and was economical before the Rohit's carnage in last overs. Aussies had a huge task before them of chasing 384 runs. They might be wanted to chase it down because they had lost two high scoring games to India in this series and that win might be proved as a face saving for them. 

India bowling which looked clumsy, suddenly relive and all credit for that goes to Mohammed Shami. His extra pace and early wickets gave India some momentum in bowling at start. But despite picking some early wickets India again failed to exploit the situation and gave Aussies chance to taken the match to 45th over. India bowling figures(See below):

Aussies were at 74 runs for 4 wickets after 17 overs when Glenn Maxwell came to the crease. His first 6 balls were 6 4 2 4 6 6 it shows how he started his innings inspite of Aussies trouble when he came to crease. This also showed some intent from Aussies who before that looked perplexed about how to go for that target and also put indian bowler to back foot. He made 18 balls fifty and finished on 60 off 22 balls. Watson, who came late in this match due to his hamstring problem, continued from where maxwell left. He made 49 in just 22 balls with six sixes. 

But Aussies innings wasn’t ended after that. That match and series had one more century left for fans and that came from all-rounder James Faulknar, who singlehandedly fought till the end and made 116 in 73 balls. He along with Mckay put 115 runs partnership for ninth wicket. But this couldn’t save Aussies from defeat and they fell 57 runs before.

Rohit Sharma was awarded with man of the match for his double century knock in that game and also man of the series for scoring highest runs for India.














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Stats: India vs Australia, 2nd ODI

Some Statistics of the high scoring match between India and Australia  here on Wednesday at Jaipur.

Virat Kohli
© BCCI

1.  Virat Kohli, after his breathe taking knock on Wednesday, become the man of India with fastest hundred, that is, he had made the fastest hundred for India. he scored his unbeaten hundred in just 52 balls.
2. Kohli's Hundred was also the fastest scored by any player against Australia.
3. With there win, India also reached at the second spot in the list of highest run chases in the history of ODI's. South Africa is at number one spot with their historic chase of 400+ score and that was also against Australia.
4. Rohit Sharma 141*(123) and Shikhar Dhawan 95 (86) partnership of 176 is the highest opening partnership for India against Australia. Previous best was Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar partnership of 175 at Kanpur in 1998.
5. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's 176-run partnership is India's 12th highest for the first wicket.
6. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's unbroken 186-run partnership is India's 13th highest for the second wicket.
7. Rohit Sharma's 141 not out is his highest score in ODIs.
8. Rohit Sharma's 123-ball 141*, is so far, the highest by an Indian batsman in ODIs in 2013.
9.  India had scored 69/0 in Power play (1-10)  was their best score in power play against Australia. Previous best was 68-0 in 2009 at  Hyderabad when Sachin Tendulkar made 175.
10. Australia's score of 359 was not their first of 359 against India. Australia had also made that in two ocassions, 2003 World Cup at Johannesburg and in 2004 at Sydney and on both occasions Aussies comprehensively beat India. so that was the first time India beat them with this score.
    
11. For the first time in ODIs, the top five Australian batsmen -- Aaron Finch (50), Phil Hughes (83), Shane Watson (59), captain George Bailey (92 not out) and Glen Maxwell (53) -- scored fifties which is a world record. 
12. Among all bowlers who have bowled 500 overs or more in ODIs, Ishant Sharma's economy 5.66 is second worst after Zimbabwe's  E Chigumbura (5.88).
13. The match aggregate of 721 for 6 is the fourth-highest in ODIs.
14. This is the first time that India successfully chased a total in excess of 300 against Australia.
15. The successful chase of 360 is India's highest ever in ODIs. The previous highest was 330 for 4 against Pakistan in 2012.
16. Australia's 359 for 5 was their highest total on Indian soil surpassing the previous best of 350 for 4 in Hyderabad in 2009.
     

 Match Report: India beat Australia by 9 wickets.

Stats courtesy : Rajneesh Gupta ( @rgcricket) and others

       classvsCricket (CvC)© 2013

For the first time in ODIs, the top five Australian batsmen -- Aaron Finch (50), Phil Hughes (83), Shane Watson (59), captain George Bailey (92 not out) and Glen Maxwell (53) -- scored fifties which is a world record, according to statistician H R Gopalakrishna.

Read more at: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/cricketnext/2nd-odi-australian-batsmen-set-new-odi-record-against-india-in-jaipur/428757-78.html?utm_source=ref_articl

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Match Report 2: India vs Australia

India beat Australia by 9 wickets and with 6.3 overs to spare at Sawai man singh stadium, Jaipur on wednesday in the 2nd game of the series of 7. It was required only three batsman and 43.3 overs for india to chase that massive colossal target of 359.

Rohit Sharma after India win
© BCCI

On the toss, after winning it Aussies opted to bat first at Jaipur. It was almost like that Aussies just repeating themselves. Great opening stand, followed by the fantastic knock of middle order to powered them to a massive score.

Aaron Finch 50(53) and Phillip Hughes 83(103) just did want every team wants from their openers, a stable opening stand that laid the foundation for a monster score. Aussies were at 74 when they lost their 1st wicket. Shane Watson, who till now don't have a great run in this tour, showed his class and made quick 59 off 53 with 6 fours and 3 sixes. he along with Hughes made 108 runs for 2nd wicket.

Skipper George Bailey, who joined the crease after Watson dismissal played from where he left on 13th Oct in 1st match. Glenn Maxwell -  who was joined him after a unorthodox batting of Hughes -  just know one style of play which is destroying the opponents bowling attack in such a devastating manner that it will be impossible for them to come back in the game. Bailey 92*(50) and Maxwell 53(32) scored 96 in just 51 balls for 4th wicket. That partnership was completely devastated the Indian bowling attack. Aussies with the help of five half centuries placed the massive target of 360 before India.they had finished 359/5.

Skipper George Bailey's unbeaten 92 was his fourth score in excess of 80 in last five appearances and also he is the leading run scorer for Australia in One day Internationals this year.

That "359" score was not new for both Aussies and India, that was the third time Aussies made that score for Indian to chase. last two occasions was 2003 World Cup at Johannesburg and in 2004 at Sydney and on both occasions Aussies have embarrassed India by winning comprehensively. 

Indian bowling were seemed like helpless before Aussie batting. Although they were not allowed Aussies to free their arms in first power play and till that point, things were well under control for the Indians. but it was after 20 overs when Indian started to lose the plot. Aussies, at that point of time, had 9 wickets in hand and 30 overs left, this allowed them to press the accelerator and go for the kill till the last over.

All bowlers except B Kumar and R Ashwin, were ended with Econ of more then 7.00, which is quiet obvious when opponent have 350+ score on board. Ishant Sharma was again a disappointment for India. Skipper MS Dhoni had tried him with new ball where he bowled well but failed to deliver what was expected from him that is WICKET. India bowlers stats were:

With Spinners and Pacers were:

Indian Spinners: 22-0-157-1
Indian Pacer: 28-1- 197-2

Indian Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma responded well to the massive target of 360. They both played some mind blowing shots to scored 176 runs in 26.1 overs for 1st wicket. Dhawan, who was the more aggressive among the two was the first one to got out. he had played the stunning knock of 95 off 86 with 14 fours. After his dismissal Virat Kohli came to crease and just blasted on to the Aussie bowlers. He along with Rohit Sharma, who scored 141* off 123 balls with 17 fours and 4 sixes, made 186* in just 104 balls. Kohli was played a blinder, he made 100* in just 52 balls and scored fastest hundred by an Indian.

India chased down that target relatively easily, what seemed like for fans. Rohit Sharma, who had made his 3rd One Day hundred after a span of almost 4 years was awarded with Man of the Match award. 


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