Mumbai: The COVID19 pandemic has kept cricket fans away from live action. A normal scenario would see players being cheered by a stadium full of fans, eagerly waiting for every ball to reach the stands coupled with some thrilling display on the field. In its endeavor to continuously provide viewers and fans with their daily doze of exciting cricket amidst the lockdown, Star Sports will be introducing a new show 'Run Barse that will showcase the greatest knocks from their favourite cricketers.
Batsmen have always been in the spotlight in the game of cricket and over the years, fans have witnessed countless brilliant batting performances from their superstars who have decimated bowling attacks with their skill and talent. Be it Sourav Ganguly's legendary 183 against Sri Lanka in the 1999 World Cup or Virat Kohli's dream performance against West Indies in 2018, batsmen have made sure that when they get going, the going gets tough for the opposition.
Fans can now watch entire re-runs from such great batting stars on 'Run Barse' that gets underway on the Star Sports network starting May 17. Below are some of the matches that fans can treat themselves to:
India v SL, ICC World Cup 1999 | 17.05.2020 (Sourav Ganguly's 183)
Arguably, one of the greatest knocks from the 'Prince of Kolkata', the innings that has been remembered for years, a great example of flawless batting which helped the Indian side to beat defending champions Sri Lanka in the group stage. India were put to bat by Sri Lanka. After a small hiccup in the initial stages, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid stood their ground and went on to stitch a 318-run stand for the second wicket. Both ended up getting big scores, but it was Ganguly's flair which led the partnership as he went on to score his career best 183 off 158 balls, an innings studded with 17 fours and 7 sixes.
IPL 2019, KKR v MI, Match 47 | 18.05.2020 (Hardik Pandya's 94)
With 6 consecutive defeats in the season, Kolkata Knight Riders were in a must-win position when they squared off with Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens in 2019. MI won the toss and chose to field. Captain Dinesh Karthik had high hopes from his openers Shubman Gill and Chris Lynn and they didn't disappoint. The openers fired in unison, scored at almost 10 an over in the first half of the innings. With their 96-run partnership, the duo laid the foundation for a massive total. Andre Russell, at No. 3, bludgeoned the MI attack smashing 8 sixes and 6 fours en route his 40-ball 80 that took KKR to a whopping 232/2 in 20 overs. MI's chase was below par, but it received some much-needed push from Hardik Pandya, who entered at No. 6 when the score was at 58/4 in 8.2 overs. Pandya fired on all cylinders, clobbering 9 sixes and 6 fours, in an unbelievable 91 off 34 balls which almost took MI to victory. However, KKR managed to pull things back and secured a 34-run win.
IND v WI 2018, ODI #1 | 19.05.2020 (Virat Kohli's 106)
The series opener between India vs West Indies ODI series in 2018 at Guwahati is a perfect example of a high-scoring match. Captain Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl. Windies were off to a steady start, but it was Shimron Hetmyer's fabulous century that held the innings together. He scored a quick-fire 106 off just 78 balls including 6 sixes and 6 fours which took the tourists to 322/8 in their 50 overs. Kohli & Co, known to be great chasers at home, came out with all guns blazing. Captain Kohli and Rohit Sharma scored boundaries at will and made the West Indian bowlers pay for their poor bowling. Kohli led the batting attack as Rohit played second fiddle.
IND v WI 2018, ODI #2 | 20.05.2020 (Virat Kohli's 157)
The scene shifted to the coastal city of Visakhapatnam for the second ODI with India leading 1-0 in the 5-match series. Unlike the first match, India won the toss and chose to bat first. The hosts were pushed on the backfoot early as both openers were dismissed cheaply. Vizag braced for Virat magic! The Indian skipper was in sublime form as he showed his class and perfection as a batsman, scoring through both sides of the wicket, hitting 13 fours and 4 sixes en route his unbeaten knock of 157 off 129 balls.
IND v WI 2019, ODI #2 | 22.05.2020 (Rohit Sharma's 159)
This match will be remembered for openers Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul's record-breaking feat. After being put into bat, Rohit and Rahul led from the front and broke a 17year old record of an Indian opening pair scoring the maximum runs against the West Indies. They broke the record of 196 and went on to score 227 in which both players registered their hundreds. Rohit yet again went past the 150-run mark and scored 159 off 138 balls.
