The last week has seen a number of teams from the top half sliding down and teams from the bottom have been making their way up the points table.
Rajasthan Royals contrary to expectations have started a steady climb with three good wins. Lucky to see another Pathan blitz the other day when he hammered Deccan Chargers attack.
Kings XI Punjab however has not really had any such luck. In fact they have lost all their games and even that single win was a lucky break, thanks to the super over.
Surprising to see the Chennai Super Kings struggling inspite of their heavy weights. The other day they should have put it past Mumbai Indians. I think Suresh Raina and Badrinath did not quite hit the accellerator in the last couple of overs. The last over from Malinga just got them 7 runs. Given the situation, they should have gone hammer and tongs after the 17th over. They had plenty of batting left in the dugout.
The problem I feel with the Kings XI Punjab is not a cricketing one, it perhaps is player politics. Remember, Sangakkara was made captain after replacing Yuvraj Singh. Interesting to note that Yuvraj has not quite set the stadium alight with his bat. In this format of the game, a man like Yuvraj cannot be kept quiet for long.
Last Friday, the Indian team for the T20 World Cup was picked. Surprised to see Ashish Nehra, Piyush Chawla and Rohit Sharma's names in the team. Nehra has not been playing any cricket in recent times, Rohit has not quyite been keeping the scorers busy and Piyush Chawla has not really done anything to justify dropping of Amit Mishra or Pragyan Ojha. Vinay Kumar is a good choice. Manish Pande and the Tiwari from the Mumbai Indians could have been good in the side in place of Rohit Sharma.
We begin our campaign against Afghanistan, which is good. Gives the team some time to settle down before they take on South Africa in their second game.
Would really like players like Irfan Pathan, Ambadi Rayudu, Pradeep Sangwan and Muhammad Kaif to do well in the remaining games. Watson should be soon joining the Rajasthan Royals. He is a big impact player with his bowling, batting and fielding. Well good entertainment awaits us in the weeks ahead.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Champions must be consistent
Against Mumbai Yousuf Pathan looked like a champion. Against Delhi Dare Devils, he looked a novice. Playing at the highest level calls for a certain degree of consistency. Sure, Delhi is a formidable side, but the meek surrender by the Royals was disappointing. The inexperienced middle order of the Rajasthan team was exposed. It is difficult to see Warne and his men making a dent this time round.
Moving to Bangalore, it was delightful to see the exciting and successful 200+ run chase. Kallis was superb and Pande and Uttappa backed him up magnificently. Pande is a definite prospect for the future. At the half way mark, Kings XI Punjab must have thought that they had enough to bag the two points. Bopara is in great touch. Bisla looked good, again the question is how often will he perform. Uttappa was wonderful, but again he needs to deliver more often.
KKR , after last night has come down a couple of knotches. I guess SRK had a premonition of what was coming. Perhaps that is why he had said the other day that he would start dancing only after his team has registered 5 wins on the trot. Good to see Dhoni amongst the runs He is always entertaining. Sad that he is going to miss the next few games. I believe that his presence will not only be missed by CSK as a batter but also as a leader.
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When Rohan Gavaskar took guard, Robin Jackman had commented that he looked a lot like his father. But then he was quick to add that the comparison ended there. Sunil Gavaskar is a tough act to follow. Dad Gavaskar was one of the greatest openning batters the cricket World has seen.
It was also interesting to have the son at the crease while the father was in the commentators box in the same game though Rohan Gavaskar did not last long enough for his father to commentate on his batting. The last time I recall a father commentate on his son was when Lala Amarnath was expert commentator on All India Radio while Surinder and Mohinder were playing in a Ranji game.
Moving to Bangalore, it was delightful to see the exciting and successful 200+ run chase. Kallis was superb and Pande and Uttappa backed him up magnificently. Pande is a definite prospect for the future. At the half way mark, Kings XI Punjab must have thought that they had enough to bag the two points. Bopara is in great touch. Bisla looked good, again the question is how often will he perform. Uttappa was wonderful, but again he needs to deliver more often.
KKR , after last night has come down a couple of knotches. I guess SRK had a premonition of what was coming. Perhaps that is why he had said the other day that he would start dancing only after his team has registered 5 wins on the trot. Good to see Dhoni amongst the runs He is always entertaining. Sad that he is going to miss the next few games. I believe that his presence will not only be missed by CSK as a batter but also as a leader.
.
When Rohan Gavaskar took guard, Robin Jackman had commented that he looked a lot like his father. But then he was quick to add that the comparison ended there. Sunil Gavaskar is a tough act to follow. Dad Gavaskar was one of the greatest openning batters the cricket World has seen.
It was also interesting to have the son at the crease while the father was in the commentators box in the same game though Rohan Gavaskar did not last long enough for his father to commentate on his batting. The last time I recall a father commentate on his son was when Lala Amarnath was expert commentator on All India Radio while Surinder and Mohinder were playing in a Ranji game.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Planning Critical and need to play to one's strengths
Each cricketer is in the side for his ability and skills. He brings something special to the table. If he tries to emulate someone else, he is neither doing justice to himself nor to his team. All of us perform tasks and we are best at doing it our way. Likewise, each batsman must approach the task on hand while at the crease in the way he is most adept at We need to back our strengths. .
Stroke players like Dhoni, Gilchrist Kemp and Simons would go bang bang while the touch artists like Laxman, Vijay, Badrinath should depend on finding the gaps and timing instead of trying to blast the ball and manufacture strokes .
120 balls in a T20 game are a lot of balls. One can afford to play a few dot balls as you come to the crease. The top order of the Royal Challengers seem to be in a big hurry. Getting a good start is critical. The easiest thing to say is that we played badly and the opposition was better than us on the day or blaming it on luck.
It is important for players like Dravid to bring in the solidity to the middle order. He should not be expected to play like Sehwag. The problem that the Bangalore team faced was that they lost wickets early and 135 proved too little. It was good to see young Manoj Tiwari blossom in the company of the Ausie veteran Brad Hodge. Also not to be missed, the passionate leadership of Saurav Dada.
In the game played at Chennai, The Deccan Chargers got their act together this time. All their big guns fired. 190 for 4 was a formidable total. But then when the chase began, I wonder what players like Dhoni and Albi Morckle were doing sitting in the dugout. They should have come out higher up the order. By the time Dhoni had walked in, the match perhaps was at the threshold of the impossible Zone.
In a T20 game, a captain should always be thinking of maximising the returns on his resources. Morckle, Dhoni and Kemp should have been batting at 3,4 and 5 followed by Raina and Badrinath. Vijay should have been instructed very clearly to stick around, rotate the strike and preserve one end. Each player must be given his clear role. The Chennai Super King team certainly had the talent to score 190, but then they got their planning horribly wrong.
In life too, all of us have our strengths and ability to contribute to the overall scheme of things. It is critical for us to know what we are good at and look at playing the game of life backing our strengths.
Stroke players like Dhoni, Gilchrist Kemp and Simons would go bang bang while the touch artists like Laxman, Vijay, Badrinath should depend on finding the gaps and timing instead of trying to blast the ball and manufacture strokes .
120 balls in a T20 game are a lot of balls. One can afford to play a few dot balls as you come to the crease. The top order of the Royal Challengers seem to be in a big hurry. Getting a good start is critical. The easiest thing to say is that we played badly and the opposition was better than us on the day or blaming it on luck.
It is important for players like Dravid to bring in the solidity to the middle order. He should not be expected to play like Sehwag. The problem that the Bangalore team faced was that they lost wickets early and 135 proved too little. It was good to see young Manoj Tiwari blossom in the company of the Ausie veteran Brad Hodge. Also not to be missed, the passionate leadership of Saurav Dada.
In the game played at Chennai, The Deccan Chargers got their act together this time. All their big guns fired. 190 for 4 was a formidable total. But then when the chase began, I wonder what players like Dhoni and Albi Morckle were doing sitting in the dugout. They should have come out higher up the order. By the time Dhoni had walked in, the match perhaps was at the threshold of the impossible Zone.
In a T20 game, a captain should always be thinking of maximising the returns on his resources. Morckle, Dhoni and Kemp should have been batting at 3,4 and 5 followed by Raina and Badrinath. Vijay should have been instructed very clearly to stick around, rotate the strike and preserve one end. Each player must be given his clear role. The Chennai Super King team certainly had the talent to score 190, but then they got their planning horribly wrong.
In life too, all of us have our strengths and ability to contribute to the overall scheme of things. It is critical for us to know what we are good at and look at playing the game of life backing our strengths.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Amazing Stroke play
Today's game between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals was truly fascinating. The Mumbai team scored 212 for 6 in their 20 overs. Young Ambadi Rayudu and Saurav Tiwari put together 110 magnificent runs for the 5th wicket. Good to see young Rayudu perform. He had promised a great deal during the under 16 and the under 19 World Cups some time ago. A good IPL should put him back in the reckoning for National duty. Wonderful talent. I also believe that the Rajasthan Royals bowlers gave away too many free runs through wides.
But then the real treat was yet to come. The Royals stumbled and tumbled at the start. and soon were 4 down with very little on board. A mountain to climb and the commentators had begun to write them off. Out came Dogra to join Yousuf Pathan and what followed was simply breath taking. The hitting was simply out of this World. 100 in just 37 balls with 8 hits over the ropes and 9 boundaries. It was a classic demonstration of outstanding fearless stroke play. It was the ultimate display of self belief and confidence. Truly facing the situation on the front foot. The doubting Thomas's in the commentary box also began changing their tune.
It was just a stroke of sheare good luck that stopped the Pathan onslaught and saved the day for Mumbai Indians.
The Pathan Dogra show reminded me of the Yuvraj Kaif partnership at Lords a few years ago when they turned a seemingly lost cause into a famous win. I guess this is why we say "No match is won or lost till the last ball is bowled". I believe that this is also true with life. Never give up, hurdles could be great, but it is not really wise to write oneself off at any point in time.
But then the real treat was yet to come. The Royals stumbled and tumbled at the start. and soon were 4 down with very little on board. A mountain to climb and the commentators had begun to write them off. Out came Dogra to join Yousuf Pathan and what followed was simply breath taking. The hitting was simply out of this World. 100 in just 37 balls with 8 hits over the ropes and 9 boundaries. It was a classic demonstration of outstanding fearless stroke play. It was the ultimate display of self belief and confidence. Truly facing the situation on the front foot. The doubting Thomas's in the commentary box also began changing their tune.
It was just a stroke of sheare good luck that stopped the Pathan onslaught and saved the day for Mumbai Indians.
The Pathan Dogra show reminded me of the Yuvraj Kaif partnership at Lords a few years ago when they turned a seemingly lost cause into a famous win. I guess this is why we say "No match is won or lost till the last ball is bowled". I believe that this is also true with life. Never give up, hurdles could be great, but it is not really wise to write oneself off at any point in time.
A Scratchy Start
Yes, the third edition of the IPL is here. The opening game was bit of a scratch scratch affair. None of the batsmen except for Angelo Mathews and O A Shah seem to be middling the ball.
Chasing 162 should have been a stroll in the partk for the Deccan Chargers. They started off well with a lot of luck. The KKR fielders appeared to be a bunch of novices when it came to catching. Had all the catches been held, the Chargers might have struggled to cross 100.
It was good to see the old war horses Laxman and Gilchrist at the top of the order. But it was rather disappointing to see Laxman abandon his own sublime poetic style of batting and attempt to emulate Viv Richards by trying to belt the ball out of the ground. All he needed to do was to keep a cool head, nudge the ball around, take singles and time the odd bad ball to the fense. He could easily have made a run a ball 60 or 70 and given the Chargers a better chance of getting to the target.
Garry Sobers was asked on the sidelines whether he would have change his style of batting if he were to play T20 cricket and his reply was a simple "No". To do well in the format, one needs to stick to one's own natural style.
Rohit Sharma is a huge bundle of talent, but then he is also a master at throwing his wicket away. If he does not learn the art of putting his head down and delivering at the crease, he could very soon be out of the reckoning and that would be a shame.
T20 is not about putting every ball across the ropes, neither is it about scoring at a hectic pace right from ball one. It is about keeping the score board ticking, keeping a cool head and building partnerships.
Another observation is that the TV commentators very often did not appear to know the names of the players who were bowling or fielding, specially when it came to Indian players. Besides it would have been interesting if the commentators could from time to time give the viewers a little background on each of the players.
I have nothing against Hindi commentary, but then please don't burden the viewers/listeners with substandard talent. Someone might have been a great cricketer in his time, but if he cannot speak straight and does not know enough about the game, he should not be forced upon the cricket loving public.
IPL has become an annual event that every Indian looks forward to. It is rather sad that Lalit Modi and gang have totally ignored the millions of blind cricket lovers who would also have liked to follow the action on good old Radio.
Chasing 162 should have been a stroll in the partk for the Deccan Chargers. They started off well with a lot of luck. The KKR fielders appeared to be a bunch of novices when it came to catching. Had all the catches been held, the Chargers might have struggled to cross 100.
It was good to see the old war horses Laxman and Gilchrist at the top of the order. But it was rather disappointing to see Laxman abandon his own sublime poetic style of batting and attempt to emulate Viv Richards by trying to belt the ball out of the ground. All he needed to do was to keep a cool head, nudge the ball around, take singles and time the odd bad ball to the fense. He could easily have made a run a ball 60 or 70 and given the Chargers a better chance of getting to the target.
Garry Sobers was asked on the sidelines whether he would have change his style of batting if he were to play T20 cricket and his reply was a simple "No". To do well in the format, one needs to stick to one's own natural style.
Rohit Sharma is a huge bundle of talent, but then he is also a master at throwing his wicket away. If he does not learn the art of putting his head down and delivering at the crease, he could very soon be out of the reckoning and that would be a shame.
T20 is not about putting every ball across the ropes, neither is it about scoring at a hectic pace right from ball one. It is about keeping the score board ticking, keeping a cool head and building partnerships.
Another observation is that the TV commentators very often did not appear to know the names of the players who were bowling or fielding, specially when it came to Indian players. Besides it would have been interesting if the commentators could from time to time give the viewers a little background on each of the players.
I have nothing against Hindi commentary, but then please don't burden the viewers/listeners with substandard talent. Someone might have been a great cricketer in his time, but if he cannot speak straight and does not know enough about the game, he should not be forced upon the cricket loving public.
IPL has become an annual event that every Indian looks forward to. It is rather sad that Lalit Modi and gang have totally ignored the millions of blind cricket lovers who would also have liked to follow the action on good old Radio.
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