Chris Gayle - 57* from 31 balls & MoM
The pitch at Pune is quite a slow one that proves difficult to score off, which proved to be the case for every batsman other than the incomparable Gayle. He normally starts in a sedate manner, playing himself in during the powerplay overs and catching up later on but this innings proved to be an intelligent change from the norm. Perhaps he identified that the first 6 would be by far the easiest time to score, or perhaps he was just going to go all out for 20 overs to eclipse Warner's heroics from yesterday, but he was in unbelievable form as he brought up his half century inside just 6 overs! The last Pune bowler to suffer against Gayle was Sharma, this time it was Kumar who served up 4 length deliveries in one over and each one was smashed over the straight boundary for a maximum. At the other end Dilshan (who went on to play a good knock of 53 from 44) was struggling to find his timing on a tough pitch and after 6 overs RCB had gotten off to a flyer at 66/0, Gayle with 50 of them. Who knows what he could have scored today were it not for him holing out with a flat hit to long-on to Mathews (who bowled well with 3-0-14-1) but his quick start was crucial to RCB reaching a well over par 173/3 on a tricky wicket. Dilshan and Tiwary, 36* from 30, scored some late runs to ensure his efforts did go to waste, a really difficult chase for Pune as it proved. He knows his areas and whenever the ball lands on a good to full length it invariably disappears make over the bowler's head, imagine running up ball in hand to see him at the other end
Zaheer Khan - 4-0-21-2
Pune desperately needed a good start if they were to avoid 7 successive defeats and the wise old head of Zaheer made sure they didn't. After zipping a couple across 2012 debutant Mishra, Khan decided to change up the angle by coming round the wickets, with immediate effect. Mishra was trapped plumb in front looking to flick to leg and then he sent Pandey back two balls later with a peach that pitched on middle and off before straightening to hit the top of off stump. A disastrous start for Pune at 4/2 after 1 over as Zaheer Khan proved far too skillful for a couple of PWI's young domestic players. He threatened to do the same to Clarke in the next over, close to sneaking past the outside edge, and was economical for the rest of his spell, pure class from the experienced left armer.
Robin Uthappa - 38 from 23 balls
I think the key issue with the Pune batting line-up is that they lack a consistent, aggressive opener to take the game to the opposition, the likes of Sehwag, Warner, Gayle and Gambhir that the top sides possess. Ryder has done it at times but is far too inconsistent for an overseas star, unbelievable that the in form Tamim Iqbal is yet to be given a chance, and the man that can do this is Uthappa who came in at 4 today although I think he should open. PWI too had realised that they'd need big runs from the first 6 overs, Clarke and Uthappa near enough playing a shot a ball despite the two early wickets and it was compelling viewing. When Clarke fell, caught on the deep midwicket fence it was going to be down to the ex-Royal Challenger Uthappa. He was striking the ball nicely, smashing a slower ball from Patel over deep-midwicket with a ferocious front foot pull. The issue with him in the past, and the reason he hasn't played more international cricket, is that at times he plays brainless shots and here was a prime example. Murali was always going to be the threat in the middle overs and Pune should have played him sensibly to score around a run a ball off his 4 overs and get the bulk of the runs at the other end. Uthappa started well, staying firmly rooted to his crease and unleashing the perfect reverse sweep to pick up a boundary, but immediately after the time-out (71/3 after 8) he had one of those rush of blood to the head moments. He came dancing down the track to get nowhere near a doosra and was comfortably stumped, the wrong shot at the wrong time to send him back and put RCB well in command. He and Majumdar (31 from 26), who has really impressed in his 2 chances, were looking in control and steadied it nicely for PWI, Uthappa's dismissal made a difficult task near impossible.
Muttiah Muralitharan - 4-0-16-2
Murali would have been a contender for MoM here, his spell was almost as much of a game changer as Gayle's destructive innings. It's hard on Vettori to sit out but it does seem to be to the benefit of the team as Murali adds a totally different dimension to those middle overs where RCB had seemed a bit toothless at times. Barring that early reverse sweep from Uthappa he was not hit for a single boundary as the batsmen are forced to play him with caution (or at least they should do!) as he turns the ball both ways and rarely misses his length. Despite being a slow wicket at Pune its not a big turner so instead he mixed up his flight, playing a big part in the Uthappa stumping as he went through with a lofted shot despite being nowhere the pitch, to keep the PWI batters guessing all innings. A class act as he so often is and the RCB side is certainly a much stronger one with him in it, although I'm still not sure they've got it quite right. Vinay Kumar was down to come in at 7 today which puts a lot of pressure on their top order, lucky it contains the likes of Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers!
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