Eye. Pee. Yell: IPL Reflections

Eye. Pee. Yell: We appreciate. We criticise. We scream.


Day One

KKR Does A Peter Who? Doohan


Who’s done it?
Dada?
Juhi?
Whatmore?

Whether it was the imaginative and spirited captaincy of Sourav Ganguly or the luck that Juhi Chawla had brought in with her or the silent tactics of Dave Whatmore, the victory of Kolkata Knight Riders over the defending champions Deccan Chargers has warmed the cockles of many KKR hearts.

The SRK boys had nearly lost the game. The DC had them on the mat.

But then it was the pull of Adam Gilchrist, the shot which has fetched buckets of runs for the Aussie, that began the pull-down. Gibbs followed the skipper with an equally thoughtless shot. Symmo found one from Ishant climbing on to him too quick for his comfort. The precocious talent of Rohit Sharma let down the DC chargers.

Before they realized, DC was in the dumps. Skipper Gilchrist said his team had the game in their pocket but chickened out when they should have just walked away with the game.

Though it isn’t an auspicious start for the champions, it is all too early to write something dull on the DC dashboard. They have the ammunition to fire back. After all, we all saw their turn-around in the last edition.

Heroism is contagious. One man’s monumental effort will inject some strange energy into others' veins. Their hearts begin to beat faster, their shoulders come up, heads rise, they pluck catches out of thin air, they dive with a Michael Phelps leap, they hit stumps with a darter’s precision, they run like Usain Bolt and hit the ball out of the park like Barry Bond.

Yes, it takes just one man to transform a whole team. Like one out-of-the-world innings from Kapil Dev at Trent Bridge Oval morphed an Indian team into world beaters some summers ago.
Ganguly hasn’t lost that little something that makes him tick as a players’ captain who can inspire a dull tail-ender to a Don Quixote.

He still can infuse some passion into the confused, labyrinthine veins of the Riders. He can marshal the team as a cohesive unit, especially with the significant absence of a towering, opinionated John Buchanan. Despite having an air of a snooty prince about him, Ganguly has that uncanny knack to take a game of cricket from the sophistication of Lord’s to dusty streets where the common man will own up the battle.

This is what Sourav can do to the team that has seen more ego clashes in the last two editions than accidents on the MG Road. Whether he can still heave his bat as effective as before or not, he can surely bring about a change in the team’s spirit to fight battles like the fights in school—no formulas of when and how to punch, but the crude spirit to fight—hit and hit back.

All that DC has to do is forget last night. But however they try, how they managed to let the match slip between their pocket and the ground will surely disturb them in these sultry days.

But if Gilchrist, Symmonds and Gibbs get cracking, no line of bowlers is good enough to bowl a dot ball. But then, three to explode in one match can be as rare as a blue moon. But if the DC batsmen continue to play such mindless strokes as they did against the Raiders, Gilchrist will have some serious issues to deal with.

Nothing substitutes application. Even in a game of T20 there will be little phases where one has to just keep his head down and pick up singles and twos. It is the beauty of the game, and it is where the dangers of the proverbial uncertainty of the game lie. If one fails to do what the situation demands, the elements of uncertainty take over.

The DC should have cantered home without hitting across the line. But then the ambience and aura of the opening ceremony might have warmed up the adrenalin and pushed them to attempt a Sehwag act. But Sehwags don’t happen just like that.

An upset is a good start for a tournament. Like the 1987 Wimbledon when two-time defending champion and the second-ranked player in the world Boris Becker was upset in the second round by a stranger named Peter Doohan, ranked 70. Such upsets create a flutter; an interest. Sadly, the Grand Slams don’t give a second chance to the players. One bad day, they are out of the fray. But tournaments like World Cups and leagues like IPL and EPL give the teams a few more chances to gather themselves from the shambles and fight back.

So unlike the sensational Becker who had to pack up his bag and leave the Wimbledon quietly, sinking his fans into despair, Gilchrist can forget the opening match and start the tournament afresh from the next game on.

Today’s first match, between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals, will be an interesting contest. In Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne we have two of the game’s biggest stars who respect each other, and under them there are some exciting talents.

The Mumbai Indians will be looking up to their skipper who is fresh on heels of his record-setting double hundred in ODIs. Adding to the batting firepower is the veteran powerhouse, Sanath Jayasuriya.

But I would like to see their new purchase, Ambati Rayidu (from ICL) do well. He was described as an exciting talent some years ago, but for reasons strange and unknown, he is yet to make an impression on the selectors. Having been picked up by the Indians means he has caught the eye of the Little Master.

For the Royals, Yousuf Pathan will be raring to go with heaps of runs in the last domestic season—highlighted by a century in each innings of the Duleep Trophy final which helped the West Zone successfully chase a record target.

He must get going, as Tendulkar will be chomping at the bit.


(Read Yentha.com)