It’s been a hectic time at office…….. So couldn’t catch up with most of the matches this week leave alone having the time to write about ‘em. My thoughts on watching bits and pieces of the matches this week:
Oh boy did Sachin and Sanath turn the clock back by a decade against KKR. As if KKR didn’t have enough problems to contend with, these two veterans decided to put on a show and what an astounding show it turned out to be! It was such an audacious assault that KKR didn't quite recover from the shock when they came out to bat too and folded like a pack of cards. For all the magic of spin wizards and the breathtaking finishes by Yousuf Pathan, watching Sachin bat the way he did against KKR was probably the most satisfying aspect of this IPL so far. I know I am being biased here but I can’t be anything else with Sachin! The way Sachin smashed Ishant for a six over mid-wicket was a picture stolen straight out of Nairobi….
Not only is Sachin turning the clock as a batsman but also as a captain too. After a superlative start with Jayasuriya ended in the match against KKR, Harbhajan came in as a pinch hitter and smashed a few too. He so loves the idea of a pinch hitter that he sent Bhajji at no.3 in the next match as well. A decade back when he was captaining India, Srinath was almost a permanent No.3 against SA in a ODI series…… What’s even worse was in a home test match against NZ; he didn’t enforce the follow on reasoning that his bowlers needed rest so that they could come back fresh in the 4th innings to bowl NZ out. Then he sends Srinath at No.3 in the second innings as a pinch hitter – what a way to rest your strike bowler!
Just what is Yousuf Pathan made of? He’s turning out to be a one man army for RR. To come in at 64 for 5 in 11 overs with 81 required from the remaining 9 overs, against arguably the best team in the tournament, he put on a royal show of breathtaking stroke play and what more he finishes with a over and half to spare! One more wicket at that stage would have been curtains for RR but there’s no such negativity in Yousuf Pathan’s thought process. A good part of that credit should go to Shane Warne too who’s given him the space and liberty to play his natural game under all circumstances. I wonder if there’s a more dangerous batsman in this tournament at the moment. He’s almost a poor man’s Richards at the moment…..
Sanga’s hunch…. Chasing 120, Mumbai would have fancied their chances going into the break but after a top order collapse with the scoreboard reading 12 for 3 in 4.1 overs; it required every ounce of the skill and grit of JP Duminy to pull the match back in Mumbai’s favour. Just as he was doing it, Yuvraj left the field with an injury handing over the captaincy reins to Sanga. With 19 runs required from 2 overs and a rock solid Duminy still at the crease, Sanga gave the ball to Abdullah for the penultimate over. And as he was walking back to his mark, changed his mind and tossed the ball to Piyush Chawla who had given away 19 runs in his 2 overs. And did Piyush justify his captain’s faith on him! Apart from getting Bhajji’s wicket, he only gave away 7 runs of the over making life easier for Abdullah. But Duminy almost spoilt the show for Abdullah with a heave over midwicket which had some of the Mumbai Indians owners’ friends jumping in joy only to realize later that it had found the fielder’s hands….
Could this be the turning point for B’lore? For a team which has an extraordinary ability to dig itself into trouble, the way they kept coming back against Kings’ XI despite Yuvraj’s heroics with both the bat and the ball was refreshing. Ian Chappell often says that Kumble is one of fiercest competitors on a cricket field that he’s seen. And if anyone thought he wouldn’t be the same competitor post retirement, just watch the video clips of him celebrating Yuvraj’s and Sangakkara’s dismissal. After a nervous victory over KKR, this victory from the jaws of defeat would have given a lot of confidence to Mallya’s boys. Hopefully they make it count.
CSK is inching their way back after a rather disappointing start to the tournament. Finally Dhoni realized that Badri is a top-order batsman and one of the best going around in domestic cricket at that! Is Balaji making a comeback here…..For a guy who couldn’t bowl for nearly 2 years, his performances in the Ranji Trophy last season and this IPL so far have been very impressive indeed. He’s still not the same bowler as he was against Pakistan 3 years ago but the fact that he’s reached this stage from a near hopeless situation is commendable. And does Raina love his time in IPL! What a blinder of an innings he played against RR. He almost single-handedly won the match for CSK. And with Sudeep Tyagi and Jakati settling in well in the team, hopefully Dhoni shouldn’t complain too much about his bowling any more. And if Dhoni could find some form, CSK has both the skill and the character to go all the way.
Is Lasith Malinga the most valuable player in this IPL so far? Or is it Yousuf Pathan?
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