CSK showed faith in Robin Uthappa and gave him another go as he took apart Delhi Capitals bowler in the powerplay in Qualifier 1.
Delhi Capitals (DC) had prepared for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis and their new No 3 Robin Uthappa came out of the syllabus for them. DC's star in the UAE leg, Anrich Nortje dismissed his countryman du Plessis in the first over itself, however, Uthappa came set from the dressing room itself.
On the first ball, Uthappa played a sumptuous cover drive finding the gaps with masterful precision. After which, he played one off the third one and one to the fine leg but his best came in the final over of the powerplay, it was just vintage Robin Uthappa.
Uthappa, who has struggled in the IPL for the last couple of years, didn't play in the first 12 games for CSK after being traded from Rajasthan Royals and didn't really make his mark in the first two games he played but he came to the party when the men in yellow needed the most.
Uthappa just took on Avesh in the sixth over of the innings and didn't stop. A six off a full ball on the second delivery of the over, followed by a four towards mid-wicket and a couple of balls later came the shot of the innings, where he stood tall to hit back over the bowler's head, followed by another boundary to make it a 20-run over.
Uthappa then worked in singles and double after the powerplay to slam his first fifty in 24 innings in the IPL and first for CSK as the men in yellow were bossing the game. Seeing Uthappa from the other end, Ruturaj Gaikwad too shifted gears as Delhi Capitals failed to break the partnership which was more than 100 now.
The fans were happy seeing Uthappa back to his old best. Here are some of the reactions:
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 "Robin Uthappa")
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