Cricket Tournaments

Virat Kohli

Even as the Bangalore Royal Challengers became the first IPL team to make it to the semi-finals of the Champions League T20, one man would have been mightily relieved. Virat Kohli did not manage to take Bangalore past the finish line against the Mumbai Indians, but did well enough to knock Sachin Tendulkar’s team out and keep his side in the hunt. And against the Lions, he went one step ahead, leading the team to victory, as Bangalore marched their way into the final four.

For Kohli, it was a matter of turning from culprit to hero. He nearly messed things up for Bangalore during their chase of 160, before brining them right back on track.

Kohli first ran out key man Robin Uthappa in the 15th over of the innings, and then failed to make much contact with the ball in the next over. For some inexplicable reason, Bangalore had not gone for the kill from the word go and they seemed in eminent danger of being knocked out. However, this was when Kohli made amends, and in the best way possible. Over 40 were required from the last four overs when Kohli smashed Ethan O’Reilly for two sixes and a four. Bangalore’s chase was back on track with those three big hits as they cantered home.

The win also meant that Kohli had put behind the past and conquered the present. The image of him on his haunches, being consoled by Rahul Dravid, who himself must have been heartbroken having batted through the innings in the defeat, will be looked upon as a poignant moment of this tournament. But with having managed to pull Bangalore out of the hole, and more importantly guide them in to the semi-finals, Kohli would now have some happy memories going into the final four. Also, the close win would mean Bangalore would be better prepared for the bigger challenges ahead, even as the loss of Jacques Kallis would be a major setback.

Another key component in Bangalore’s win was the performance of their skipper Anil Kumble. His magical spell of 1/13 from his four overs meant Lions were restricted to just a respectable total. Bringing all his experience into play, the former Indian skipper did not give any room to the batsmen and ensured they were strangled for runs. Like Kohli, he also was looking for redemption, having dropped Dwayne Bravo in the previous game, which allowed Mumbai to come back into the match, and go on to win it. Here, he was on top of the game with both ball and as skipper.

Kumble’s introduction of Kohli in the bowling attack managed to stem the flow of runs from both ends, following the unlucky run out of Vaughan van Jaarsveld, who slipped while trying to make his ground. As the pressure mounted, Kumble sent back top-scorer Alviro Petersen, who missed a slog sweep.

The two Ks continued to choke Neil McKenzie, who was making a comeback. Even though the former South African opener managed to score at just over a run a ball, it wasn’t enough to help Lions maintain the momentum. In the end, it needed a rollicking Robert Frylinck to take them to a decent score. However, they couldn’t keep down an inspired Bangalore, despite a spirited challenge in the field as well.

It was a tour than began in disaster, and ended it joy. More importantly though it was a journey that gave us an insight into what the future holds for India. And, while it is too early to predict anything, one thing is for sure; the lessons learnt from the defeats will teach the young guns a lot more than what a straightforward win would have done.

When the Indians embarked on this African sojourn, it was seen as a foregone conclusion that they alongwith Sri Lanka would progress to the final, despite arriving here with second-string teams. However, while the Lankans kept the promise and captured the cup, albeit with some hiccups along the way, the Indians fell by the wayside.

A number of factors were responsible for India’s failure. Most importantly, the Indians possessed the weakest bowling line-up of all the three teams. The likes of Ashok Dinda and Umesh Yadav are fit only for the T20 version as of now. This was evident in the disparity of their performances in the two formats.

While they were complete non-performers in the 50-over version, the same duo made life difficult for Zimbabweans in the 20-over format. This clearly signifies that players should not be blooded into one-day cricket on the basis of their IPL performances. No doubt, the duo possesses raw talent, but it needs to be nurtured and, for that, they need to be given time.

The same was the case with Murali Vijay, who was at ease in the ‘IPL’ version, but struggled in the longer format even against average bowling attacks. And hence, the selection of Saurabh Tiwary for Asia Cup sticks out as a sore thumb.

One hopes he proves me wrong, but on recent evidence, it is a clear case of playing with fire. Wouldn’t it have been better to pick a Robin Uthappa, who had a great IPL but, more importantly, has international exposure as well to his advantage?

Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is probably an exception to the rule. He looked at ease in sole ODI he played on the tour, and even in the T20s.

Ashwin’s ability to toss up the ball and fox the batsman has already made him a man to watch out for. And, even in the limited opportunities he got, he proved his worth. Further, his batting effort on one-day debut stands testimony to his ability and character.

This lanky Tamil Nadu player is one who could do India proud in the future. The decision-makers need to utilize his talent to the hilt with Harbhajan Singh now on the wane.

The tour was also a great learning curve for Suresh Raina, who was appointed captain for the series. And while he struggled for most part, it was good to see him sign off on a high. Raina had already improved by leaps and bounds in the few weeks that he led the side.

Whereas, in the beginning he was holding himself back and hoping others hit the spotlight, towards the end he had realized that, whatever the situation, the captain must lead from the front. In this context, his knock in the final T20 at Harare was a landmark. It was a match in which the left-hander went out and expressed himself.

The results were bound to follow. This series should stand Raina in good stead both as a batsman and a leader, if he gets the opportunity to captain India again.

The two major positives for India from the series were the heartening performances of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While the Mumbai lad silenced a lot of critics with back-to-back hundreds, the ex-India U19 skipper ensured that he cemented his place in the Indian middle-order even further.

Undoubtedly, Sharma and Kohli are the future of India’s batting, and it is essential for them to stay fit and in form with the World Cup coming around, more so since Yuvraj Singh’s temporarily lost his silken touch. Yusuf Pathan also shone towards the end, and hence one can only say that his axing was a decision taken in haste.

The Asia Cup is India’s next target, and while the experienced hands will be back for the four-nation tourney, India would do well to make a note of the lessons from the Zimbabwean safari.

The knives are out as India have to failed to progress past the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup for the second year in a row. However, the question that needs to be asked is was the result really that unexpected? We saw a precursor last year when India struggled against the short ball in England. What was different this time? Nothing. And that is precisely the reason why India failed to deliver the goods yet again.

One shouldn’t be too critical of the IPL factor, since most players from the other participating countries also featured in the cricketainment package. However, the fact of the matter is that playing in the IPL wasn’t the best possible preparation for India, prior to heading for the Caribbean. And, this was evident as soon as the first Super Eight fixture against Australia.

The 360 degree shift from the low bouncy tracks of India to the pace and bounce of Barbados caught India unawares. And, this was the most disappointing factor. It’s one thing to try and fail as opposed to not trying at all. Everyone saw what happened in England last year.

Yet, they were not an inch better prepared this time around. With such an attitude the team can hardly go places, at least when they play on bouncy tracks.

No doubt there is a wealth of talent in this Indian squad. But to beat world beaters consistently, they need to adapt to all kinds of conditions rather than chickening out and waiting for the surface that is to their liking to succeed. The case of Suresh Raina is a perfect illustration.

On the slow, low bounce tracks, he batted like the IPL was still very much on. However, when he got his turn to prove his mettle at Barbados, he preferred to back out of the challenge. Instead to trying to bide his time by, the left-hander was content trying to pull the short ball without ever getting to the pitch of it and was totally rattled.

The most worrying aspect of India’s loss wasn’t the fact that they were beaten, but the manner in which they went down. When even a quality batsman like Gautam Gambhir is caught behind, embarrassingly fending off a little-known West Indies quickie, you know you are in real trouble.

The Windies bowlers fed off the confidence they attained by just watching the Aussie pacemen unsettle the Indian top order. And despite knowing what to expect, the Indians had not prepared their answers for the ‘short’ test.

In hindsight, all and sundry are questioning why someone like a Robin Uthappa, who had an unbelievable run in the IPL, wasn’t on the flight to West Indies. But, selection isn’t the moot point here. For that matter, even Murali Vijay was equally devastating in the IPL, only to come a cropper in the World Cup.

The problem goes beyond individuals. Their batting shortcomings apart, India need to do something drastic to improve their shoddy batting and fielding. All above though, what ails Indian cricket is a champion-like attitude, to be the best in any given situation.

A scintillating cameo of 22 from 8 balls by Robin Uthappa and a mature, unbeaten 66 by Kevin Pietersen was equally well aided by some atrocious fielding by Kings XI Punjab in front of their home crowd as the Royal Challengers Bangalore resurrected themselves in IPL 3 after a couple of disappointing losses.

Chasing 182, Bangalore batted smartly right throughout and despite the loss of some crucial wickets, got home safely by six wickets in the end. That said, this is a game Punjab should have won and have only themselves to blame for ending up on the wrong side yet again.

A number of fielders, skipper Kumar Sangakkara included, dropped what were sitters by international standards. To add insult to injury, Uthappa blasted speedster Brett Lee for two mighty sixes and a four at a time when Punjab were on top. 25 runs came off the over and the momentum had clearly swung the other way.

Earlier in the evening, the Punjab batters put up a rather impressive performance with bat to give their team some hope of winning their second game.

The innings was build around three equally significant contributions, the first of those came from the captain Sangakkara himself. Punjab had lost Shaun Marsh early to Vinay Kumar and needed to overcome the hiccup soon. Sangakkara proved to be the man, taking on the bowlers. He crunched eight boundaries and found good support in Manvinder Bisla, who contributed a useful 26 with the help of four fours before falling prey to the guile of Anil Kumble.

After Bisla’s dismissal, Punjab required Sangakkara to carry on. But, unfortunately for the struggling side, it wasn’t to be. While on 45 he tried to take on Dale Steyn and only managed to find the safe hands of Kallis in the deep. Sangakkara’s knock, coming off just 27 deliveries was highly attractive.

However, following his departure, Punjab desperately needed another partnership. And, that came in the form of the one between Ravi Bopara and Yuvraj Singh.

Following everything written in the papers regarding his differences with Sangakkara and the team management, Yuvraj must have been raring to prove a point. And that was evident in his strokeplay today. He lofted Kumble and Jacques Kallis into the stands and, in between, hit three powerful boundaries. But, like Sangakkara, he too perished without finishing off the job, caught by Cameron White off Kallis’ bowling.

Still Bopara’s steady batting and a couple of lofty hits by Irfan Pathan enabled Punjab to reach 181, a highly competitive score on a pitch that was going to slow down.

Punjab did not get off to a great start with the ball, thanks to another wayward effort by the disappointing S Sreesanth, who went on to drop the easiest of catches later in the game. They were lucky though as Shalabh Srivastava once again got his act right and sent back orange cap holder Kallis cheaply, getting him to edge an outswinger.

Manish Pandey (29) kept the runs flowing a steady rate until his unfortunate run-out. For most part though, Punjab continued to hold the ascendancy. Despite a good partnership between Virat Kohli and Pietersen, the run-rate had climbed to 12. But, one poor over from Lee and some unacceptably bad fielding from did them in.

For the second game in a row, Chennai Super Kings allowed the opposition to get the better of them, after having dominated nearly one half of the match. For 17 overs after winning the toss and asking the Bangalore Royal Challengers to bat, the Chennai bowlers had Bangalore under the pump.

Jacques Kallis was finally dismissed after having made a rather streaky 19, on a day he surprisingly seemed off colour. Manish Pandey and Rahul Dravid, who hadn’t had a hit in the last three games, were accounted for by some wily bowling by the legendary Muttiah Muralitharan.

But, Robin Uthappa, who bided his time by and was dropped more than once, smashed 68 from 38 balls to help Bangalore finish on an impressive 171 for 5. Most of those runs came in the latter part of the innings. He was especially severe on Laxmipathy Balaji, whom he hit for three consecutive sixes in the penultimate over.

The bowler too didn’t do himself any favours by constantly pitch the ball in the same areas. Still, it was an amazing show of power and skill by Uthappa. At one stage it seemed like Bangalore would struggle to reach 150, but with Uthappa in such fine form, they managed to go well beyond that. It has to be said that Uthappa paced his innings beautifully.

When the early wickets fell, things were quite tough. Also, the bounce on the pitch was quite spongy. As such, he did well not to throw his wicket away.

What Uthappa’s knock did was it ensured the momentum was with Bangalore, going into the break. And this facet was evident when they came out to bowl. Praveen Kumar took out Parthiv Patel in the very first over. And though Matthew Hayden threatened to unleash the Mongoose effect once again, this time its impact was rather brief courtesy a smart piece of fielding from Dravid, resulting in his run-out. All this while, the batsman at the other end, George Bailey, was also kept quiet, which meant Hayden’s dismissal was a body blow for the Super Kings.

Skipper Anil Kumble chipped in with yet another remarkable four-over spell during which he leaked just 15 runs. He troubled Bailey bowling his typically nagging line to which the batsman had not answer. Kumble was eventually rewarded with the wicket of Murali Vijay. But, the biggest beneficiary of the pressure built up by Kumble and Kumar was R Vinay Kumar. With the batsmen having no option but to go after him, he ended up claiming four scalps.

He did go for plenty, and S Badrinath, in particular was impressive against him, caressing the ball for a few pleasing boundaries while not trying to hit the cover off the ball. Albie Morkel too joined in the act towards the end with some monstrous hits. Kumar, though, had the last laugh claiming both of them.

After having Bangalore five down for 119 in 17th over, Chennai should never have allowed them to get away. The fact that they did and were ragged in the field as well rubbed on to their batsmen, who also came up with an uninspired showing.