Yes…the Chargers have got their act together!
This metaphor might have sounded woefully piebald prior to the commencement of season 2 but the Chargers, in their first couple of games have looked an entirely transformed side from their insipid manifestation of last year. Suddenly everything seems to fit itself in place, be it the batting, bowling and not to mention some breathtaking fielding and catching that has been on display in their first couple of games this season. Adam Gilchrist is bound to come good 7 times out of 10 and he did quite spectacularly the other night with that blitzkrieg against the Royal Challengers of Bangalore, that might sure have flummoxed (and greatly humiliated) Dale Steyn on his home turf. Rohit Sharma looks as sublime as he did last season, yesterday’s swashbuckling innings giving enough reason for the devotees of the Deccan Chargers to be filled with passionate optimism each time the Deccan Chargers step out to bat.
Believe it or not...I had actually decided yesterday that I would publish a blog post today titled "IPL II a lameduck"...but some cryptic force kept me glued to my TV set last night although the match seemed a languorous one. At the end of the first inning, I was pretty sure the Knight Riders would cruise home emphatically with little trouble. My hypothesis seemed bang on target when Chris Ga(y)le blasted off to a rollicking start, giving the impression of a hungry man(in desperate anticipation of SRK's post match party). But like in all Bollywood flicks, the hero either heroically misses out on his goal or gets there after much drama. And yes...there's always a villian! In this case though, Warnie spoilt the 'party'...quite literally. And what followed was a typical KKR-like tumbling of wickets like nine pins. One man though...for whom tumbling of wickets at the other end has been a routine over the last few years, Sourav Ganguly, thunderously resurrected the fortunes of the Knight Riders with an innings that I'll never forget so long as the services of my lungs are with me. The innings was a well-calculated and yet a very antagonistic one that should very easily have been the catalyst of a famous win.
But with SRK and Shilpa's teams entangled in a colossal tussle, Bollywood-like twists will very well be the order of the day! A small town lad with immense zeal firing one in that Ganguly nicks to the keeper with couple of balls to spare...a last ball run out...Wah! I've been advised by a few of my friends to ditch the IPL and bring home a collection of films that'd serve me long-lasting and captivating entertainment...I couldn't but repudiate the advices last night...a classic Lagaan-like Bollywood thriller was playing out live with no retakes! The super over for the KKR was one that deserved the austere criticism it raked in. Ajantha Mendis bowling the last over while Yusuf Pathan is certain to bat? Rubbish...utter dross. We've seen in the recent past Yusuf Pathan's alarming affinity towards spinners...and yet Mendis was the unanimous choice? Ishant Sharma should very well have bowled the last over...he was the bowler in form...the bowler who had a far better chance against Yusuf Pathan's belligerent blitzkrieg and let's not forget...the bowler who can pitch in some immaculate yorkers as well as piercing bouncers at the death.
Another humdinger of a game last afternoon between the Delhi Daredevils and ‘Yam Yas’ Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. AB De Villiers’ knock did leave me at the edge of my seat. Boy! That was the most captivating innings of T20 cricket I’ve seen till date. He can strike the ball many a mile and how! I suspect Andrew Flintoff would be the only man who wouldn’t be too keen on an autograph!
However, all said and done, yesterday's games were a reminder to those inexorably obnoxious skeptics of the IPL who've been harping all through this week from Air Conditioned rooms that the IPL is a failed venture that can never succeed in it's endeavour of producing quality cricket. That should put a cap on their irrational rant for now.
For me though, I'll be a man dissolved in the pursuit of education for the next couple of days, with an imperative examination coming up the day after, for which I'm preparing as though my life depends on succeeding it. After that though...I'll recline on my couch sipping some coke, munching some wafting snack and raking in the thrilling aroma of cricket's biggest extravaganza!
0 comments:
Post a Comment