When you have a team that can afford to let Glenn McGrath take it easy and still win, you are probably looking at one of the finalists for this year's edition of IPL.
I was stuck in a meeting for the entire DC innings and for some part of the DD reply. But speaking to people who were watching, it was apparent that the DD attack isn't just about choking off runs, but pretty incisive, even without the Surgeon of Seam, McGrath.
I picked up the match when Dilshan and Karthik were together. It was a surprise to see Karthik play with his head, using his natural aggression to play the boundary shots. Dilshan was in another gear altogether. There seems to be a sense of calm in his aggression, which is always dangerous, as Fidel Edwards found out towards the end. He took DD ashore safely, in the company of Manhas.
The interest factor here is whether DC will be able to bounce back, now that they are an Edwards short. Do they have anyone as incisive as him? Will RP sSingh step up as he did when Zaheer Khan broke down in Australia? Should be fun to watch.
The second match was always going to be loaded against the RR. CSK supporter that I am, I always support RR when they play.
True to form, RR put the feline amongst the birds, removing Patel (which I must confess can also be done by Pitambar Garg, part-time cricketer playing with the Patel Nagar Cricket Club) and Hayden.
Thankfully, Dhoni sent in Badrinath to stay with Raina as the latter hammered the CSK innings to recovery.
Raina never gets written about for anything other than cricket, and therefore is not a real favourite of our news channels, but this lad is a curious combination of big-hitting and run-scrounging. There were many big hits from Raina, but none of them were brutal slogs.
Each one of his shots was a cricket shot, with just that little bit of extra bottom-hand to get elevation and distance. It was an awesome innings. Time Raina got a place in the Test squad. He is a genuinely good player, and please let him not be pigeon-holed into a limiting role.
A little gloat here. Badrinath played exactly as I had predicted he would, working the ball around, and putting the loose ball away. But again, the 'Rhythm Break' struck, removing Badrinath, and for a couple of overs, putting Raina out of groove.
In the end, Dhoni and Raina pushed up the scoring to reach 160+, which was always going to be a tough ask for RR.
And when Smith went early, I was still hopeful that Quiney would play an innings of sorts. But he seems to stay on the back foot a bit too much. The rest of the RR innings desperately looked for inspiration which sadly was not there.
Balaji got in with a good spell and picked up wickets and that was that.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - VIII
Sometimes, winning isn't about often-used expressions like 'maximising your potential', or 'raising the bar' and the like. It could be as simple (or as difficult) a matter of deciding to conquer one's internal demons and succeeding.
To me, both of last night's matches were about wanting to conquer the nasty beasties inside. The first match had me secretly hoping that KKR would pull off a win.
As it turned out, the team that wanted to win, won. KKR (I hope I am wrong) is a team that is rapidly disintegrating. Till those fielding mishaps under pressure, they had the upper hand. One gets the feeling that the mood in the KKR camp is that nothing can help them now. And more importantly, they don't seem to be owning the problem. A classic symptom of a team being controlled too rigidly.
Wriddiman Saha finally got a game, and made his presence felt. More importantly, he brought a sense of urgency. In my book, selecting a playing XI isn't just about a player's past record or his talent. It's got something to do with spotting the hunger and the potential in him.
And in the KKR ranks, they have one person who has done this sort of player-spotting for India in the recent past. The question is, is Ganguly a KKR think-tank member with a casting vote? Or is he there just as a mark of respect to his past exploits?
McCullum is a brilliant cricketer. But he seems desperately lost as a captain.On the other side, the RC team seem to have come into this match sensing a win. And they were not going to let go. Shreevats Goswami finally got a look in. And cashed in, setting the platform for the RC chase. KP? I for one am happy that he part of the England squad. Captaincy demands responsibility. And watching KP, one gets the feeling that he is playing here just to keep himself amused.
In the end, Virat Kohli and Mark Boucher, those two 'worker ants' got RC through. Is it any coincidence that RC are playing more as a team after Boucher has come in? IMHO, he should start leading them now.
As for KKR, I am more or less convinced that the only option left is for Buchanan to do a very 'Indian culture' thing - fall at Ganguly's feet and beg him to lead. It is a small physical feat of going from vertical to horizontal, but it might take KKR's performance from horizontal to vertical. For what Ganguly brings by way of emotion and motivation to the job of captaincy is worth its weight in gold.
The second match almost forced me to switch off the TV at the end of the Kings XI innings. I kept it on only for Tendulkar. But this was a different Kings XI that played last night. I, in my ignorance have always marked them down as a 'flow' team. Last night, we all saw what a bunch of streetfighters they are. Sangakkara played one of the grittiest innings that IPL has seen, scrounging his way to a respectable total for his team.
Mumbai, one supposes, must have been shattered when Tendulkar got out. The fragility of their middle order was exposed, though Duminy played a beautifully-paced innings and almost got them home.
Personally, I was happy to see Kings XI play the way they did. But Tendulkar did not fire, and that always brings a glum expression to the face.
To me, both of last night's matches were about wanting to conquer the nasty beasties inside. The first match had me secretly hoping that KKR would pull off a win.
As it turned out, the team that wanted to win, won. KKR (I hope I am wrong) is a team that is rapidly disintegrating. Till those fielding mishaps under pressure, they had the upper hand. One gets the feeling that the mood in the KKR camp is that nothing can help them now. And more importantly, they don't seem to be owning the problem. A classic symptom of a team being controlled too rigidly.
Wriddiman Saha finally got a game, and made his presence felt. More importantly, he brought a sense of urgency. In my book, selecting a playing XI isn't just about a player's past record or his talent. It's got something to do with spotting the hunger and the potential in him.
And in the KKR ranks, they have one person who has done this sort of player-spotting for India in the recent past. The question is, is Ganguly a KKR think-tank member with a casting vote? Or is he there just as a mark of respect to his past exploits?
McCullum is a brilliant cricketer. But he seems desperately lost as a captain.On the other side, the RC team seem to have come into this match sensing a win. And they were not going to let go. Shreevats Goswami finally got a look in. And cashed in, setting the platform for the RC chase. KP? I for one am happy that he part of the England squad. Captaincy demands responsibility. And watching KP, one gets the feeling that he is playing here just to keep himself amused.
In the end, Virat Kohli and Mark Boucher, those two 'worker ants' got RC through. Is it any coincidence that RC are playing more as a team after Boucher has come in? IMHO, he should start leading them now.
As for KKR, I am more or less convinced that the only option left is for Buchanan to do a very 'Indian culture' thing - fall at Ganguly's feet and beg him to lead. It is a small physical feat of going from vertical to horizontal, but it might take KKR's performance from horizontal to vertical. For what Ganguly brings by way of emotion and motivation to the job of captaincy is worth its weight in gold.
The second match almost forced me to switch off the TV at the end of the Kings XI innings. I kept it on only for Tendulkar. But this was a different Kings XI that played last night. I, in my ignorance have always marked them down as a 'flow' team. Last night, we all saw what a bunch of streetfighters they are. Sangakkara played one of the grittiest innings that IPL has seen, scrounging his way to a respectable total for his team.
Mumbai, one supposes, must have been shattered when Tendulkar got out. The fragility of their middle order was exposed, though Duminy played a beautifully-paced innings and almost got them home.
Personally, I was happy to see Kings XI play the way they did. But Tendulkar did not fire, and that always brings a glum expression to the face.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - VII
There are many greats who have written many perspectives on leadership. One of the oldest is that of defining roles clearly to team members and leading by example. And that is what Warne did last night.
On paper, it was an unequal contest. And me, being a Daredevils supporter, was hoping that they would not get carried away. The one thing that has been worrying me is how Gambhir and Sehwag have been going after the ball without take a few minutes to settle their nerves.
Gambhir stuck his bat out at one, and Warne picked the resulting edge out of thin air. He may be past his prime and overweight, but he is a man who has played the game hard at the highest level, and that can occasionally make the mind transcend the mortal frame.
When the skipper leads by example, the team that looks up to him and adores him will follow suit. Asnodkar took a beauty to get rid of Sehwag. He had to run back, but covered ground so well that he ended up making the catch look easy.
I know everyone says that this is the way Sehwag plays. And in all probability, he will play exactly like this in the next match and get a big one. But it might soothe a few supporters' nerves if he just tempers things a little bit.
Dilshan left, trying a big hit and Warne made a total schoolboy out of Karthik. De Villiers and Vettori played intelligent and aggressive cricket. Manhas, for the second time running, played a lovely cameo, but in the end, the Royals were happy that they had choked the Daredevils to 143.
Chasing the Daredevils target was always going to be a bit of a toughie, considering the Delhi team's potent bowling attack and the fragility of the Royals' batting.
Quiney is a far better player than his continuing horror story in the IPL suggests. He went early. And for a brief while, I thought Asnodkar would pick the right balls to hit. He did, but he also chose the wrong single to take. Paul Valthaty seemed to be on edge and left to a good, old-fashioned leg break from Mishra who bowled superbly.
It seemed as if Warne had told Smith to just play through the innings. And in the end, it proved to be a bit of a calming influence on Yusuf Pathan, who between grim nods and muttered advice from Smith, played a blinder that took the Royals home.
This loss will not hurt the Daredevils. But what the win will do for the Royals might be interesting to watch. Because this is exactly what happened last year. After a series of losses, they suddenly started winning.
IPL 2 may not have classic Indian crowds and big rashes of sixes, but it definitely has its own flavour.
PS: A few days ago, a girl asked me the meaning of the repetitive title to these posts. I also assured her that I was no longer athletic. Which confused her even further. So I abruptly ended the conversation by asking her to find out what 'Omtex' was.
On paper, it was an unequal contest. And me, being a Daredevils supporter, was hoping that they would not get carried away. The one thing that has been worrying me is how Gambhir and Sehwag have been going after the ball without take a few minutes to settle their nerves.
Gambhir stuck his bat out at one, and Warne picked the resulting edge out of thin air. He may be past his prime and overweight, but he is a man who has played the game hard at the highest level, and that can occasionally make the mind transcend the mortal frame.
When the skipper leads by example, the team that looks up to him and adores him will follow suit. Asnodkar took a beauty to get rid of Sehwag. He had to run back, but covered ground so well that he ended up making the catch look easy.
I know everyone says that this is the way Sehwag plays. And in all probability, he will play exactly like this in the next match and get a big one. But it might soothe a few supporters' nerves if he just tempers things a little bit.
Dilshan left, trying a big hit and Warne made a total schoolboy out of Karthik. De Villiers and Vettori played intelligent and aggressive cricket. Manhas, for the second time running, played a lovely cameo, but in the end, the Royals were happy that they had choked the Daredevils to 143.
Chasing the Daredevils target was always going to be a bit of a toughie, considering the Delhi team's potent bowling attack and the fragility of the Royals' batting.
Quiney is a far better player than his continuing horror story in the IPL suggests. He went early. And for a brief while, I thought Asnodkar would pick the right balls to hit. He did, but he also chose the wrong single to take. Paul Valthaty seemed to be on edge and left to a good, old-fashioned leg break from Mishra who bowled superbly.
It seemed as if Warne had told Smith to just play through the innings. And in the end, it proved to be a bit of a calming influence on Yusuf Pathan, who between grim nods and muttered advice from Smith, played a blinder that took the Royals home.
This loss will not hurt the Daredevils. But what the win will do for the Royals might be interesting to watch. Because this is exactly what happened last year. After a series of losses, they suddenly started winning.
IPL 2 may not have classic Indian crowds and big rashes of sixes, but it definitely has its own flavour.
PS: A few days ago, a girl asked me the meaning of the repetitive title to these posts. I also assured her that I was no longer athletic. Which confused her even further. So I abruptly ended the conversation by asking her to find out what 'Omtex' was.
Monday, April 27, 2009
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - VI
It was a tale of captains. The first one missed a few tricks and ended up losing. And the second watched helplessly as the team he led last year went to pieces once again.
The Super Kings outfit is still very strong. But the brand of canny leadership that Dhoni has come to personify is missing.
CSK's batting was again proof of certain set patterns which have almost sent this team out of the reckoning. Parthiv Patel is not firing. Another opener (Murali Vijay?) might be a better pick. And Badrinath is not of much use coming in where he does. I have said this before - Badrinath should come in higher, He rotates the strike and keeps one end going. But then, some decisions are inexplicable.
160 plus was never going to be enough against the most destructive opening pair in the IPL. Messrs. Gilchrist and Gibbs proved that with some truly breathtaking hitting. No manufactured shots. No ugly heaves. Just aggressive batsmanship at its volatile best.
I for one thought that someone as good a captain as Dhoni would have spotted how Ojha and Rohit Sharma slowed things down and made run-getting difficult when CSK batted. Might have been a better idea if Dhoni had opened with Murali. It would not have allowed Gilchrist to use the pace of the new ball. And it might have opened up options against Gibbs.
But that did not happen. Am not complaining, as I was busy applauding Gilchrist's assault which more or less decided the match. That the Deccan Chargers did not get a move on and finish things off earlier is surprising. CSK need to go back and see what worked for them last year.But even so, it might be too late.
The second match was something else. I for one have not seen Tendulkar bat like this in a long time. He was like a mischievous kid in an amusement park. Will not spoil things by describing each shot. But one slap pull off Ishant Sharma over wide mid-on stands out for sheer arrogance. Jayasuriya was his usual mixture of bludgeon and caress.
KKR came back briefly after the break to tighten things up a little, but it was too late by then. As for the KKR batting, they looked like a side that had resigned itself to its fate. Ganguly sparkled briefly, almost as if to once again stick a Post-It on Buchanan's board, but it didn't really matter in the end.
Ganguly as KKR captain may not be in Buchanan's ppt on ideal captaincy. But motivation, cunning and sheer stature are sadly missing from the KKR leadership. Maybe it's time for Buchanana to announce that the multi-captain theory is still very much there and get Ganguly back at the helm. But then, will Ganguly accept the captaincy now?
BTW, I have found the perfect descriptor for the strategy break. It should be rechristened 'Rhythm Break', for that is what it does.
The Super Kings outfit is still very strong. But the brand of canny leadership that Dhoni has come to personify is missing.
CSK's batting was again proof of certain set patterns which have almost sent this team out of the reckoning. Parthiv Patel is not firing. Another opener (Murali Vijay?) might be a better pick. And Badrinath is not of much use coming in where he does. I have said this before - Badrinath should come in higher, He rotates the strike and keeps one end going. But then, some decisions are inexplicable.
160 plus was never going to be enough against the most destructive opening pair in the IPL. Messrs. Gilchrist and Gibbs proved that with some truly breathtaking hitting. No manufactured shots. No ugly heaves. Just aggressive batsmanship at its volatile best.
I for one thought that someone as good a captain as Dhoni would have spotted how Ojha and Rohit Sharma slowed things down and made run-getting difficult when CSK batted. Might have been a better idea if Dhoni had opened with Murali. It would not have allowed Gilchrist to use the pace of the new ball. And it might have opened up options against Gibbs.
But that did not happen. Am not complaining, as I was busy applauding Gilchrist's assault which more or less decided the match. That the Deccan Chargers did not get a move on and finish things off earlier is surprising. CSK need to go back and see what worked for them last year.But even so, it might be too late.
The second match was something else. I for one have not seen Tendulkar bat like this in a long time. He was like a mischievous kid in an amusement park. Will not spoil things by describing each shot. But one slap pull off Ishant Sharma over wide mid-on stands out for sheer arrogance. Jayasuriya was his usual mixture of bludgeon and caress.
KKR came back briefly after the break to tighten things up a little, but it was too late by then. As for the KKR batting, they looked like a side that had resigned itself to its fate. Ganguly sparkled briefly, almost as if to once again stick a Post-It on Buchanan's board, but it didn't really matter in the end.
Ganguly as KKR captain may not be in Buchanan's ppt on ideal captaincy. But motivation, cunning and sheer stature are sadly missing from the KKR leadership. Maybe it's time for Buchanana to announce that the multi-captain theory is still very much there and get Ganguly back at the helm. But then, will Ganguly accept the captaincy now?
BTW, I have found the perfect descriptor for the strategy break. It should be rechristened 'Rhythm Break', for that is what it does.
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - V
Two matches that could have been so much more. And in the end...
Putting forward a little theory here. It's purely my own, based on what I have observed.
There seem to be two kind of players. And I am not talking about how much a player has cost his team owner.It's more about that player's mind-set. About how he approaches his role in the team, and therefore about how he plays the game for his adopted team.This individual could be an international big name, or he could be a young Indian player.
We shall call this species of player 'worker ant'. In other words, this is a player who freely gives of his talent, his experience, his enthusiasm and his thinking, without expecting anything in return. And the teams that are doing well are those who have more of this species.
For the first time, the Bangalore Royal Challengers appeared to play as a unit. The induction of Mark Boucher may have contributed hugely to that.The South African gloveman, in partnership with Virat Kohli, gave RC a decent total to defend after Pietersen and Taylor had stiched together a superb recovery stand. Pietersen however, played a genuinely stupid shot to get out.
IMO, the decision to open with Kallis was something always fraught with risk. Strokeplayers are not good ball-leavers. And when they are put into a situation that demands a different approach, they tend to over-correct. Which is what Kallis did first ball.But the way Uthappa threw his wicket away was inexcusable. Why is he still in the XI? He is out of form, and shows no burning desire to do things differently when he bats.
When the DD batted, fter Sehwag and Gambhir got out early, the RC team seemed to come back, riding the wave of a superb tight spell of eight overs from Kumble and Appanna, the left-arm spinner. Appanna somehow reminds me of Iqbal, the leftie who plays for Mumbai. Young, not a big turner, and a bowlerwho seems to land on the same spot, a la Nilesh Kulkarni.
Anyway, RC seemed to have the DD boys on the ropes. Karthik got out trying to get a big hit in which would correct the run-ball equation in DD's favour. In walked Mithun Manhas, a talented, hard-working cricketer who is worth much more. Manhas started off with a few big hits and pushed Dilshan into moving up a gear too, which the Sri Lankan found without much trouble. Manhas is a much-ignored batsman who should be in the Indian ODI and T20 squads. He has sound technique, can hit the ball, and is electric in the field.
Uthappa, one of the glamour boys in the RC outfit muffed up what could only be described as a straightforward chance. And the match was lost.
The second match brought into focus two things. The first is something I had ventured by way of an opinion in my last IPL post. That the Kings XI would feed hugely off their last win, in terms of teamwork and confidence. Which they did.
And the second is the fact that the Rajasthan Royals do not seem to have a batting plan. Asnodkar should be tempered a bit. This year, he seems to be swinging madly at everything. Wickets lost at the top put so much pressure on the shot-players who come in later. Despite that, Warne and Ravi Jadeja (IMO, a genuine all-rounder) almost pulled it off. Dimi Mascarenhas has struggled right through the IPL. Maybe get in an extra bat for the next match, Warnah?
Putting forward a little theory here. It's purely my own, based on what I have observed.
There seem to be two kind of players. And I am not talking about how much a player has cost his team owner.It's more about that player's mind-set. About how he approaches his role in the team, and therefore about how he plays the game for his adopted team.This individual could be an international big name, or he could be a young Indian player.
We shall call this species of player 'worker ant'. In other words, this is a player who freely gives of his talent, his experience, his enthusiasm and his thinking, without expecting anything in return. And the teams that are doing well are those who have more of this species.
For the first time, the Bangalore Royal Challengers appeared to play as a unit. The induction of Mark Boucher may have contributed hugely to that.The South African gloveman, in partnership with Virat Kohli, gave RC a decent total to defend after Pietersen and Taylor had stiched together a superb recovery stand. Pietersen however, played a genuinely stupid shot to get out.
IMO, the decision to open with Kallis was something always fraught with risk. Strokeplayers are not good ball-leavers. And when they are put into a situation that demands a different approach, they tend to over-correct. Which is what Kallis did first ball.But the way Uthappa threw his wicket away was inexcusable. Why is he still in the XI? He is out of form, and shows no burning desire to do things differently when he bats.
When the DD batted, fter Sehwag and Gambhir got out early, the RC team seemed to come back, riding the wave of a superb tight spell of eight overs from Kumble and Appanna, the left-arm spinner. Appanna somehow reminds me of Iqbal, the leftie who plays for Mumbai. Young, not a big turner, and a bowlerwho seems to land on the same spot, a la Nilesh Kulkarni.
Anyway, RC seemed to have the DD boys on the ropes. Karthik got out trying to get a big hit in which would correct the run-ball equation in DD's favour. In walked Mithun Manhas, a talented, hard-working cricketer who is worth much more. Manhas started off with a few big hits and pushed Dilshan into moving up a gear too, which the Sri Lankan found without much trouble. Manhas is a much-ignored batsman who should be in the Indian ODI and T20 squads. He has sound technique, can hit the ball, and is electric in the field.
Uthappa, one of the glamour boys in the RC outfit muffed up what could only be described as a straightforward chance. And the match was lost.
The second match brought into focus two things. The first is something I had ventured by way of an opinion in my last IPL post. That the Kings XI would feed hugely off their last win, in terms of teamwork and confidence. Which they did.
And the second is the fact that the Rajasthan Royals do not seem to have a batting plan. Asnodkar should be tempered a bit. This year, he seems to be swinging madly at everything. Wickets lost at the top put so much pressure on the shot-players who come in later. Despite that, Warne and Ravi Jadeja (IMO, a genuine all-rounder) almost pulled it off. Dimi Mascarenhas has struggled right through the IPL. Maybe get in an extra bat for the next match, Warnah?
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - IV
Last night, there was an interview with Mr. Ram Reddy of the Deccan Chronicle, the owner of the Deccan Chargers. It was refreshing to see a team-owner who believes in his team, underplays his own role and yet, comes across as someone with a very strong will to win.
The match itself was a confirmation of my deepest fear about the Mumbai Indians. I think they are a batsman short. There is a lot of cannon-power at the top of the order, and all too quickly, one sees Harbhajan’s name in the batting order.
Where is Luke Ronchi? He is a good keeper and an explosive bat. With him opening alongside Jayasuriya, one can have Tendulkar drop himself to ‘three’ and deepen the list of batsmen in the line-up.
That said, the Chargers are looking increasingly like a well-oiled machine that is high on self-belief. Last year, I got the feeling that they were somewhat on the defensive with Shahid Afridi trying his helicopter whirlies a bit too often and not succeeding. This year, they look like a settled unit with both Gilchrist and Gibbs firing at the top.The unchanged line-up from the previous year means Gichrist knows his resources a lot better. His faith in Venu Rao as a bowler reflects that.
A year ago, I was laughed at for saying that Pragyan Ojha was the best slow left-armer in the country. Need to meet up with those guys again. Ojha bowled quite beautifully and mixed his deliveries well. I just hope he does not fade away like Murali Kartik who promised so much when he appeared on the scene.
The CSK-KKR match? Well, IPL could do well without two things. The first is the points sharing system. If a match can be abandoned, why cannot it be replayed, considering T20 is such a short format? And after all the entire IPL effort is towards entertainment. And what better entertainment than cricket itself.
The second thing is the D/L method for T20 – there is no sense in playing five overs per team cricket. That sort of thing used to work well in the matches I played as a kid, at Somasundaram Ground. Not at this level. If you can’t get twenty overs of cricket in, simply find a way to replay the match.
Before I log off, one last observation. Mr. KKR team owner has been stung by the criticism and has hooked up with ‘Headlines Today’ to get his anguish across to the public. This morning, there was a feature on the KKR team owner – about him having been ‘hurt’ and about him having a ‘heavy heart’, etc. All this with a flashing url of the KKR team owner’s blog.
I for one, did not know that news channels could plug stuff as part of their news content.
But I know now.
The match itself was a confirmation of my deepest fear about the Mumbai Indians. I think they are a batsman short. There is a lot of cannon-power at the top of the order, and all too quickly, one sees Harbhajan’s name in the batting order.
Where is Luke Ronchi? He is a good keeper and an explosive bat. With him opening alongside Jayasuriya, one can have Tendulkar drop himself to ‘three’ and deepen the list of batsmen in the line-up.
That said, the Chargers are looking increasingly like a well-oiled machine that is high on self-belief. Last year, I got the feeling that they were somewhat on the defensive with Shahid Afridi trying his helicopter whirlies a bit too often and not succeeding. This year, they look like a settled unit with both Gilchrist and Gibbs firing at the top.The unchanged line-up from the previous year means Gichrist knows his resources a lot better. His faith in Venu Rao as a bowler reflects that.
A year ago, I was laughed at for saying that Pragyan Ojha was the best slow left-armer in the country. Need to meet up with those guys again. Ojha bowled quite beautifully and mixed his deliveries well. I just hope he does not fade away like Murali Kartik who promised so much when he appeared on the scene.
The CSK-KKR match? Well, IPL could do well without two things. The first is the points sharing system. If a match can be abandoned, why cannot it be replayed, considering T20 is such a short format? And after all the entire IPL effort is towards entertainment. And what better entertainment than cricket itself.
The second thing is the D/L method for T20 – there is no sense in playing five overs per team cricket. That sort of thing used to work well in the matches I played as a kid, at Somasundaram Ground. Not at this level. If you can’t get twenty overs of cricket in, simply find a way to replay the match.
Before I log off, one last observation. Mr. KKR team owner has been stung by the criticism and has hooked up with ‘Headlines Today’ to get his anguish across to the public. This morning, there was a feature on the KKR team owner – about him having been ‘hurt’ and about him having a ‘heavy heart’, etc. All this with a flashing url of the KKR team owner’s blog.
I for one, did not know that news channels could plug stuff as part of their news content.
But I know now.
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - III
The invocation verse of the ‘Ishopanishad’ talks about the indivisibility of the ‘whole’, and how taking away things from it and putting things into it does not affect it. Somewhere, this holds so true for cricket teams – the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts.
Mr. Mallya has, with all good intent, assembled a veritable galaxy of some of the biggest names in cricket. And yet, for the second year running, it just does not seem to be coming together.
Last night’s match was another witness on the stand for this fact. The Royal Challengers did most things right when they batted. Okay, Dravid failed, and Uthappa got a first-baller. And KP perished to his bottom hand. But Kallis played as only Kallis can. With power, elegance and stylishness. Ross Taylor came good in a cameo.
But all through their fielding stint, the Kings XI looked like a team. No scientific facts here, but there is something about a team’s body language that communicates itself so well. And that is desperately missing in the Royal Challengers.
Yuvraj led like only he can. Pouncing, exhorting, snarling, leaping and grinning like a schoolkid. And somewhere, the Kings XI began playing in the image of their leader. Like a bunch of talented schoolboys who enjoy playing.
Bopara showed us why his former Essex captain Nasser Hussain rates him so highly. His innings was a mixture of thorough county professionalism and intelligent risk-taking. By the time he got himself out, the match was more or less settled, with Yuvraj pushing the pedal to the metal as the Kings XI got home easily.
Something tells me that the Punjab team will feed off this success more than the others in the IPL. It’s the way their captain is. And it’s the way they play.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mallya, repeat after me, ‘Om poornamada…’.
Mr. Mallya has, with all good intent, assembled a veritable galaxy of some of the biggest names in cricket. And yet, for the second year running, it just does not seem to be coming together.
Last night’s match was another witness on the stand for this fact. The Royal Challengers did most things right when they batted. Okay, Dravid failed, and Uthappa got a first-baller. And KP perished to his bottom hand. But Kallis played as only Kallis can. With power, elegance and stylishness. Ross Taylor came good in a cameo.
But all through their fielding stint, the Kings XI looked like a team. No scientific facts here, but there is something about a team’s body language that communicates itself so well. And that is desperately missing in the Royal Challengers.
Yuvraj led like only he can. Pouncing, exhorting, snarling, leaping and grinning like a schoolkid. And somewhere, the Kings XI began playing in the image of their leader. Like a bunch of talented schoolboys who enjoy playing.
Bopara showed us why his former Essex captain Nasser Hussain rates him so highly. His innings was a mixture of thorough county professionalism and intelligent risk-taking. By the time he got himself out, the match was more or less settled, with Yuvraj pushing the pedal to the metal as the Kings XI got home easily.
Something tells me that the Punjab team will feed off this success more than the others in the IPL. It’s the way their captain is. And it’s the way they play.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mallya, repeat after me, ‘Om poornamada…’.
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note -II
Somehow, that clever opening line continues to elude me. So, without further ado, on to the two IPL matches that took place on the eve of Sachin Tendulkar's birthday.
The first one was expected to be a classic face-off between two of the muscle teams in the IPL. The Delhi Daredevils' innings was powered by a truly brilliant innings from AB de Villiers. It started off with AB playing rhythm guitar to Tilekeratne Dilshan's robust soloing. And once that ended, the classic soloing began. Full of beautiful phrases straight from the book. Interspersed with some soaring runs and delightful harmonics. At the end of it all, DD had a very strong total to defend.
The Superkings' reply got off well with Matt Hayden muscling and bullying his way through, before the advantage of having a Dan Vettori in the bowling line-up and the pure wisdom of bringing in Ashu Nehra in place of Yomahesh showed through. It was a simple plan, brilliantly executed - push the ball in consistently on the semi-yorker length.
MS Dhoni missed a trick again by not pushing Subra Badrinath up the order. Badrinath is a canny customer. He works the ball around intelligently, and once his eye is in, tonks very well. In my opinion, Badrinath at one end, rotating the strike to give the big hitters a chance would have worked. But alas, he came in too late. And Sehwag's brilliant bowling changes, coupled with some fantastic outfield work by David Warner ensured that there would be no last-over heroics from the Chennai team.
In the end, the better bowling side won. Though it put into shade a truly run-choking, wicket-taking spell from Balaji.
Honestly, the next match, in my head at least, was loaded heavily in favour of the glamour team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. Big names, big comments (from their owner) and big expectations. Strangely, the titel holders, Rajasthan Royals, seem to be the underdogs again. Nothing fancy about them, except a genius captain.
KKR could have also had a good captain. But Buchanan, I guess wants a captain who does exactly what he (Buchanan) feels. And the knowledgeable team owner feels that the greatest captain India has had is no longer good-looking, and has receding hair.
But the match itself was something else. KKR choked off the RR innings with some clever bowling. With the 'ugly' Bengali again showing what he can do and Gayle bowling a decisive spell.
Gayle started off the KKR reply in vintage style, but runs weren't easy to come by for the others. Warne showed us what he can achieve with some classic field placing tricks and sheer presence. And can he lead from the front. Give him a fruit-seller from Paharganj who plays a bit of gully cricket, and Warnah will make him perform. That, dear KKR team-owner, is what a captain does.
One sequence will live in memory.Kamran Khan, the eighteen year-old out of nowhere is called up to bowl the last over. Warne cradles his face in his hands and tells him what to do. And the scrawny left-armer delivers in spades. Alas, team owner, if you had only looked into the past of a certain Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, you might actually have taken a better decision on captaincy.
Ganguly batted quite beautifully, the caresses through the off-side interspersed with trademark Ganguly tonks over the straight field.More importantly, he saw off Warne with consummate ease when the leg-spinning genius came back for his second spell. But the pressure Warne was putting on the batsmen at the other end eventually consumed Ganguly. But he proved a point, and how.
Back to Warne. What is it about his leadership that lets him make players rise above their own limitations? How does this team of relative unknowns play like a champion outfit, fighting and slugging it out? How can one man inject professionalism and inspiration into a bunch of unknowns?
Please do answer, John Buchanan and KKR team owner.
The first one was expected to be a classic face-off between two of the muscle teams in the IPL. The Delhi Daredevils' innings was powered by a truly brilliant innings from AB de Villiers. It started off with AB playing rhythm guitar to Tilekeratne Dilshan's robust soloing. And once that ended, the classic soloing began. Full of beautiful phrases straight from the book. Interspersed with some soaring runs and delightful harmonics. At the end of it all, DD had a very strong total to defend.
The Superkings' reply got off well with Matt Hayden muscling and bullying his way through, before the advantage of having a Dan Vettori in the bowling line-up and the pure wisdom of bringing in Ashu Nehra in place of Yomahesh showed through. It was a simple plan, brilliantly executed - push the ball in consistently on the semi-yorker length.
MS Dhoni missed a trick again by not pushing Subra Badrinath up the order. Badrinath is a canny customer. He works the ball around intelligently, and once his eye is in, tonks very well. In my opinion, Badrinath at one end, rotating the strike to give the big hitters a chance would have worked. But alas, he came in too late. And Sehwag's brilliant bowling changes, coupled with some fantastic outfield work by David Warner ensured that there would be no last-over heroics from the Chennai team.
In the end, the better bowling side won. Though it put into shade a truly run-choking, wicket-taking spell from Balaji.
Honestly, the next match, in my head at least, was loaded heavily in favour of the glamour team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. Big names, big comments (from their owner) and big expectations. Strangely, the titel holders, Rajasthan Royals, seem to be the underdogs again. Nothing fancy about them, except a genius captain.
KKR could have also had a good captain. But Buchanan, I guess wants a captain who does exactly what he (Buchanan) feels. And the knowledgeable team owner feels that the greatest captain India has had is no longer good-looking, and has receding hair.
But the match itself was something else. KKR choked off the RR innings with some clever bowling. With the 'ugly' Bengali again showing what he can do and Gayle bowling a decisive spell.
Gayle started off the KKR reply in vintage style, but runs weren't easy to come by for the others. Warne showed us what he can achieve with some classic field placing tricks and sheer presence. And can he lead from the front. Give him a fruit-seller from Paharganj who plays a bit of gully cricket, and Warnah will make him perform. That, dear KKR team-owner, is what a captain does.
One sequence will live in memory.Kamran Khan, the eighteen year-old out of nowhere is called up to bowl the last over. Warne cradles his face in his hands and tells him what to do. And the scrawny left-armer delivers in spades. Alas, team owner, if you had only looked into the past of a certain Saurav Chandidas Ganguly, you might actually have taken a better decision on captaincy.
Ganguly batted quite beautifully, the caresses through the off-side interspersed with trademark Ganguly tonks over the straight field.More importantly, he saw off Warne with consummate ease when the leg-spinning genius came back for his second spell. But the pressure Warne was putting on the batsmen at the other end eventually consumed Ganguly. But he proved a point, and how.
Back to Warne. What is it about his leadership that lets him make players rise above their own limitations? How does this team of relative unknowns play like a champion outfit, fighting and slugging it out? How can one man inject professionalism and inspiration into a bunch of unknowns?
Please do answer, John Buchanan and KKR team owner.
The IPL Athletic Supporter's Note - I
Keep reading from everyone that this edition of IPL isn't as good. And the comments come in various flavours.
My wife thinks that the lack of 'Indian noise' is the reason. Another friend mentioned that it isn't the same without some mad hitting right through the innings. Yet another said that the overseas players last year were better.
I tend to agree with the first two. Yes, the lack of rabid support in the stands does work towards playing down the excitement levels. But there is a lot of noise - here on FB, and elsewhere on mails and chats. There are emotions on display. Maybe in the guise of e-motions, but they are there.
On to the second point. Yes, there are fewer sixes. But the wickets are different. And the grounds are bigger. Bowlers seem to have an honest chance now. But more importantly, the batsmen who are making runs this year are the ones that make runs in other forms of the game too. Or rather, the shooting stars that we saw last year may just need to tighten up their game to suit the new, even IPL.
And that cannot be too bad.
As of now, Dravid, who was so slammed by the general media (sigh, when will they stop trying to be experts in every field?) is the hero for the Royal Challengers who somehow cannot get their team composition right. Gayle snuffed out the Kings XI the other night. Kallis wrote batting poetry in one over from Lakshmipathy Balaji, in a lost battle. Sehwag batted as only he can.
And on the bowling side, we are seeing serious wickets from the spinners and the quicks alike. If anything, it's the fielding that seems to have taken a dip. There have been quite a few dropped catches and misfields this season.
So don't write off IPL 2 just yet.
PS: Reliable reports suggest that the Punjab Kings XI have put a 'supari' out on Messrs. Duckworth and Lewis. And have hired a native Indian named Smoke On The Water to do a rain dance to keep wet equations away.
My wife thinks that the lack of 'Indian noise' is the reason. Another friend mentioned that it isn't the same without some mad hitting right through the innings. Yet another said that the overseas players last year were better.
I tend to agree with the first two. Yes, the lack of rabid support in the stands does work towards playing down the excitement levels. But there is a lot of noise - here on FB, and elsewhere on mails and chats. There are emotions on display. Maybe in the guise of e-motions, but they are there.
On to the second point. Yes, there are fewer sixes. But the wickets are different. And the grounds are bigger. Bowlers seem to have an honest chance now. But more importantly, the batsmen who are making runs this year are the ones that make runs in other forms of the game too. Or rather, the shooting stars that we saw last year may just need to tighten up their game to suit the new, even IPL.
And that cannot be too bad.
As of now, Dravid, who was so slammed by the general media (sigh, when will they stop trying to be experts in every field?) is the hero for the Royal Challengers who somehow cannot get their team composition right. Gayle snuffed out the Kings XI the other night. Kallis wrote batting poetry in one over from Lakshmipathy Balaji, in a lost battle. Sehwag batted as only he can.
And on the bowling side, we are seeing serious wickets from the spinners and the quicks alike. If anything, it's the fielding that seems to have taken a dip. There have been quite a few dropped catches and misfields this season.
So don't write off IPL 2 just yet.
PS: Reliable reports suggest that the Punjab Kings XI have put a 'supari' out on Messrs. Duckworth and Lewis. And have hired a native Indian named Smoke On The Water to do a rain dance to keep wet equations away.
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