KKR overcome rain, Warriors to stay afloat
Cricket Champions League T20
Kallis,Gambhir spur Kolkata to victory
Jacques Kallis and Gautam Gambhir are malevolence wrapped in classicism, making them an irresistible force across the formats.
Both Kallis and Gambhir have played some stubborn innings in Tests for South Africa and India respectively, offering a bat as impenetrable as the Mount Everest. But when they come together for Kolkata Knight Riders in the T20 format, they transform into destroyers without comparison.
Chasing 156 to win, the Knights surged to 83 for one in 9 overs, much ahead of D/L par score of 61/1, and the officials called off the match after steady drizzle.
The Kolkatans need to profusely thank Kallis (31 not out) and Gambhir (33 not out) for that comfortable, winning position. The 22-run win also ensured that the Knights stay in contention for a semifinal berth from Group B, but they will still be dependent on the fortunes of other teams in the group.
Warriors, still in sight of a berth in the semis, had their chances in to stage a comeback into the match after a modest effort in their innings, but they did the costly mistake of giving reprieves to Kallis, who played some power-packed shots through the cover region, and Gambhir.
The errors had a massive impact in the eventual result as immediately after getting a chance to stay on at the crease, the Delhi left-hander milked Nickie Boje for 12 runs in his first over as the Knights raced past the D/L par score.
Warriors had a stuttering beginning to their innings as Ashwell Prince departed in the second over, dragging a Kallis delivery back on to the stumps. That might not be the desired start, but Warriors recovered through the second wicket alliance between Jon Jon Smuts and Colin Ingram (80, 61b).
Smuts, a powerful right-hander, went off the block with a few edgy shots off Lee and Kallis, signaling a quick end. But the Eastern Cape player regained his composure soon to parade an array of big shots on either side of the wicket.
At the other end, Ingram, viewed by many as the next big thing in South African cricket, made a confident beginning, timing the ball wonderfully.
Gambhir brought off-spin and left-arm spin together through Yusuf Pathan and Shakib Al Hasan respectively, but that only gave a fillip to scoring. Smuts rocked back and send Yusuf to ropes, while Ingram clobbered Shakib over the covers with all the grace in the world, helping Warriors to 77 for one in 10 overs.
However, medium-pacer L Balaji fetched the much-needed breakthrough, dismissing Smuts, caught by Iqbal Abdulla at long-off. The dismissal brought a mid-innings freeze as Warriors struggled to force pace in the middle and end overs, ending up with 155, a score that didn’t justify their initial surge.
