The story of every Indian household at 630PM IST, thanks to the IPL!
It is such a pleasure to settle down on your sofa,
with a cup of coffee, at 630PM IST daily to watch a game of cricket. To
think this will continue for more almost 2 months brings a smile to my face.
The best part is watching the game with family and chat about it with friends,
all supporting different teams with a lot of banter and fun. It is the start of
the massive festival season in India!
Each game has its drama, exciting talents, comical
errors, cases to use technology better and more importantly a lot of learning.
I have tried to summarize a few from the first 4
matches below:
Match 1 : MI v/s CSK
1. I loved it
when Dhoni sent Jaddu & Sam Curran before him. He later said that it was
all a mind game to intimidate the spinners. However, it was bigger than that
for me. I heard on commentary that Sam Curran was Dhoni's pick at the auction.
He had told the management that he wanted Sam Curran, no matter what! Now, we
are seeing the way he is backing his ability to take on challenges. Curran
himself was shocked. Can you imagine the person Curran will be after this IPL?
High on confidence, self-worth and always wanting to do more for the team!
2. Faf’s
incredible catches reinforced the rule : “ Watch the rope and then watch the
ball” (courtesy : Scott Styris)
* Image from DNA India
3. Saurabh
Tiwary in the team?? With that fitness level? Ended up as the top scorer too!
Hmm...!
*Image from ESPNCricinfo on Twitter
MI need to worry about batting positions 3/4 & spinners' bench strength.
Match 2 : KXIP v/s DC
1. DC's top 6
are explosive batsmen but they failed miserably. You can have the best names on
paper but till they play sensible cricket as a team, their chances of failure
will be higher than their chances of success. I would worry about the
temperament in that top 6.
2. The talk of
the match was , of course, the run that was called short. The reason could be
the position of the square leg umpire. The umpire is not aligned to the crease
due to the camera behind him and that for sure can cause parallax error. Having
said that, if the third umpire can't over-rule such decisions, then using
technology is a complete waste! Use it for the right reasons, at the right time
please!
*image from Indianexpress.com
3. Bishnoi is a
talent to be watched out for! Loved his poise & calm demeanour!
4. The match was
full of drama, KL missed a big trick while defending but I was flabbergasted
that Mayank did not bat during the super over! Why??!
KXIP probably have the weakest team and I don’t see
them doing really well.
Match 3: RCB v/s Hyd
1. 2 players got
me super excited and jumping - Padikkal & Saini. These 2 are special and I
hope & pray they play for India one day. I loved Padikkal's technique,
confidence and he could be the left handed opener we are looking for! He may
have slight trouble playing pace, but he can only get better from here on.
Saini's action is a pleasure to watch - super smooth yet means business!
* Image from Thehindu.com
2. Felt good to
see RCB starting with a win and I think with a change in management and
infusion of some young talent, this season will be different for them.
3. The way Kohli & ABD ran in the match should
be a lesson for all teams - at 1 point they both had scored 30+ runs in 4 overs
or so without a single boundary!
Match 4 : RR vs CSK
Like everyone, I have the same question : Will we
ever understand what Dhoni thinks?
I get a feeling that he isn’t a finisher anymore
and if that is the case, he needs to come up the order, maybe at 4, to anchor
the innings, like Smith did (though he opened). However, if he comes down the
order, the intent to hit should be from ball 1.
1. Was a
pleasure to see Smith & Archer in the same team after their Ashes history
2. It was so
humbling to see Jaiswal greet MSD with folded arms and MS talking to him so
comfortably!
*Image from DNAindia.com
3. Faf’s
expression when Jaiswal walked down the pitch to Deepak Chahar was precious!
4. Sanju Samson
continues to smash it all over the park and I continue to feel bad that he
hasn’t got enough chances to play for India!
RR have the youngest team this time and I think they
will go a long way in the tournament
I am looking forward to the rest of the tournament,
especially the young and exciting talent on display!
Well written account of action so far. Yes Dhoni must bat at 4. They need to find another finisher. It cN be Sam or Jaddu but not MSD. We are wIting to see Rohit and Virat to explode.
ReplyDeleteWell written account of action so far. Yes Dhoni must bat at 4. They need to find another finisher. It cN be Sam or Jaddu but not MSD. We are wIting to see Rohit and Virat to explode.
ReplyDelete