LUCKNOW: After their top-order stumbled against Lucknow Super Giants bowlers' hard length strategy, Chennai Super Kings recovered through Kartik Sharma's prudent 71 to post a healthy 187 for five in their IPL match here on Friday.
Kartik and Dewald Brevis (25) added 70 runs for the fourth wicket as CSK slipped out of a tight 52 for three after 7.2 overs.
Kartik has an obvious discomfort against deliveries that raise around his chin but he showed gumption to stay there and overcome the little chink.
On this night, the right-hander started off with freeing his arms against spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, smoking him for a six, and later for a maximum and two fours in a row.
It's his forte, bashing slow bowlers. At that stage, his strike-rate against LSG pacers were 84, while runs came at 140 against the lone spinner in Ahmed.
But soon the 20-year-old found a way to score off pacers too and he tore into Prince Yadav, smashing him for two successive sixes.
Brevis, at the other end, gave him good support, milking a six each off Akash Singh and Ahmed.
Kartik soon reached his fifty in some style, clobbering Mohammed Shami for six to reach the mark in 35 balls.
But the veteran India pacer had a crumb of consolation as a sharp bumper caught Brevis off guard, whose pull ended in the hands of Akash.
Kartik too did not last long as he, ironically, fell to spinner Ahmed, lifting him straight to Aiden Markram at long on. He had consumed 42 balls by then.
Before Kartik showcased his heartening maturity, left-arm pacer Akash (3/26) had CSK in a tangle.
The strapping quick used the hard length to a nicety to get rid of Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel.
Akash does not have blistering pace like his teammate Mayank Yadav, who often cranked up north of 140 kmph.
But Akash, who bowled four overs on the trot, relied on an exemplary line that denied CSK top-order batters the necessary space to unfurl their big shots.
It was evident in Samson's dismissal, who tried to pull an above waist ball from Akash but there was not enough room for a free swing of his arms.
The shot ended in a tame catch to Mukul Choudhary near the square leg ropes.
But CSK found a timely saviour in Kartik and later in the big-hitting Shivam Dube (32, 16b) and this total could pose some trouble to LSG batters in a slightly two-paced track.
The final over by Prince was taken for 23 runs, thanks to Dube's beefy shots.