‘I felt it was the right time to take him on,’ says Robin Uthappa of his onslaught on Glenn Maxwell. Uthappa smashed Maxwell for three sixes in an over, securing CSK’s victory.
On Tuesday (April 12), Robin Uthappa was at his destructive best as Chennai Super Kings won their first IPL2022 match. Thrashing Royal Challengers Bangalore by 23 runs. Playing against his former team, Uthappa paced his innings flawlessly and hit some delightful shots all over the field. With CSK taking some early blows, Uthappa kept a close eye on things in the first half of the innings.
However, once he was settled, no one could stop the daring opener. He finished with a 50-ball 88 as CSK posted the season’s highest team score, 216/4. While all RCB bowlers struggled to contain Uthappa, part-time off-spinner Glenn Maxwell had the most trouble. Despite the fact that the Australian all-rounder conceded only 10 runs in his first two overs. Skipper Faf du Plessis chose him to bowl the 13th over of the innings despite the availability of several frontline bowlers.
RCB bowlers were dismantled by Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube.
The decision was not particularly fruitful, as Uthappa smash three sixes in that over, further tightening CSK’s grip on the contest. Notably, Uthappa’s partner-in-crime in the game was Shivam Dube. Who scored 95* off 46 balls as the duo added 165 runs off 74 balls. When asked about his onslaught, Uthappa stated that it was Dube’s responsibility to smash the spinners, while he demanded more strike when the pacers were in action. The 36-year-old, on the other hand, didn’t mind smashing Maxwell as the balls landed in his arc.
“When Maxwell came in for his third over, I felt it was time to take him on, despite the larger boundary.” I saw an off-spinner bowling and decided to challenge him. “I tried to feed him (Dube) as much strike as I could while the spinners were bowling, and when the pacers came back on, I told him to give me the strike back,” Uthappa said after the game.
Meanwhile, this was a much-needed victory for CSK, who had lost their first four games. The defending champions, on the other hand, still have a long way to go and must find a way to extend this steak.
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