Irani Trophy 2008 - Day 2
September 25th 2008 10:44
OK, I had an eyeful of the action today morning and was very glad that I caught sight of it. Akash Chopra is in prime touch. He looked magnificient carting around all the Rest of India bowlers - especially R.P.Singh without batting an eyelid. There are two people in the Rest of India squad who are moving strategically on the ladder of progress. There is R.P.Singh who is climbing down as fast as possible and then there is Munaf Patel who is climbing up at the same speed.
Today Munaf was more than impressive. To bowl at a rampant Sehwag and still emerge unscathed is in itself a credit. But he also managed to show his full repertoire today - conventional swing in and out, reverse swing too which cut into the batsman dangerously. He swindled Akash Chopra with length and movement and completely befuddled Virat Kohli with a sharp short delivery.
Kohli, I am afraid is the quintessential Indian domestic batsman who lunges forward at the slightest pretext and tries to meet the ball on the front foot. Munaf used that to his full advantage and left Virat looking like a fool.
This apart there was a mini contest between the Test captain and the Test team's rising batting star. Kumble squared off against Sehwag. Kumble brought himself on pretty early. He also did not risk Zaheer against Sehwag. Spoke volumes about the cricketers' experience and nous. Sehwag sizzled against Kumble. He gave respect to the good balls but when he could he carted them to all parts of the ground. A lofted straight drive executed after dancing down the wicket left Kumble breathless. It must have been many seasons since a batsman danced down the wicket and successfully plonked the ball outside the ground. But Kumble never gives up. He kept probling - slightly turning balls mixed with his crafty sliders, flippers and googlies. There was even one brilliant bit of variation that he showed in this Irani Trophy. This is the first time I saw that. He bowls a ball with his middle finger completely off the ball. What this does is slow down the delivery in the air and does not impart fast rotation. Consequently the ball pitches and goes on in the same line, slowly. A briliant change ball. He was quite unlucky to not get a wicket with that ball, actually.
Eventually, Sehwag tried to be too cute and cut one uppishly and very fine. It was actually a glide - just played a bit forcefully. And strike me down - Dravid took that blinder. That was a catch out of the top drawer. Sehwag would never have imagined to get out to that shot. But there it was - the old partnership working again. And of course I am waiting to hear all that rot about age and reflexes slowing down these people. Lets see you guys explain this one off.
After that though, Delhi folded up meekly against Munaf. All in all, a good day's work by the Rest of India team and the Delhi top order showed good form - except for Gambhir. Gambhir worries me. Not only has he not rectified his front foot positioning, but he recently has picked the disquieting tendency to play too many shots. He really needs to remind himself that he is not Sehwag and that he would benefit by leaving a few instead of trying to put bat to ball on every occassion. That is not how a conventional opener plays.
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