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For the second game running, they tried a pinch-hitter at No. 3 ahead of far more accomplished batsmen. Walking in at Tillakaratne Dilshan's early dismissal, Asad Pathan began by smearing two fours and a six off Albie Markel, but departed attempting a hare-brained scoop against Tim Southee. AB de Villiers then batted with needless caution, much like he had against Mumbai, and Bangalore suffered once again. They got just 113 runs in the 16 overs following Pathan's attack of Morkel. Virat Kohli could not pick enough singles, Saurabh Tiwary could not hit the boundaries, and Cheteshwar Pujara holed out under pressure. de Villiers opened up against Southee with 56 required off the last three overs, but it was too late to spoil the Chepauk crowd's evening.
Chennai's celebrations were set up by Hussey's brilliance with the bat. Crouching low at the crease, with feet ready to scramble forward or back depending on the lengths, Hussey preyed on leg-stump offerings with a series of sweeps, pulls and lashes. Eight of his eleven boundaries came through the leg side, four of those through square leg. On the rare occasions when the ball was angled across, he slammed powerful cover drives or steered cheekily towards third man. Throughout his effort, he ran like the wind, making a mockery of his age, and the typically oppressive Chennai afternoon.
Bangalore began with a semblance of control, as Zaheer and Vettori forced M Vijay and Hussey to get their eye in rather than go after the Powerplay overs. But the fielders were switched off right from the outset. Only two boundaries came in the first four overs, one of which came courtesy a Vijay paddle that went straight through short fine-leg. There were more bloopers to follow, strangely from fielders with good reputations. Cheteshwar Pujara threw needlessly from point to gift an overthrow, before Mohammad Kaif - one of the best fielders to have represented India - clanged a regulation chance from Hussey at mid-off.
That was the cue for Chennai to shift gears. Vijay looted two fours and a six off Johan van der Wath, before Hussey slammed Tillakaratne Dilshan for consecutive boundaries to ignite Chennai's charge. Ryan Ninan dismissed Vijay a ball after being slammed for a six, but Suresh Raina stepped in seamlessly. He steered van der Wath to third man, before plundering Ninan in the 11th over for a couple of fours and a six through the straight field. He fell attempting another six, but by then Chennai were galloping along.
Kohli and Vettori slipped in three quiet overs, before Hussey broke loose in the 15th over. Vettori's exemplary spell was ruined by his last two balls, off which Hussey looted 10 runs to reach his 50 off 42 balls. He proceeded to shred Kohli for fours through square on either side of the wicket before MS Dhoni sledge-hammered Zaheer for an emphatic straight six in the 17th over. Zaheer dismissed Dhoni with his next ball, in the process cutting his side's losses by at least 15 runs. Hussey and the lower order hustled Chennai across to a strong score, and the lack of Paul Valthaty-esque intent in the Bangalore batting meant it proved to be a winning score.