Rohit Sharma

A season of learnings…

With still a week to go for this year’s TATA IPL to end, yesterday, curtains were brought down, albeit prematurely, upon Mumbai Indians’ campaign as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. The fact that they took as many as nine games to register their first win this season pretty much sealed their fate. They ended on a winning note though, helping RCB stay alive in the competition.

The first season after the mega auction isn’t always easy, for any franchise. I believe, it does take a while before you figure out the combination that works best for you. Also, with the shuffle of players, it must take time for them to buy into the team’s philosophy as well as aligning their capabilities with the roles and responsibilities carved out for them by the captain/coach. The team that manages to accomplish the aforementioned quickly goes the full distance.

There were many things which didn’t go our way this season. For starters, we didn’t play well as a unit. The bowlers went for plenty in a few while the batsmen completely lost the plot in others. Its not as though the eleven that turned up did not compete, its just that they were good in patches. If only they had been that much better over the course of the match. Regular chopping and changing of the eleven, which by the way is so unlike MI, didn’t help in arresting the slide either. Given the way things were turning out for MI this season, it was understandable for Rohit to try out different combinations in search of the elusive two points on the table!

There are, however, a few positives to take back for MI. Tilak Varma, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Dewald Brevis have all shown glimpses of how good they can be. Tilak Varma has advanced his game considerably ever since walking out for the first time in Blue and Gold. In the different match situations which he has had to come in, one can say he has matured beyond his age. As with regards to Timmy, you only have one question: ‘Has the baton passed?’. The answer to it, I’m afraid might not leave enough room to accommodate Pollard who has been an MI stalwart in his own right! I’m most impressed with Daniel Sams with the way he has made his comeback, especially after the mauling he received from Pat Cummins in the game versus the KKR early on. Sitting out, I guess he had a chance to reflect and improve upon his game and that showed in his performances with the ball thereafter; constantly providing key breakthroughs in the powerplay.

This season may not have gone as we would have hoped, but all the learnings from this year will definitely help the team make a stronger comeback. In the last few games, we saw the coming together of a group who wanted to play for pride and for the joy of their fans. And believe you me, Paltan couldn’t have asked for more.

Let’s join in on the MI dressing room custom for one last time this year:

Mumbai… Indians…

Mumbai… Indians…

Mumbai… Indians…

Here’s to having a crackerjack of a season, next year!

Reboot, and Restart!

A zillion plus cricket fans in India hoped against the hope of Afghanistan defeating the Kiwis. But as it so happened, Kane & Co. rather comfortably, and much deservedly so, made it to the final four of the tournament bringing curtains down on India’s campaign, rendering its last match against Namibia inconsequential.

Looking back on the four matches played by the Indian team thus far in the tournament, they have no one else but themselves to blame for the early exit. They have failed to be consistent which ultimately resulted in them depending on other results in order for them to qualify. The losses in the opening games versus Pakistan and New Zealand hurt India’s chances tremendously, virtually knocking them out inside the first week unless some other results went in their favor. In this format of the game, there are no clear favorites as such, since any team on their day can beat the best team going around purely because you only have to be that much better for only that period of time. Having said that, there is no denying the fact that India made errors, both tactically and in terms of execution.

While it was refreshing to see India play the way they did against Afghanistan and Scotland, it was, one would feel, too little too late. The brand of cricket they played was particularly endearing where fans finally got to see potential translating into performance. I won’t be surprised if they play the same dominant form of cricket and steamroll past Namibia in their last match to end the tournament, ironically, on a ‘high’, so to speak.

As Indian cricket readies itself to turn a page to the next chapter, with Kohli giving up T20I captaincy and Shastri coming to the end of his tenure, there is this pressing need to ‘Reboot and Restart’. For starters, we need a settled eleven for T20 internationals with at least 22-23 overs being available at the captain’s disposal. Rohit, who, by all means, is the next in line to lead India in the limited-overs format, has his work cut out for himself since the next edition of the World T20 will be held in a year’s time from now. Here’s hoping the winds of change bring about a change in fortunes for the team in the shortest format as well.

Let the good times roll!!

In just a few hours from now, we will witness the opening ceremony of, what can unarguably be called as the longest running festival in the Indian subcontinent. Yes, I call it a festival. Here, we celebrate cricket and the coming together of the world’s finest. The Indian Premier league has cashed in on the growing popularity of the shortest format of the game ever since the summer of 2008. The first installment of IPL has been a huge success and if it is anything to go by, the upcoming season promises to be all the more exciting.

MI

I wouldn’t say it has revolutionized the game of cricket, but it surely been the catalyst that has brought a tremendous change in the way the players approach their game. Batsmen now have the license to go after the bowlers right from the word go, and see every ball as a run-scoring opportunity. Gone are the days when batsmen used to get their eye in, assess the conditions, the nature of the pitch etc. Bowlers too have become smarter and are using the variations to good effect.

The IPL has inspired a whole lot of young cricketers who dreamt of playing at the big stage. For those, who couldn’t make it to the national squad, it was a good platform to rub shoulders with the best in the game. It was also a great way for the legends to give something back to this sport. Shane Warne did exactly that. He inspired confidence in that young Rajasthan Royals team, who went on to win the inaugural edition. Gilly did the same with Deccan Chargers the following year. The big takeaway was that these two teams were underdogs at best but they were able to overcome all odds and get their hands on the trophy. It is this aspect of the IPL that has been the most endearing.

RR

What IPL has done so successfully over the years, and by the way, this was the prime objective of having such a league in the first place, is that it has helped talent meet (the right) opportunity. With only four international players allowed in the playing eleven, it was imperative for the franchisees to make sure that they roped in the best of the domestic talent in their squad.

YOUNGSTERS

For the fans, it meant that they could relate to Pollard almost the same way as they could to Rohit or a Harbhajan for that matter. The franchisees were successful in cultivating a popular fan base and people could actually identify themselves as being part of the team, so much so, that they may even support an international player against an Indian player when the international player played for the franchise they were supporting! Deafening chants of MALINGA and ABD are a common sight.

MAALINGAAAABD2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPL has also changed the whole dynamics of T20 cricket. Players now get found out pretty soon into their careers and with a lot of information being exchanged as a part of franchise cricket, players have to work hard on being up to the mark (always). While on national duty, players from different teams could almost second guess each other’s moves simply because of the fact they had spent so much of time training together in the IPL.

The team owners must also be thanked for actively participating and investing heavily in BCCI’s youngest child. Of course, cricket comes first, but the Indian in Indian Premier League is somewhat incomplete without the glamor and class of Bollywood and Corporates respectively. The way they have taken care of the players is commendable. Even with a lot riding on the team, they always make sure that it is the game that comes first and their commercial interest takes a back seat.

Cricket in India is more than just a sport, it’s an emotion, it’s a way of life, it’s a religion! The current crop of players is as good as any that there has been and the future too looks to be in safe hands. Here’s hoping the eleventh edition of the IPL lives up to its expectations and we get to witness magic on the cricket field for the next month and a half.

A Final to remember!!

He came. He smashed. He won us the game. That was Dinesh Karthik for you today, ladies and gentleman. Fizz had just bowled the over of the tournament, tormenting young Vijay Shankar who failed to put the bat on the ball and had the wicket of Manish Pandey, who was just about loosening up, on the very last ball of his spell. Many would have believed that Mustafizur had done India in and 34 off the last 12 seemed a rather improbable target to achieve given the batting to follow. Karthik, however, had different plans for tonight and rest, as they say, is history.

The Nidahas Trophy final was played between India and Bangladesh after the latter pulled off an amazing chase against the hosts in a do or die battle. The match was well poised at one stage and kept further going away from Bangladesh if it were not for Mahmudullah’s heroics, who played a couple of sensational shots in the final over to seal a spot in the finals. It was however marred by controversies and ugly scenes in the middle. I will stick just to the finals and will leave it for another post. There is something about India vs Bangladesh encounters going into the final over. India seems to have the upper hand at the moment and they have successfully stretched their unbeaten record against Bangladesh up to 8 games now.

sundar

Having won the toss, India invited Bangladesh to bat first and the bowlers got us off to a good start, sending back both the openers inside the powerplay. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals as the result of which, the run rate was always under control, except for the last four where the Bangladeshis were having a swing at everything. A brilliant innings from Sabbir propelled their score to 166, something the bowlers could defend. India started off strongly with Rohit taking Mehidy Hasan to cleaners in his very first over. The Indians showed positive intent throughout their innings until the middle overs arrived and soon boundaries dried up. The Hitman was holed out at long on trying to up the ante and Pandey was finding it difficult to get his timing right.

rohit

Vijay Shankar did not have a good night with the ball. He would have hoped to make up for it with the bat in hand though. He couldn’t manage to get going right from the word go and that over from Mustafizur made matters worse. The Fizz was difficult to put away and score off and he gave away just the one run and picked up Pandey’s wicket.

dk2

Out walked DK and it seemed as if he had been knocking a few from inside the dressing room. He smashed Rubel all around the park and in no time brought the target within reachable distance. The crowd had something to cheer about and they were rooting for India all the way. With 5 remaining to get off the final ball, the part-timer, Soumya, bowled it wide of off at length and Dinesh sent the ball sailing over the covers region for a maximum!!

That was a shot of a man in form, of a man high on confidence. He held the nerves when it mattered the most and provided the innings the final impetus that was required to get us over the line. He is in a very healthy frame of mind and would like to carry this into the IPL as well where he has been named the captain of the Knight Riders franchise for the upcoming season. Thank you, DK for giving us one hell of a final to remember.