Badrinath lofts Chennai to victory !

A great partnership between Badrinath and Raina saw Chennai catapult to second spot.

Badri remained not out with 63 and Raina with 34 as Chennai amassed 145/2, in response to 141/6 of Pune.

For Pune, Yuvraj remained not out with 61, with four blistering sixes. Pune never really got going, being 4/41 at one stage. Then Uthappa scored 31 and when he got out, Pune were 83/5. Then Yuvraj took over and then Pune reached a respectable 141.

Few have appreciated Badri. He continues to be in superb form and his 63 not out steered Chennai to victory. Ably partnered by Raina, he steered Chennai to a resounding win over a tired Yuvraj's team.

Chasing 142 was easy and it was proved by Badri and Raina, as Chennai coasted to a 8 wicket victory.

The Chennai seamers bowled well to restrict the Warriors. For Pune, Yuvraj shone with the bat and was 62 not out. None of the other batsmen impressed. Doug Bollinger bounced out the openers and was adjudged Man of the Match for his superb 3/21.

Badri is not a pinch hitter but his upright stance and backlift are all suited well for Test cricket. But he can adapt to any form of the game. In the last two innings, he has scored 71 not out and 63 not out and he has played a large part in Chennai batting. Excellent shots flowed from his bat, not wild slogging.

Chennai began sedately, and 14 dot balls were concede in the first 4 overs. Hussey lofted Kartik into the hands of midwicket and Badri came in lieu of the out of form Raina. The swap helped both.

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Warriors coach, Geoff Marsh, criticise his batsmen for the abysmal performance.

"I'm terribly disappointed with our batting on a good wicket. Our batsmen are not putting up enough total for our bowlers to defend. We were 20-30 runs short on a wicket where 160-170 was the par score," said the ex Aussie opener.

"We are not getting the starts. We have got injuries to some key players but at the end of the day we have enough good players to do well' said he, when asked about the injured Smith and Nehra.

"We lost four wickets in the last three games within the first six overs. It's an area we need to improve on. We have to address that," he conceded.

"We lost a lot of wickets early. With four to six [batsmen] down, the least we can't afford to do is to lose more wickets. You don't want to be bowled out. With a poor start like this, you put a lot of pressure on the middle order," he said.

"We need to focus on the next game, get back to winning ways and keep the momentum on," he said.

"Monish Mishra has opened in the past and he wants to open," he said.

About Uthappa's suicidal tendencies when he scores 30, he said "He's that sort of a player. When you are 80 for 2 with the last 10 overs remaining, that's the time he plays really well."

Marsh hailed the appointment of Duncan Fletcher "He has got a good track record. He coaches very much like Gary (Kirsten) and has done well in the past."