Thursday, April 14, 2011

Paul-struck Chennai Super Kings lose to Kings XI Punjab


It has been one of those matches which left everyone awestruck. A right word to describe the performance put up by both Chennai Super Kings and the Kings XI Punjab. The latter won the match by six wickets after a swashbuckling knock from Paul Valthaty.

Having won the toss, Kings XI Punjab chose to bat first on a pitch that had a lot to offer for the bowlers as well as the batsmen. Praveen Kumar squeezed everything out of the pitch in his initial over; dismissing Srikkanth Anirudha and Suresh Raina in the first two balls of the match. 


Subramanian Badrinath and Murali Vijay put up a resilient 124-run stand to steady the ship for the Super Kings.  The momentum kept going with the brisk scoring rate from the batsmen. Vijay scored in balls which included some gutsy sixes too. Badrinath kept the scoreboard ticking with his innings of 66. M.S. Dhoni continued his purple patch with his brutal innings that helped the Super Kings reach a total of 188/4 after 20 overs. It was an effort well applauded especially after their initial crisis.



Punjab had a mountain to climb to chase the target at more than nine runs an over. Adam Gilchrist and Paul Valthathy did exactly what they were supposed to do by putting up a brilliant opening stand. They raced to 61 in 5.5 overs when Gilchrist flicked a ball straight in the hands of Suraj Randiv to the bowling of Albie Morkel. For a change, he was a spectator to the murderous batting of Paul during his innings of 19. Shaun Marsh was run out leaving Kings XI reeling at 100-2 from 10.1 overs. With ample wickets in hand and nine overs to chase the total, Paul Valthaty continued with his marauder to the Super Kings’ bowlers. Every shot of his showed great execution and powerful strokeplay. Bowlers with the likes of Morkel, Ashwin, Southee, Jakati, and Randiv were all having a bad day at the office with an average economy of eight.



Sunny Singh offered some support with his cameo of 20 which included two boundaries and a six. He got out to the bowling of Randiv. A twist in the tale- Southee trapped Abhishek Nayar lbw at the very next delivery which left Punjab reeling again at 136-4. While all of this happened, Paul continued with what he had been doing throughout the innings. Usually, any ball that is pitched in a batsman’s area would be plundered to the boundary. But in Paul’s case there was no specific area. Every ball that came out of the bowler’s hands was hit for a boundary or a six and reached his century in 52 balls. 


Eventually, he scored an unbeaten 120 from 63 balls which included 19 fours and 2 sixes. Dinesh Karthik provided the right support to Paul’s innings with his knock of 21 that included two fours and a six to seal things off for his team.  

The commentators on air rightly described his innings- a colour blind batsman who could not see yellow fielders! Be it his slog sweeps or his slashes through the point or the hook strokes- he had it in his armour and used them at the right time.

While Chennai will have a lot to learn from this defeat especially their bowling and fielding aspects, Punjab got a huge morale booster to turn things around. No way better to do it under Gilchrist’s captaincy. He did it earlier for the Deccan Chargers and can be expected to do the same this time too. The match swayed both the sides with Chennai showing magnificent batting skills with their recover after the initial slump of two wickets. Punjab did the same too, but the smart chase ensured their victory.  Chennai face Bangalore in their next match and Punjab would play against Hyderabad.


Pictures © AFP

Saturday, April 9, 2011

A good start by a nail-biting finish


The Chennai Super Kings kick-started their IPL campaign with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 runs. The match was swivelling between the two sides till the last ball. Srikkanth Anirudha was awarded with the man of the match for his brilliant performance of 64.

M.S. Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first on the hard and dusty pitch at Chepauk. Anirudha proved to be a good substitute to Matthew Hayden and capitalised on opening opportunity. He played a crucial knock of 64 which included six boundaries and two sixes. 

On the other hand, Murali Vijay fell cheaply on the bowling of Iqbal Abdullah. Suresh Raina continued his purple patch- he scored 33 in 29 deliveries which included four boundaries. Just when he was settling down, he was dismissed off a wide outside off stump line delivery by Yusuf Pathan. He tried to hit the ball over midwicket only to find a fielder in Sarabjit Ladda. The score was 80-2.

Dhoni and Anirudha put up a 49 run partnership with Dhoni striking a boundary and a six in his innings of 29. He was dismissed when he tried to hook a slow bouncer from Jacques Kallis but ended up being caught by wicket-keeper. Anirudha was bowled by a magnificent yorker by Kallis. Some gutsy blows by Albie Morkel in the last over saw the Chennai Super Kings reaching to a total of 153 in 20 overs.

With the batting line up and the confidence Kolkata showed in the first innings, it looked like a walk in the park for the Kolkata Knight Riders. A surprise move by Gautam Gambhir witnessed Manvinder Bisla opening the innings with Kallis. The openers put up a solid 64 run stand in 8.5 overs before Bisla was dismissed for 27.Yusuf Pathan played with the same aggression as always. A huge six in the initial deliveries showed his intent. But he was run out after scoring 11 to a hesitation by both batsmen and a brilliant throw from Dhoni.


Meanwhile, Kallis continued to be resilient at the other end. Eventually, he was dismissed for 54 (7X4) after a failed paddle sweep attempt which ended up as a simple catch at short fine leg. Kolkata needed 39 of 20 deliveries at this point. Eoin Morgan was sent back to the pavilion after a combined effort of a fine stumping by Dhoni and clever bowling tactics of Raina. The scoreboard showed 119-4. This became 120-5 due to a horrible mix up and great backing up by Scott Styris. Gambhir made the long walk after scoring one run and his team struggling.

The match saw a twist. Manoj Tiwary struck two blistering sixes in debutant Suraj Randiv’s over and pulled the game back. But Randiv used his arm ball at the right time which induced Tiwary to come outside his crease but he missed the shot. Dhoni knocked the stumps in a flash. Kolkata were reeling at 145-6.

Tim Southee showed his death over bowling skills and took the wicket of Laxmi Shukla too. With four needed of the last ball, Southee bowled a yorker to give a leg bye. Dhoni’s men in yellow did it again and continued their winning streak after the Champions League.  


They face Kings XI Punjab in the next game and Kolkata would look to get themselves back on track with their next encounter against Deccan Chargers. Such a thriller finish has surely ensured a good start to the tournament.


Pictures © AFP

Monday, March 21, 2011

25th June, 24th September, can it happen on 2nd April?


Memories of the past are not memories of facts, but memories of your imaging of the facts- Philip Roth.

Indian cricket has blessed us with many such images in the past. The balcony of Lord’s on June 25th, 1983 saw Kapil Dev lifting the prudential cup- a proof of a transition from underdogs to champions! They did it when the least was expected from them. But it was hunger to win that made the difference. Indian fans noticed this which in turn started believing in them.

None would have dreamt that India would even qualify after they were reeling at 17 for five against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells. Kapil Dev’s resilient knock of 175 ensured that India’s return ticket to India was kept on hold. Only the blessed ones were able to see this gem of an innings live. For fans like me, sadly, only images tell the whole story. 
A picture that tells the story


Similarly, Mohinder Amarnath’s wickets, Balwinder Sandhu’s banana ball to dismiss Gordon Greenidge and not to forget Dev’s marathon to take the catch to dismiss Sir Viv Richards are etched in our memory. The heart of every cricket fan was filled with pride and honour and experienced an adrenaline rush.
THE moment!


The Celebrations


Cut to, September 24th, 2007.  The Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg witnessed a scintillating display of top class Twenty20 cricket. Indian team showed stunning regularity as comeback experts in the tournament. Almost every game that India played swayed between the two oppositions before settling down with the men in blue. Yuvraj Singh thrashing the ball on all parts of the ground off Broad’s bowling, Gambhir’s innings of 75 in the finals, and Joginder Sharma’s bowling in the death overs have all been worth remembering. But the most important moment when every Indian fan had a heart in their mouth was Sreesanth’s catch at fine leg to dismiss Misbah-Ul-Haq. That moment announced us as champions of the newest format of the game!       It transformed the perception of T20 cricket in India.


As I write this, the World Cup 2011 approaches the business end of the tournament. India registered a good victory over West Indies last night. And after many permutations, the group tables showed India would be playing against Australia in the quarter finals at Ahmedabad. Quite a few moments could be picked from this journey too.

Yuvraj Singh became an epitome to make perfect all round comebacks. His batting is as elegant as earlier and his bowling helped India to win matches. As someone who cherishes such memories, I want India to perform well against the Aussies in the quarters and the subsequent oppositions in the semis as well as the finals and flood us with many such moments to talk.

Wankhede stadium, with a complete makeover looks better than ever before. And Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifting the trophy here would only be an additional feather in the cap. My eyes are eager for such moments; not only would they make us proud but restore the belief in every Indian that it is sheer determination that would help in achieving a goal.

Therefore, my only request to the Indian team- Go Get It!   




Pictures © Getty Images

Thursday, January 27, 2011

OPPORTUNITY SHOULDN’T ‘SLIP’ OUT OF HANDS!



The most striking element in the 200th Test catch that Rahul Dravid took to dismiss Dale Steyn was the way it was taken. An absolute blinder which had flown past the keeper in a flash; he just managed to grab it at the last moment.

All eyes were on this magnificent slip-fielder throughout the series- due to achieve this feat. But it can be said with great conviction that none of them expected it to happen the way it did! Despite being one of the most senior players in the side, the catch reflected the exuberance of a debutant; jumping and diving at every ball that flew past the edge of the blade. With this blistering effort, he definitely has put himself in a position where no one else has ever reached.

Right from his debut against England, fielding had been one of his strengths along with his batting capabilities. His first catch was the dismissal of Nasser Hussein in his debut Test which marked his tryst with good fielding skills. Till date, it has been an eventful and a significant aspect of his cricketing career.  His performances have proven that time and again.
Dravid taking a catch off his safe hands


There have been others like him in the league too- proving their worth in the team by fielding well specially in the slips viz. Mark Waugh, Stephen Fleming and Jacques Kallis. Though he might not have been such an effective slip fielder in the beginning, he definitely has gained expertise in it. His fielding efforts showed stunning regularity and precision- which separated him from most of the veterans in this arena.  

He surely shows that fielding is his major forte along with his batting capabilities. On numerous occasions he has been the messiah for the team. This does prop up a question; having specialised field positions: a need for the Indian team? In this case, more than hundred catches have been taken at the slips!

Numbers speak for themselves; the highest number of catch takers apart from wicket keepers has been the slips. Dravid (200), Mark Waugh (181), Ponting (178), Stephen Fleming (171) and Jacques Kallis (166)- four out of the top five catch takers have been the slip fielders.
Resultantly, along with being a batsman or a bowler, it is a prime requisite to be a good fielder. Players like Mark Waugh, Kallis and Jayawardene etc. have been noteworthy contributors to their teams in their areas, but they were also remembered for their great fielding capabilities. At times, the latter stole the limelight more than the former.

Expertise in specialised field positions can be of great help to the team and help in effective co-ordination. Dravid rightly mentioned in one of his interviews-when John Wright was the coach, he insisted on having him at the slips for Test matches. Gary Kirsten also believes in the same and considers it to be an art which some people possessed while some developed it eventually. He suggested Dravid to stand on his instep- helpful to be quick on the feet. Ultimately, the goal was to grab all the opportunities. He developed and mastered this art magnificently in the due course of time.

In Tests most wickets fall off the spinners’ deliveries and the fielders close to the batsman stand more chances of taking catches. Highest wicket takers in Tests have been spinners. The leading Indian wicket-taker in Tests is a spinner (Anil Kumble). There would have been several occasions when the scoreboard would have shown “c Dravid b Kumble”.

Having a good fielding would be an invaluable asset and having a fielder with the highest taker of catches in that unit- certainly is an icing on the cake! 

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Australia- time to ‘urn’ some pride!


With the fifth and final test starting on Monday, Michael Clarke led Australian team would be looking forward to salvage some pride in this series. Though the ‘Ashes’ is retained by the visitors, a good performance by the Aussies will be a huge morale booster. They would attempt to level the series with England with a win at the SCG. This would surely ensure a good start to New Year.

Michael Beer and Pakistan-born Usman Khwaja are all set to make their Test debuts. Beer has been performing well as an orthodox spinner in the ‘few’ first class games played by him at the start of the summer. He was due for a call for the third Test at Perth. But Ponting’s decision to go ahead with four seamers on the bouncy track delayed his debut. But in this Test, he would be expected to contribute well with the given conditions there. 


Tom Parker, the curator at the SCG suggested that it will be a traditional track; spin will play a key role in this game. Weather will be another vital aspect to be considered. It is expected to rain on the first day with high possibility of showers in the days to follow.

Another significant moment in Australian cricketing history will be the inclusion of Usman Khwaja as a replacement to the injured Ricky Ponting. Ponting had injured his finger earlier in the series, but continued to play with it. Things got worse for him in the Boxing Day Test which has forced him to sit out for the next match. The Blues batsman has delivered exceedingly well in the first class matches with some match winning knocks. He would be the first Muslim cricketer to represent his national side at Sydney.



England would be looking to continue their dazzling performance at SCG too. Ex- cricketers like Michael Vaughan and Darren Gough from England claim that this would be the best time for England to go for the kill and be the number one Test team. Gough created a stir couple of days back when he claimed that the current team is capable enough to beat India ‘every day of the week’. He added that India performs remarkably well in home conditions but fails to carry that overseas. Graeme Swann hopes to do well as the conditions would ideally favour his bowling. Andy Flower wants the team to seal it 3-1 and then rejoice the feeling of having retained the Ashes.

Australian cricket declined miserably this year; they suffered their worst defeat in India and followed by this defeat. Such a phase has never been witnessed in the past 98 years. Speculations have surrounded that Ponting might have played his last Test as a captain when Clarke was chosen as the captain for this one. But Clarke came out strong at such speculations that Punter would make a comeback ASAP to lead the side.


But, with the momentum in favour of England, Aussies would go all guns blazing to win the test and ‘urn’ respect. 

A STRANGE LIGHT FROM THE WEST!




Albert Einstein once said, “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.”

Australian board have made a note of that quote well indeed. With brilliant opportunity platform to players like Usman Tariq Khwaja, his value has certainly raised since his inclusion in the Test side. More importantly, it is the changing perception of Cricket Australia that has come into limelight. Khwaja becomes the first Muslim and Asian to get a call for to play for Australia. One of the major reasons to call it a revolutionary step; shows that merit more than the race is considered for selection.

First class level cricketing performances by him have been remarkable in the past few weeks capitalized on every window of opportunity that was insight for him. With a Bachelor’s degree in aviation, Khwaja is all set to take off his Test career.
In action in one of his first-class games

Any person of a foreign, especially Asians have NEVER made it to the Australian side. However, Khwaja seems to have broken through all these preconceived notions and managed to make a strong mark. Some of the finest examples of Asian-origin players being in the foreign teams can be Nasser Hussein, Vikram Solanki etc. Hussein went on to captain the England side later in his career. But this attempt denotes a good CHANGE from their perspective.

Acceptance on the part of the players to play for such countries is very important. In one of his statements issued in the media Khwaja says that he would never forget his roots i.e. Pakistan, but it has to be noted that it was Australia that gave him the major platform to do well and would never forget that. His maiden one day domestic hundred for New South Wales versus South Australia (121) showed a lot of commitment of this (Australian) cricketer.

The quality of viewing changes as an opportunity and not as a threat is defines the characteristic of an innovative person.


Going by this line, CA surely went that way which resulted into this budding player. It can be only hoped that he fulfils and cements his place in the Australian team in the times to come. The onus is now on Khwaja to deliver well and reciprocate the initiative.