On the slower tracks

Kolkata have revived their chances of making it to the semi finals with a good win over Deccan in the last match. Punjab are practically out now, but must take it as a knock out tournament as there is still a theoretical possibility of them making it to the semis. They could well spoil Kolkata’s chances with a win tomorrow.

Kolkata had huge pluses to take home from the last match where Bond, Murali Kartik and Angelo Mathews bowled well but the biggest one was “Dada” Sourav Ganguly scoring 88 at a brisk striking rate of 162. Mohnish Parmar failed to leave any impression with his off spinners. Talented left arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla would have been an automatic choice to replace him but the presence of numerous left handed batsmen in the Punjab line up may deter Ganguly from playing him. Brendon McCullum has arrived after a good series with the bat against the Aussies. Gayle is too intimidating a batsman to leave out and Angelo Mathews has been performing really well. It seems like David Hussey will sit out if McCullum has to be drafted in. Ganguly would like to win the toss and bat first again, something which worked pretty well for him in the match against Deccan.

Punjab could smell the second win for them in this season but just then Uthappa sent the ball flying to all parts of the ground in a Brett Lee over. Its been a case of being so near yet so far for Punjab all this season. They need to be positive and believe that they can still go some way in this tournament. Seven in seven was what Australia did to win the 1999 World Cup. Punjab have baffled everyone with their selections of the playing eleven. Firstly Juan Theron who looked to be their best bowler has been sitting out since Brett Lee has arrived and secondly they have kept Reetinder Sodhi aside as if they want to impose another exemplary ban on the rebel league returnees. Ramesh Powar is clever as a fox and must play against Kolkata who have the lefty duo of Gayle and Ganguly opening the innings. The pitch at Eden Gardens always aids the side bowling second and so Punjab will also be looking to bat first.

With both the teams at equal points from equal matches, Daredevils v Royal Challengers promises to be a mouth watering clash. The pitch at Kotla isn’t a conventional T20 pitch and the result of the match could well be decided courtesy one brilliant performance by a batsman.

Delhi will be missing Nannes who is injured but will be bolstered by the arrival of Daniel Vettori. Bangalore are likely to play eleven right handed men which both Vettori and Mishra will relish. Sarabjit Ladda and Andrew McDonald are likely to sit out and another pacer or an all rounder in Rajat Bhatia is likely to fit in. Delhi’s opening combo is ideal for the pitch they have at Kotla and a blinder from either Sehwag or Warner could seal the deal for Delhi.

Bangalore have concerns with Praveen Kumar going for too many runs in the last few matches. They have a sameness about their attack and can be short of resources at Delhi where teams need more slower bowlers. It would be a risk taking out a proper batsman but it seems the only way they can add variety to their bowling . The choice would be to either replace White and Praveen with Roelof van der Merwe and B Akhil or to play with the same eleven and hope that the batsmen can score big or chase anything down. Ross Taylor would have walked into the side in place of Cameron White but it would be a headache now, having to choose between adding firepower to the batting and adding variety to the bowling. Bangalore have chased well in the tournament but would like to bat first at Delhi and back one of Pandey, Uthappa and Taylor to run riot.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Crucial for Kolkata, do or die for Punjab

While Kings XI Punjab can get off the bottom of the table with a win today, Kolkata can spring right into the fifth position if they win by a good margin. Both Kolkata and Punjab have the squads to succeed but need to be proactive and increase their intensities.

Kolkata would straight away push the batting all-rounder David Hussey into the team. He is an experienced limited overs cricketer and can score quickly, something Kolkata are in dire need of. Angelo Mathews’ ratings shot up after good performances in the first two matches but he hasn’t been consistent. If Charl Langeveldt is fit, Kolkata should play him as well as Shane Bond. The two other foreign players would be Chris Gayle and David Hussey, both of whom can chip in with some valuable overs as well. Ganguly should partner Gayle at the top and Manoj Tiwary should be brought back in without any delay. Three quickies plus Murali Kartik and four overs pooled by Gayle, Hussey and Ganguly would give them the balance.

Punjab need to make radical changes to get the pessimism and passivity out, which must be rampant by now after the series of losses. Shaun Marsh if fit, would be inducted without any further pondering. Brett Lee is also likely to play to add zing to the attack. It would be very hard to leave out Juan Theron who has bowled splendidly in the two matches he has played. That may lead to Ravi Bopara also sitting out. Bopara has been scoring runs but is very slow and is eating up too many balls. Reetinder Sodhi would walk into most IPL sides but why Punjab seem so wary of fielding him keeps all of us flummoxed. Its got to the point where it is totally incomprehensible as to why he hasn’t got a game until now.
The pitch at Mohali as always is likely to have some bounce which the pacers as well as stroke makers will enjoy. Both the teams would like to win the toss and bat first but Punjab more so.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Flair meets flair. Will it produce flare?

Mumbai just narrowly escaped against Rajasthan. They lost their last match against Bangalore, but their 98 run win over the formidable Delhi was what has got them in the highest of regards. In their last match they didn’t play badly but a disciplined Bangalore got better of them. Kolkata on the other hand after starting the tournament with a bang and winning their first two games have now lost two on the trot. They would want to redeem themselves and quickly impose their contention for a semi final berth.

Mumbai may have to take the hard decision to drop Jayasuriya and bring in Duminy or Graham Napier. Playing keeper Aditya Tare at three could have been a good decision, but only till Bravo and Pollard were not here. Tare at number three in the last match was inexplicable as Mumbai have numerous batsmen who have a better technique and can still score as quickly. Now that Bravo and Pollard are here, Tiwary or Pollard must take that spot. Mumbai would again like to bat first and let Zaheer, Malinga and Bravo handle the pressure later on. Their middle order batsmen are in good form but lack experience and may crumble under pressure..

What were Kolkata thinking, not including Gayle in the last match. Brad Hodge may be more consistent but the fear that Gayle instills in the opponents’ minds is incomparable. He can bowl off-break toe crushers and is almost as good as regular bowlers in that department. It would be interesting to see whether Kolkata drop Hodge or Owais Shah to bring in Gayle. They must look at playing both Gayle and Shah as they are capable of hitting the big sixes and Kolkata’s batting had lacked force in the last match. Kolkata shouldn’t mind batting or bowling first.

Mohita Goyal
dr.mohitgoyal@gmail.com

The greatest spinner, the greatest captain, the greatest batsman and the greatest fighter

The first match on Sunday will start with the toss of coin between Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly, two men who don’t quite have the best of times in each other’s company. Rajasthan who instilled hope in their fans with a late surge against Mumbai, courtesy a scintillating 37 ball 100 from Yusuf Pathan, haven’t been able to keep the flame going. Kolkata on the other hand, after winning the first two matches, lost against Chennai from a very good position. Kolkata would want to forget the last defeat as a mere aberration while Rajasthan would want to prove that they aren’t as bad as they have been made to look.

Gayle is likely to replace one of Hodge and Owais Shah. Rohan Gavaskar, who hasn’t had much to do in the two matches might make way for Cheteshwar Pujara. They would dearly want to play both Bond and Langeveldt but it looks difficult at the moment. Rajasthan will be hoping that Yusuf Pathan fires because others don’t seem to be capable of getting them off the blocks. If Munaf Patel can find his rhythm their bowling can be very consistent and that coupled with a bludgeon from Yusuf and support from others could take them home.

Bangalore will travel to Mumbai for a clash of the in-form units at the historic Brabourne Stadium. Zaheer and Malinga saved the day for Mumbai against Rajasthan but the issue of Sachin’s credentials as captain isn’t settled as yet. Iqbal Abdulla is a handy spinner but it would be very difficult to drop Rayudu or Tiwary in this form and Sathish’s contributions in the field also can’t be undermined. Bangalore would ideally want to find a place in the line up for Roelof van der Merwe but the intimidation factor that Steyn possesses has deterred them from going for the change. They can bring Goswami in place of Boucher and push in Roelof but against a splendid bowling side like Mumbai, the decision could backfire. The captain winning the toss would like to bowl first but Kumble shouldn’t mind batting either.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Charismatic Ganguly and Dhoni clash at Eden while workmen-like Kumble and Sangakkara face off at Bangalore

Knight Riders had looked stronger than ever even before the IPL-3 actually kicked off but they have done really well to win two out of two even in the absence of Gayle, McCullum and Bond. Bond is with the team now but Whatmore and Ganguly will have a tough time trying to fit him in with the 4 foreign players cap. A numbingly freezing triple sundae including Bond, Ishant and Langeveldt could give the Chennai batsmen some toothache. Kolkata look formidable as four batsmen in their line up – Hodge, Tiwary, Matthews and Owais Shah have good innings under their belts already.
Chennai desperately need support for Matthew Hayden at the top. Vijay, Raina and Badrinath left too much for the lower middle order in the last match. They may look at bringing in Thushara or Ntini in place of Morkel or more likely in place of Kemp. Sudeep Tyagi’s position may also be challenged by Gony or Ganapathy.

With one loss from one for each, Punjab and Bangalore will look to redeem at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Punjab’s bowlers weren’t bad in their first match against Delhi but still a pacer could replace Ramesh Powar, who didn’t have much to do in that match. They would really want two of their big four – Sangakkara, Yuvraj, Jayawardene and Bopara to fire. Punjab might bring in “all-round asset” Reetinder Sodhi in place of Manvinder Bisla, who failed to impress. Jayawardene, Sangakkara or Irfan Pathan may open the innings then.
For Bangalore, in all probability Shreevats Goswami and Dale Steyn will make way for Mark Boucher and one of Vinay Kumar or Abhimanyu Mithun. In that case Eoin Morgan will open the innings, which anyways should always have been their choice in first place. Praveen Kumar, Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe bowled well in the first match. Kumble must also look to use Virat Kohli more frequently as a bowler. He is a mean customer and diversifies the options.

Mohit Goyal
dr.mohitgoyal@gmail.com
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

Challengers to challenge Bengal Tigers in their EDEN, Bruised Deccan face Chennai
IPL Day 3 Preview

Kumble and his men have their task cut out when they play in front of a steeply partisan crowd at Eden Gardens against the ferocious Ganguly’s Tigers, just for the IPL who happen to be called “Knight Riders”. Royal Challengers Bangalore look a stronger team man to man but the Knight Riders showed tenacity in their win over Deccan.

Kallis and Boucher have arrived after scoring 55 and 27 (in 8 balls) respectively at the South African Pro20 final. Its just Jet Lag which could have them unavailable for the match. Eoin Morgan has been in tremendous form and they have such a rich resource of foreign players that World No. 1 bowler Dale Steyn could fail to make it to the eleven. They could look to play Morgan as keeper and fit in Steyn or play Steyn in place of Roelof van der Merwe which too won’t be easy looking at the value Roelof brings to the team. Manish Pandey, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have been in fine form off late. Robin Uthappa has been struggling and could well be left out if Bangalore decide to go in with an extra all-rounder in Sridharan Sriram or Balchandra Akhil. “Born fighter” Kumble and “on the money”  Praveen Kumar will lead the bowling attack.

Kolkata on the other hand would not like to tinker with the winning combination. They will be looking up to Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary to provide impetus at the top. They would look to win the toss and bat first as it being a day match the wicket is likely to get slower. Besides the spinners coming into play, Ishant and Langeveldt’s cutters and slowers ones too would enjoy more grip on the surface as it wears.

Chennai will begin their campaign at home against Deccan who for their own sake would like to forget Friday’s loss quickly. Deccan still haven’t convinced many people that they were the deserving winners last year in South Africa. After a disastrous Champions League campaign they would want to do well here and gag their critics.

Again Chargers will rely heavily on Gilchrist to set a big score or set alight a chase. Gilchrist would want Gibbs, Rohit and others to show more responsibility. Vaas bowled well in the last match and would expect some firm support from the likes of RP Singh and Jaskaran Singh.

Chennai have Hayden at the top, enough to intimidate the best of bowlers around the world. Murali Vijay although not exactly a T20 material is likely to join Hayden to open the innings and would want to play the foil. Raina and Badrinath are now an integral part of the India Players’ pool and would want to put the weight of their experience behind Chennai’s Campaign. Their main problems are in the bowling department where Murali and Albie Morkel are out of form and Justin Kemp hasn’t bowled too many overs recently. They would look to bowl first and back their batsmen to knock off any sort of totals.

Dr. Mohit Goyal
www.goyalmohit.blogspot.com

This may only be their second win in this year’s IPL, and may have come too late to help them qualify in the semis, but the Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) win against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) sure must have been a great morale booster for them!

The match started with the CSK batting first. Mathew Hayden was missing from action, and in his place, George Bailey – who was playing his first match of this season of the IPL – and Parthiv Patel opened batting, while Ashok Dinda bowled the first over for the KKR. Five runs were made in the first over. The CSK seemed in great form, and by the seventh over, had already made 59 runs, when Patel was run out by Laxmi Shukla after he had made 25 runs off 19 balls. Suresh Raina came in at one down.

The second wicket fell relatively soon, when, in the ninth over, Bailey was run out by Brad Hodge after making 30 runs off 26 balls. Skipper M. S. Dhoni came in next, and, at the end of 10 overs, the CSK were already past 80 runs. Raina completed his fifth IPL 50 in only 36 deliveries by hitting a six, but the very next ball saw him lose his wicket to Dinda (catch Shukla) in the 17^th over. Albie Morkel came in after Raina’s dismissal, and played a fantastic innings. The last over proved extremely expensive, as two sixes and one four were hit in it. At the end of 20 overs, the CSK were at 188-3, with Dhoni and Morkel at 40 and 21 not out, respectively.

Now, it was time for the KKR to bat. As usual, skipper Brendon McCullum and Saurav Ganguly opened batting, while Morkel started with the bowling. In the very first over, Ganguly was in danger of getting out as he dropped his bat while taking a run. The fielder threw the ball at the stumps, and had it been a direct hit, Ganguly would’ve been out, for his bat had fallen just in front of the line! Similarly, in the fourth over, once again, Ganguly could’ve been run out, but was saved.

In spite of all his close shaves, Ganguly ultimately did return to the pavilion after making only four runs off 14 balls; he was bowled out by Muttiah Muralidaran. Brad Hodge came in next. McCullum, who had been playing the most fantastic innings so far, finally fell prey to Shadab Jakati’s superb bowling, and was bowled out after making an amazing score of 81 runs off just 48 balls! David Hussey came in at two down, but was run out by Dhoni after he made only two runs.

Wriddhiman Saha came in after Hussey’s dismissal, but after sometime, got injured. Thus, a runner (Hussey) was called on to the field. Between Hodge and Saha, and thanks to McCullum before them, the KKR continued to hit huge fours and sixes, as a result of which, the difference between the number of balls and the runs required reduced drastically. In the end, the KKR needed one run to win off one ball, and every person – CSK and KKR fans alike – was on the edge of his or her seat. Saha was on strike, and he hit very well, as a result of which the ball went far in the field, and they managed to take one run. The KKR thus won the match by seven wickets!

It is amazing, how a team which had won only one match in this season so far, managed to chase – and meet – a total of 188 runs. But meet it they did, and with style! Even though this match will not get them anywhere on the ranks table, the good that it did the team can not be understated!

P.S.: Will SRK return to support his team now? Well, let’s wait and watch!

By – Rashida Shabbir Arsiwala

This was definitely the case in the match between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Delhi Daredevils (DD) which was played on May 5, 2009.

The KKR won the toss and elected to bat first. The DD team, once again, was captained by Gautam Gambhir, as Virender Sehwag was missing from action for the second match in a row.

The bowling attack of the DD was opened by Nannes to Morne Van Wyk and Brendon McCullum. It was a good first over as only three runs were made from it. The first wicket for the DD came when the KKR skipper McCullum got out in the seventh over (ball Sangwan, catch Ashish Nehra) after making 35 runs off 29 balls.

Brad Hodge came in next, but he too didn’t stay long on the crease. After his dismissal came Henriques. Van Wyk, who had been playing quite well, got out in the 20th over, when Nehra bowled him out (superb bowling, the stump flew straight off). Wriddhiman S. came in next, for the last three balls. Thus, the KKR ended at the score of 154-3, their highest in this season.

Ishant Sharma opened the bowling attack for the KKR, while the openers for the DD were David Warner and skipper Gautam Gambhir. He, as well as the other bowlers of the KKR team, however, were not able to take any wickets until finally, Ajit Agarka struck gold when he dismissed David Warner, who was caught by Henriques.

The first wicket, however, was the last for the KKR, as no other wickets of the DD fell after that. And soon, they had achieved the required runs by hitting a few good fours and sixes.

The KKR batted well, but their fielding was miserable, and it was one of the reasons for their losing the match. There were innumerable times when the players of the DD were dropped by them.

However, it was a good effort by them, and while the Man of the Match was given to the DD captain Gautam Gambhir, the ‘DLF Maximum’ award was picked up by the KKR skipper Brendon McCullum. Thus, at least as far as both the captains were concerned, it was a good match, with some amount of bad luck!
By: Rashida Shabbir Arsiwala
http://rasharsiblog.blogspot.com/

This can be said of the match that was played between the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday, May 1, 2009.

The MI won the toss and elected to bat first. The openers for the MI were, as always, Sanath Jayasurya and Sachin Tendulkar. People had high expectations of these two players, but, keeping up his non-form from the last match, Jayasurya failed to stay on the field for long and fell victim to Ashok Dinda’s ball (catch Morne Van Wyk) after making six runs off eight balls, and the MI scoreboard stood at 19 – 1.

Harbhajan Singh was brought in at one down to weave magic with his bat as he had done against the very same team during the last time that they played against each other, but he failed to do so this time, and got out on a ball by Murali Karthik (catch Dinda) after making six runs off seven balls.

Master blaster Tendulkar hit the first six of the innings in as late as the sixth over. After Bhajji’s wicket fell, Abhishek Nayar came in. Not too long after the second wicket, the next big blow was struck to the MI, when Tendulkar got out after making 34 runs off 30 balls (ball Ajit Agarkar, catch Brendon McCullum) in an innings consisting of two sixes and one four.

Less than 20 runs after Tendulkar got out, Abhishek Nayar also got out, after making 10 runs off 13 balls. Nayar got out after being bowled by Brad Hodge. Next man in was Graham Napier, and his was also the fifth wicket, as he got out – on a ball by Chris Gayle which was caught by McCullum – after making 15 runs off 16 balls.

Rahane came in at five down. While none of the players made any significant contributions to the batting side – except for Tendulkar who made 34 runs – one man who stood out, was J. P. Duminy, who made a half century. At the end of the first innings, thanks to Duminy’s half century, the score of the MI stood at 148 – 6.

There were some changes in the batting line-up of the KKR, as Chris Gayle and Saurav Ganguly opened the batting instead of Gayle and McCullum. This step was probably taken keeping in mind the fact that the skipper has not been in great form this season. However, as Zaheer Khan opened the bowling attack for the MI, the changes in the opposite team didn’t make a difference, because they lost a wicket after only one run just the same, in the form of Ganguly, (0 runs, one ball), who was bowled out by Zaheer. Brad Hodge, who was to turn the match around for the KKR, came in after Ganguly’s dismissal.

The second wicket of the KKR was that of their other opener, Gayle, who went down the same way, and on a ball by the same bowler who got Ganguly out; he was bowled by Zaheer after making seven runs off seven balls. Van Wyk came in next.

There was some drama on the field when Bhajji called for an out after stumping, but it turned out it was his hand that had tumbled the wicket, and not the ball. In the seventh over, Hodge went for a huge six, and since the ball landed on the roof of one of the stands, a new ball had to be used.

Although the MI have been appreciated for their excellent improvement in fielding, thanks to their fielding coach Jonty Rhodes, Nayar dropped Hodge (while he was bowling) in the eighth over, and this proved expensive for the MI later on in the match.

The best third wicket partnership was recorded in the IPL between Hodge and Van Wyk, but Wyk fell on a ball by Napier which was caught by Duminy, after he made 32 runs off 35 balls. Hodge, who had been playing a fabulous innings, hit two fours in a row to complete his 50.

After Wyk’s wicket fell, Laxmi Shukla came in and he got out in much the same way as did Ganguly and Gayle, and also by the same bowler. Yes, he too was bowled by Zaheer Khan! The next wicket was that of Hodge, who finally got run out (after causing much damage to the MI) by Duminy. He had managed to make 73 runs off just 60 balls by then.

Then, McCullum, who had come in at four down, got out after making only five runs off seven balls, once again not playing well. In the end, it was down to Wriddhiman S. and Agarkar, but they couldn’t save the KKR, and they ended at 139 – 6 after 20 overs, having lost the match by 9 runs.

The MI, who must have been upset after their loss against the King’s XI Punjab in the last match, must have been happy with themselves after this match. The Man of the Match was J. P. Duminy of the MI for his fabulous half century.

– Rashida Shabbir Arsiwala

http://rasharsiblog.blogspot.com/

He entered with style, made a comeback in style and left in style, leaving people asking for more. There are a bagful of achievements to his credit but what Sourav Chandidas Ganguly will be remembered most for is the revolutionary change in mindset he brought to Indian cricket and Indian cricketers.

Previously when Indian teams walked on to the turf outside the sub-continent, everyone thought that a draw would be a more than satisfactory result. It was Sourav who inspired his men into playing fearless cricket and it is his legacy that Mahendra Singh Dhoni carries forward.

Tears barely escaped surfacing as an emotional “Maharaja” crossed the rope one last time in the India jersey at Nagpur. It was a befitting gesture from Dhoni to let Sourav lead the side for the last few overs. As a fan of cricket in general and Indian team in particular it was nice to see the younger lot acknowledge the contribution and achievements of the seniors.

Some news channel reported that the team will be throwing a big party for Dada at the team hotel and that Dhoni had also exchanged his Captain’s suite at the team hotel with Ganguly’s. It is a small but sweet gesture but one that would seldom cross minds of most people in the world.

He deserves every bit of it. After all he is the man who has the biggest hand in the state of happy affairs that Indian cricket finds itself today in. We have always had the talent but players have lacked the tenacity and the aggressive attitude required to tumble tough opponents. Ganguly instilled this tenacity and the self belief that, “Yes we can”.

While his famous T-shirt furling act at the Lords’ balcony demonstrated the tit for tat aggression he stood for, his persistence to include Harbhajan in the 2001 test series against Australia accounted for the belief he had in himself and his men. He provided impetus with attacking shots at the head as India were about to rewrite history with their successful chase of England’s 325 at Lords in the Natwest final.

People may remember him as the “Leader par excellence” and the “God of the off side” but equal charisma lay in his effortless clearing of the fence especially the demolition with disdain of left arm bowlers.

He may have retired and might not be a part of the Indian dressing room but for us Dada is not a cricketer but a phenomenon which will run with the Indian team till they are ready to play aggressive and ready to take the bull by the horns and whenever they say, “Yes we can”.

Mohit Goyal
http://goyalmohit.blogspot.com