On Saturday, Even the most die-hard of the Chennai Super Kings fans seemed have given up hope, as was evident when those wearing the team’s ‘yellow jersey’ in the packed Wankhede crowd went silent as the IPL giants, returning after a two-year hiatus, slipped to 118 runs for seven by the 17th over while chasing 166 against the Mumbai Indians.
Amid the ruins, which included a batsman, Kedar Jadhav, who had limped to the dugout clutching his hamstrung thigh, was Dwayne Bravo. Just as CSK seemed dead and buried, the West Indian erupted. Smashing seven sixes and three fours in a whirlwind 30-ball 68, he pulled off a sensational victory from the jaws of defeat. So unbelievable was Bravo’s knock that the man himself rated it as his “best-ever” with the bat. Now, coming from a man who’s played as many as 40 Tests, 164 ODIs, 66 T20 Internationals, 100 First-Class matches, 221 List A games, besides featuring in 376 T20 matches for 15 different T20Is league teams, this surely must mean something.
“This is my best-ever knock. I don't think I have ever played an innings like this in any format. So, this is a special one. As you can see, when I reached my fifty, I didn’t even raise my bat. I knew the job wasn’t finished. There was still a long way to go. I was in a zone. I was just focusing on trying to get the game done for my team.” said Bravo after getting CSK off to a winning start upon their return into the IPL after a two-year ban.
