2010 IPL 3 Match 11: "Mongoose" Hayden Upstages Viru-Drama

The way Virender Sehwag was hammering all over the park, one had the feeling that the Chennai Super Kings were not going to have any fun in this challenge against the Delhi Daredevils at the Ferozeshah Kotla. However, the captainless teams put up a fierce battle, one that saw the South conquer the North.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s sore elbow and Gautam Gambhir’s pulled hamstring were already the missing elements of the big clash. However, the opportunity was then thrown to two young men, Dinesh Karthik for the Daredevils and Suresh Raina for the CSK.
But Virender Sehwag was the man to watch for as he let his bat handle the pressure rather well, taking just thirty-eight balls for a blitzkrieg of seventy-eight runs. And while Sehwag was at it, Stephen Fleming and Raina has devised a plan not to let any bowler have two overs in a row.
But wickets did the trick as Sehwag fell with the score on three down for 103 in the twelfth over and the Chennai Super Kings sensed hope. That was the second wicket for Muttiah Muralitharan and despite Mithun Manhas’s cameo for thirty-two runs, the Daredevils were pegged at 185, still a reasonable target to fetch.
Without Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings’ batting ability was put in further doubt with many of their batsmen rusty. But they did not have to worry too much. Matthew Hayden brought out the much anticipated Mongoose bat as well as his belligerent streak to enthrall the audience and give the hosts a handsome defeat.
Hayden was in no mood to play the waiting game as as many as seven sixes and seven emphatic boundaries were dealt with off the unusual looking bat as Haydos conjured a phenomenal innings of ninety-three runs from forty-three runs that stunned the partisan stadium into silence.
Keeping him in good measure and company was none other than the CSK captain, Suresh Raina, who lent well to the balance with forty-nine runs, all in good time as CSK raced their way to a five wicket win.