IPL Match 39 : Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals
May 20th 2008 10:49
People talk about how winning generates momentum and it helps your spirit and bolsters you for future contests. In much the similar way, I think losing too generates its own momentum. Except that it is force applied in the opposite direction. If winning is accerlation then losing is like braking force.
Every time the Bangalore team try to win the next game, they have try that much harder because the other team is able to play pressure free cricket against them. That enables the opposition to take blinders, to enjoy their game and so be at very close to their optimum. And this therefore leaves the Royal Challengers with very little leeway to make any sort of mistake.
But when the entire team except for the honourable exception of Rahul Dravid tries hard to deny any existence of vertebrae, it has to be a sad day. No batsman other than Dravid even looked the part there. What hurt is not the performance. What actually hurt is that the shoddy performance was on show when there was obviously talent available which could perform far better. Misbah and Kallis must stand up to take the blame. As senior batsman, they have failed the team miserably. And that is not just in this game.
As a saving grace, there was Rahul Dravid. He smote, caressed and soared his way to 75 quality runs. He was a castle amidst ruins. But the target of 200 was not such that even his ripping fast 75 was not enough to get close. It was simply enough to fetch some measure of respectability in loss - if such a thing exists. He needed at least one or two of his colleagues to pitch in their hand to make this a contest and that did not happen.
I still think though that tactically Dravid is making a mistake by not walking in to open the innings. If the idea is that the team relies on Dravid a lot and so he must protect his wicket and come in in dire situations to lift the team, I do not agree with it. It is a negative tactic. Dravid must walk in to open the innings. Otherwise, the situation for the Bangalore team could have gotten so worse that no amount of batsmanship can bring it back from the brink.
As far as the Rajasthan Royals are concerned, they are going pedal to metal. It is a joy to watch their opening bowlers operating with fearless verve and immense variety. Sohail Tanveer is unplayable most of the time with his peculiar action and movement both ways. Munaf Patel has impressed one and all with his metronomic control and ability to hit the bat. And all this is of course not even counting their master bowler, their captain and chief strategiest, Shane Warne. A catch that he picked up off Zaheer was a sight for sore eyes. It had to be seen to be believed. One can say that those sort of catches simply stick. But for them to stick, one has to be ready to put in the effort. And that, Warne did put in.
The Rajasthan Royals' batting too looks in solid hands. Swapnil Asnodkar has been taking off like a pocket rocket in these IPL games. He is a gutsy little player. He may score more in edges than off the middle of the blade but his team will not be complaining. Graeme Smith is, as ever, shaky to start off. But once his lumbering feet start to find their way, he can bully and muscle the bowling to desperation. And when you consider that big hitters like Shane Watson and Yousuf Pathan are lurking around the corner, it is not exactly a calming thought for the opposition bowlers.
The Royals look like a winning combination. Their momentum was generated because they won a slew of matches and now they look like winning every match precisely because of this momentum and acceleration gained. It would take something really momentous to stop them in their tracks or even slow them down, one feels. All credit to the captain and the coach of the team. Ah well, both are one and the same - Shane Keith Warne!
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