Anil Kumble
Who knew that losing the toss in a semifinal could be such a bonus? But losing it in this case helped Warnie, as the game was pretty one-sided.
Who knew that losing the toss in a semifinal could be such a bonus? But losing it in this case helped Warnie, as the game was pretty one-sided.
The decision to chase in a pressure game doesn't always help the team batting se
cond if the team batting first has put runs on the board. The Royals, despite the blip of that loss to Mohali (irrelevant in the larger scheme of things), seemed to have recovered their momentum and all the usual suspects joined their party at the Wankhede on Friday night.
cond if the team batting first has put runs on the board. The Royals, despite the blip of that loss to Mohali (irrelevant in the larger scheme of things), seemed to have recovered their momentum and all the usual suspects joined their party at the Wankhede on Friday night.Graeme Smith and Swapnil Asnodkar, who I think have been the surprise package of the tournament in the way they've hit it off together, started off cautiously but once they settled, that 60 run opening stand was crucial. And later on, those incredible power hitters of theirs took them to a very commanding total.
Watson and Pathan have both done exceptionally well throughout this event. They have been really consistent and I think the ability to hit sixes seems to be the key in a T20 competition and these guys seem to do that at will.
As for the Daredevils, nothing went well for them. Maharoof did bring them back briefly with a couple of blows in his first over but Rajasthan just seemed to be playing in a different zone. The one thing about Warnie is that he's believed in surprising his opponent come what may and stuck to that tactic and backed himself and his charges whatever the situation. Here, he sent Tanvir up and kept Pathan for later, to do the power hitting.
And that's been the secret of the Royals' success, if one guy doesn't quite contribute on one day, someone else does. People have been consistent and vitally, they've been contributing consistently as a unit. Smith, Asnodkar, Watson and Pathan have been the Big Four of their batting and, as a tag team of sorts, quite a special force.
When the Royals bowled, again they bowled to a well thought out strategy that they implemented to perfection. The bottomline in a T20 game is to not give away too many boundaries early on so as to put the batsmen under pressure and frustrate them. It's not always easy to do that though, but the Royals have managed that with consistency.
In this instance, Sehwag eventually fell and so did Gambhir. After that, things were always going to be really tough for Delhi . Again, the fielding backed up their bowlers — the catching was crucial and the Royals took everything that came their way, even the half chances — and that was the difference.
Right through, the Royals' bowlers have stuck to their basics, kept it simple and kept it straight. They have the advantage of a varied attack and have used that well.
Tanvir is a left-armer with a very freakish action. He uses the bouncer very well, the slower ball is tough to pick up because of that action, he has a consistent yorker at the death. Watson hits the deck hard, uses the bouncer well, looks to take wickets all the time, varies his length. Munaf is a typical line and length bowler who mixes it up with the good bouncer. Trivedi mixes it up constantly. He has a yorker, slower balls, more slower balls, keeps it in decent areas consistently.
And then there's Warnie, to top all this off. It's a very well balanced and well worked unit and that's been their success. They've stuck to their basics and looked to get wickets. I don't think any of their bowlers go in looking to restrict the opposition, they go in looking for wickets, which is probably the best tactic as you get the wickets, the runs generally dry up.
And then there's Warnie, to top all this off. It's a very well balanced and well worked unit and that's been their success. They've stuck to their basics and looked to get wickets. I don't think any of their bowlers go in looking to restrict the opposition, they go in looking for wickets, which is probably the best tactic as you get the wickets, the runs generally dry up.
It was really the perfect game for the Royals and whoever wins on Saturday to meet them at the DY Patil on Sunday will have a tough job on their hands. Though the DY Patil is a different stadium and the Royals didn't have a good outing when they played Mumbai there last time, the way they've played the semifinals, I would definitely have them as the favourites.
It'll be special, this last game of the inaugural IPL. Not just because the tournament's been a runaway success as an event but also because it will be the end of Chapter 1 in an event that is likely to rewrite cricketing history. I'm not sure whether the game will ever be the same again post the IPL phenomena.
Hawkeye/Chivach Sport