IPL 2020: CSK vs KKR Talking Points - Dinesh Karthik's Perfect Moves, Kedar Jadhav's Struggles

A Chennai choke, and a Kolkata victory. Kolkata Knight Riders got back to winning ways choking Chennai Super Kings to triumph by 10 runs in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. From Rahul Tripathi's heroics to Dinesh Karthik's perfect moves as captain, there were plenty of highs for KKR. And quite a few costly lows for CSK as well.

Here's a wrap.

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The opening change that worked for KKR

Sunil Narine was struggling at the top of the order, especially against hit-the-deck pacers. CSK didn't have one of those pacers in the XI, so one might have thought that Narine would get another go as an opener. However, KKR turned to Rahul Tripathi, who showed just why.

Even as other batsmen struggled to time the ball on a slightly sluggish track, Tripathi kept them going. He was helped by some ordinary bowling from Deepak Chahar, who conceded 47 from 4 overs. Tripathi went on to make 81 off 51 and win the Man of the Match award, powering KKR to 167 in the process. He called the performance a dream come true, especially because Shah Rukh Khan was in the stands!

Narine before Morgan??

That was Ben Stokes' tweet as Sunil Narine walked in at No. 4, with batsmen like Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik in the dug out. As is the case often, commentators wondered why the out of form Narine walked in ahead of the bigger batsmen but KKR's strategy worked to perfection.

Narine before Morgan???

— Ben Stokes (@benstokes38) October 7, 2020

Narine just stayed for 9 balls, and added 17 runs. A useful cameo, and he handed over the baton to the rest by the end of the 11th over. It was a well thought out strategy as Narine was always going to be effective against spinners, something he wouldn't get as an opener.

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CSK pull back in latter half, and dominate first half of chase

Morgan. Russell. Karthik. Together, the trio added only 21 off 25 balls as CSK pulled things back superbly towards the end. Sam Curran took care of Eoin Morgan with a short ball. Russell fell to Shardul Thakur. Dwayne Bravo bowled a couple of good overs in the death, as CSK kept KKR to 167.

They then dominated the chase for most parts, as Shane Watson made a half-century while Ambati Rayudu made 30. After 10 overs, CSK were 90 for 1.

Dinesh Karthik captaincy works to perfection

Through the first 11 overs, questions were raised on why Dinesh Karthik hadn't used Sunil Narine the bowler. Pat Cummins finished his 4 overs by the 11th over. But clearly, KKR had it all worked out. Between overs 11 to 15, CSK got only 14 runs, as their momentum was killed completely. Narine, who has a great record against Dhoni and Watson, was at work. Watson was gone leg before, and Dhoni wasn't allowed to get a quick start.

KKR had another mini version of Narine too, in the form of Varun Chakravarthy. Together, they kept CSK in check. Sam Curran hit a few blows, but he couldn't manage beyond a cameo.

Kedar Jadhav under scrutiny again

Jadhav walked in with CSK needing 39 off 21, and didn't score a run in his first five balls. While he did try to hit a couple of deliveries, he seemed out of depth in that situation and clearly lacking in confidence. CSK had a hitter like Dwayne Bravo waiting, and it seemed like a bizarre decision to send an out of form Jadhav in that situation.

To make things worse, Jadhav and Jadeja didn't run singles in the first two balls of the final over, when they needed 26. Jadeja hit a few blows after that to bring the score closer, but it was too little too late.

• csk vs kkr
• dinesh karthik
• ipl 2020
• Kedar Jadhav
• kkr vs csk
• MS Dhoni
• Rahul Tripathi
• Shane Watson
• Sunil Narine