IT WAS touted as the clash of the titans. The invincible Rajasthan Royals up against the resurgent Chennai Super Kings. Even the pundits were refusing to take a stand, as this was expected to be a very close encounter.
Both the semifinals at the Wankhede Stadium had been tame one-sided wins with both the teams registering comprehensive wins over their counterparts. But the 55,000 plus spectators seated at the DY Patil stadium could not have asked for a better finish to what has been the most explosive series ever to have hit Indian television. All the critics who had earlier questioned the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the outset are now running for cover because such is the popularity of this league that it has every one hooked on to it. And now that it is over for this year, there would still be people salivating for more.
The glittering closing ceremony with the host of Bollywood starlets, German acrobats and a sizzling display of fire works were a treat to the eye. But the action was still to begin with Dhoni’s boys coming out to bat against a hostile bowling attack of Rajasthan Royals led by Sohail Tanveer who had been the highest wicket taker of the tournament. The Chennai openers set the ball rolling and were off to a sedate start. Suresh Raina came in and hit some lusty blows, which included three huge towering sixes.
The Chennai Super kings were restricted to a total of 163 in their quote of 20 overs. Not a match winning score but definitely a competing one! The Rajasthan Royals were not off to a very good start, as they lost the first wicket of Patel early. It was left to the find of the tournament Yousuf Pathan to come to their rescue as he has done time and time again for his team in this series. His 50 was the turning point of the match as he led his team to within a few runs from the target. At the end it was Shane Warne and Sohail Tanveer who had a cool head on their shoulders and took the Rajasthan Royals home but not without its share of drama. The winning runs were scored of the final delivery of the innings.
This is what dreams are made of. Here is a team, which spent barely anything on the auctions who retained Shane Warne as captain and coach, it was sure that this team would find it next to impossible to qualify for the semis. But qualify they did not through any back door entry but by topping the group and carrying on the good work in the finals as well. And on the other hand some of the big names like Royal Challengers and the Deccan charges, both failed o create an impact in this edition as well.
The IPL has been a phenomenal success. With all the money pouring in, this league has created a storm. Rajasthan Royals emerged as the winners of this edition. It is a day when Warne needs to be applauded for his incessant work and charming personality. The Indian Premier League has arrived and is here to stay. The transfer window in February will be a vital important aspect of the IPL. Here’s applauding Lalit Modi and the rest of the gang behind this colossal event and hoping the next edition of the IPL will be bigger and better.
It could not have been scripted better. Tendulkar made his debut in the IPL, with his team Mumbai Indians having won three matches consecutively. But in order to make it to the Semis, they had to keep the momentum going. After restricting the Chennai Super Kings to a modest total of 157 due to some disciplined bowling up front by Pollock and Nehra but since then the night belonged to Jayasuriya.
He had been getting starts in the tournament but had barely converted them. This was the day when Jayasuriya had been waiting for to prove his worth to the team. Till the match against Chennai, he had been opening with different partners and the opening partnership never used to go past a few years. Opening with Sachin probably gave him the confidence to go berserk. The first six overs yielded 78 and by then the Chennai Super Kings knew that something had hit them hard. His flicks over Square Leg for six, his powerful cover drives and bottom hand jabs on the on side were a delight to watch.
Though on the other hand Sachin did not really make his dream debut but was more than happy to let Jayasuriya take the strike and demolish the opposition. Eleven sixes in an innings, second in the IPL only to Brendon Mecculum’s 13 in the first match against the Royal Challengers. The sheer arrogance with which he hit all the Chennai Super Kings bowlers all around the park was astonishing to see. In the belligerent mood that he was in, he did not even spare his previous team mate Muralitharan as he attempted twice to reverse sweep the Sri Lankan off spinner. If there is one player who can single handedly take the match away from the opposition with his explosive batting, it is Sanath Jayasuriya. And his team were aware that it would need just one innings to get him abck in form which he did in style.
The second fastest hundred of the tournament after Adam Gilchrist who had gone on a rampage against the Mumbai Indians a few matches back. But with Jayasuriya’s current performance the Mumbai Indians can be happy that their most explosive batsman is back in form and these are not good signs for the other teams. Jayasuriya’s knock was the first good score from a team who had till now struggled in the tournament.
But this innings would do a world of confidence to them as they would now make their move to try and reach the Semi Finals. For the thousands that had gathered to see Sachin bat, it would have been a dream come true to watch this innings of Jayasuriya. Mumbai Indians would also feel confident now as their batting looks more or less to be settled though the departure of Bravo will hurt them. Their next tie against the Kolkatta Knight Riders would be a vital one, as both these teams are fighting for a birth in the Semi Finals. It will be great to see King Khan back in Mumbai cheering his team at the sidelines. But the resurgent Mumbai Indians would be up for the challenge.
It is said, Cricket is a great Leveler. A young exuberant side led by MS Dhoni with almost no twenty twenty practice had shocked the World by winning the World Cup in South Africa. It was a team effort but the team did have its share of heroes. Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir with the Bat. Harbhajan and RP Singh with the ball. The World champions arrived at Melbourne to take up the Aussie challenge. The might of the Aussies had been humbled twice. But they were no the ones to take this lying down, even in the absence of Ponting and Hayden, it was a cake walk for the Kangaroos.
From an Indian point of view, it was a feeling of melancholy. Through out the Aussie summer this was one clash that was being anticipated. But, the Indian batsmen could not even last the stipulated quota of twenty overs, forget making a decent score. It was appalling to see Sachin Tendulkar sitting at the Dug out watching the wickets fall down like the bowling pins. Now we need to understand the importance of experience.
Look at the Aussie side, World Champions, the best team in tests and their recent win over India in Twenty Twenty makes them a force to reckon with. Australia have had great youngsters doing well in the Domestic circuit, but sadly there is no place for them in the international side. Guys like Hayden and Hussey had to wait till their thirties to make their respective debuts. Australia focuses on performance and form rather than age as a criteria to fetch the players their coveted baggy green.
It was the same old story yesterday. A batting collapse, we all have got used to. Sehwag with a poor choice of run. Gambhir and Utthappa trying to go over the in field even when they had barely gauged the bounce of the pitch. Karthick and Sharma falling to irresponsible shots. Dhoni trying to clear the field but only holing out to the fielder at Square Leg. And Indians could have been bowled out for the lowest total in twenty twenty ever, if it was not for a face saving knock from Irfan Pathan. The only Indian batsman who exercised some caution while batting.
Twenty Twenty is a game of fours and sixes, but remember the boundaries are still at the same distance and hence all the rules of Cricket apply. Whatever the format of cricket be, you just cant score from the first ball. You need to get yourself set first. Indian batsmen it seems were awed by the great occasion and this is where the experience of Sachin could have helped. And you cant really prove that guys like Karthick, Sharma or Utthapa are better players then Sachin.
The scene that caught my eye yesterday was the one in which, there was a spinner bowling to a number eleven batsmen with all the fielders crowding around the bat. Trust me, it may have been a hat trick ball but you will not ever see this happening again. This was hurting the pride of the Indians, as the Aussies have most certainly avenged their two earlier defeats.
The selection for the team had itself been a flawed one. With batsmen like Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman sent home, the Indians were looking for trouble. The Indians have a mammoth task in front of them if they are to win the series against Australia. The debate between experience and youth will continue. But if Sachin would have taken to the field, the result could well have been different.
Kumble won a good toss but decided to bat on a wicket that seemed to be grassy and would have something for the fast bowlers early on. A positive step taken by Kumble, hoping that the strongest batting line up in the world would prove their mettle against a depleted Pakistani bowling attack. But the plan soon backfired as India were reduced to 61/4 with Gambhir, Dravid, Jaffer and Laxman all back to the pavilion. It was left to Ganguly and Yuvraj to resurrect the Indian innings. Yuvraj who last played a test almost an year back against the West Indies, looked nervous to start with but got into the flow with a fluent cover drive to the fence off Sami. He cut, drove and flicked at will. A huge heave six off Danesh Kaneria which went across the ropes brought a 200 run stand between the two batsmen.
Yuvraj Singh went on to make his hundred, the third of his test career and all against the same opposition when he cut through the off side for a boundary. He leapt and punched the air, celebrating arguably his best knock. But Yuvraj was by no means finished yet. He played some exquisite shots with immaculate timing in his knock of 169 of just 203 balls. He fell to a leading edge off Sami, but at a time when he had rescued the Indian side off what could have been a potential disaster. The left handed once again showed that when it comes to flamboyancy and pure timing, he is in the form of his life.
This is the same man who had decimated the English and the Aussie attack in the 20-20 world cup. His six sixes of Stuart Broad was jut the fourth time a player had done it in the history of international cricket. After Sobers, Shastri and Gibbs he became the fourth to accomplish this feat. Even in the recently concluded one day series against Pakistan, Yuvraj was the man of the series. Yuvraj has been the most consistent performer of the side. Recently he had said in the media that every player wants to play test cricket and so does he. When he got the opportunity he made the most of it.
A reminder to the famed Indian Line up, no one can take his place for granted. Yuvraj has been knocking at a test slot for a long time and it is time the team management took notice. In the next test match against Australia, we could well see Yuvraj a member of the outfit in place of Karthik who has not been performing too well. Dravid could be asked to open to fit Yuvraj in the middle order. Atleast one member of the team will have to compromise as it is sure that after this knock, Yuvraj cannot be left out of the side.
Gilchrist arguably the most destructive batsman in the world, has been a consistent performer in the shortest version of the game too. In eleven innings Gilchrist has scored 246 runs at a healthy average of 25, whereas in the same number of matches Clarke has managed just 77 runs. Interestingly, Gilchrist has hit a total of 37 hits to the fence including fours and sixes whereas Clarke has managed just 6. In the ODI format Gilchrist has got 15 hundreds whereas Clarke has got a mere three.
Thus performance wise Gilchrist scores over Clarke. The only thing that could have deterred the selectors from naming Gilchrist as the Skipper could be his age. Gilchrist is 36 years old whereas Clarke is 10 years younger and could be the captain of the future. But then Ponting was just missing this one match and the Australians needed a stop gap captain for it, then why choose Clarke when Ponting is going to be back for the next one. The idea of grooming Clarke to be the next captain could be an answer. But he could have been groomed even if he were made the vice captain.
Gilchrist has been one of the most consistent performers for Australia whether behind the stumps or in front of them. He is at the twilight of his career and would be retiring in a couple of years time. The selectors in India were confronted with the same problem when they had to decide between Kumble and Dhoni as the test captain. Well, they picked the former. Not just for his sheer experience which counts in a five day game but for his long dedication to the team. The aussie selectors seem to have gone the other way, choosing youth over experience.
Gilchrist would have certainly dreamt of leading the Australian side but with icons like Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting in the side, he stood no chance. Now would have been the best time to reward a player who has performed consistently for his side over a really long period of time. But a few decisions taken by the selectors, even in Australia are beyond the level of understanding. The selection of Clarke as skipper would have left Gilchrist fuming. It’s to be seen whether it would turn out to be a masterstroke or a disastrous decision.
India 141 for 9 (Uthappa 50, Asif 4-18) beat Pakistan 141 for 7 (Misbah 53, Pathan 2-20) in a bowl-out 3-0 after match tied.
India defeated Pakistan in a bowl-out after the archrivals played a heart-stopping tie during the Twenty20 world championships on Friday.It couldn’t get bigger than what we witnessed on Friday in Durban. India Vs Pakistan in twenty 20 group D match. As expected the stadium was overflowing with spectators and support for both Asian teams was spectacular. Everyone anticipated a close finish to the match. India and Pakistan were playing each other after the gap of two years. Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Asif was on target and destroyed India’s top order. A sensible batting by captain MS Dhoni and Robin Uthappa provided some stability and later few big hits by Irfan Pathan and Agarkar ensured the India reach a respectable score of 141 in 20 overs.
India came out to bowl to ensure that they dont loose match in less than 14.4 overs to save elimination from tournament. Indian bowlers were good and did early damage to grip the match. Pakistan were never in groove to chase the Indian score thanks to some good bowling by Pathan and Agarkar. 42 runs were required of last 3 overs. Afridi was out and then a less known Misbah-ul-Haq played an extraordinary innings and Pakistan required 12 of last over to be bowled by Sreesanth. Two boundaries reduced the target to 1 off last 2 balls. Sreesanth then bowled a dot ball and single was required of last ball. Misbah mistimed the shot and was run out on the last ball and the match ended in a tie.
For 40 overs, two equally matched teams scrapped all they can, taking the inclement and irritating weather in their stride, batting with gusto, bowling with plenty of zeal and firepower, and even fielding with the kind of competence generally not associated with teams from the subcontinent.
Now the result was to be decided by a Bowl Out. India picked Uthappa, Sehwag, Harbhajan, Pathan, Sreesanth as their bowl out bowlers. Pakistan went with their bowlers Asif, Arafat, Afridi, Gul, Sohail Tanvir. India won the toss and lead the bowl out. Sehwag hitting the stumps. Arafat missed. Score read 1-0. Then Harbhajan hit and Gul missed. Score read 2-0. Finally Uthappa hit the stumps and Pakistan needed to hit all 3 next bowl out abut Afridi missed the stumps and India won a nail biting match in Bowl out by 3-0.
The crowd could not have asked for more. This is what which makes Indo-Pak encounters so special. Both Pakistan and India qualified for the Super Eights round after ousting Scotland from the race.The Twenty 20 world cup has got great start which was missing from the world cup in Carrebean in March. The stage is set for some explosive and real nail biting cricket and who knows India and Pakistan may meet again in the later stages.
There is a buzz that Twenty 20 is the future of ‘fatafat’ cricket and if we go by this sort of entertainment it is about to be that way.