A surprise on the first day itself

Well hardly anyone would have expected the team that finished last in the previous years' edition of the Indian Premier League to beat the team that won the championship the same year. Things started the same way as expected for the Kolkata Knight Riders when they lost 2 wickets even before the scoreboard had something to read. It was fascinating to see the first two wickets falling when the score was zero and the next two wickets falling when the score was 31. And, what happened following that is well aware from the scoreboard itself which is needless to be said I suppose.

The Kolkata Knight Riders did exceptionally well to see their team go past 150 runs when at one stage even a 100 on the board would have made the players of the Kolkata Knight Riders feel satisfied for the fact that atleast they can bowl 10 overs to the Deccan Chargers who had the likes of Gilchrist and Symonds in their ranks. The run rate when the fourth wicket fell was just above 6 an over which eventually happened to be over 8.0 an over. All thanks to the two men out there namely- Owais Shah and Angelo Mathews who put up an unbeaten 131 run partnership.

Angelo Mathews was found to be a failure in the bilateral series between Sri Lanka and India which was played a couple of months back. But, this time he was the man who ensured a turnaround to his team which not only won the game but also Mathews was awarded the man of the match. It is nonetheless another case of underestimating the opposition from the Deccan Chargers who had anticipated a win against the Kolkata Knight Riders even before the match had begun. And, finally they had to pay the price for the same. A close look at the KKR squad doesn't reveal any strong batting names.

The only batsmen who can be thought of to have a huge fan following them were Sourav Ganguly and Brad Hodge, both of whom departed at early stages of their innings. Following them were Pujara who did what was expected off him when he went back runless. On the other hand, the Deccan Chargers had the likes of Gilchrist, Rohith Sharma, Symonds and Gibbs, all of whom were thought to be big hitters. Likewise, only Gilchrist & Symonds would have been enough for any opposition which didn't happen in the 1st match. So was the case with the KKR's bowling which had no decent names if not for Ishanth and Langeveldt and that too compared to the other bowlers of KKR.

And, the Deccan Chargers had Symonds, Vass and Ojha who have played international matches before but could not bail their team out yesterday. THis is the magic of T20 cricket and more so in the IPL.

A Prefect Team Effort

Some occasions occur rarely.And in cricket one of the rare occasions is the one match in which there is a team effort as against a cricket game in which even in the winning team there is only a one man show.And this is most of the case in a losing team.But,in the game involving Mumbai Indians and the Deccan Chargers,one could see a team effort on the part of the Mumbai Indians,as all of the known batsmen were found to make a mark in the match.Starting from Sanath Jayasuriya,until Shah,almost everyone did what best they could have done with the bat.

Sanath Jayasuriya became the highest six hitter in the tournament with 20 big hits so far.The top scorer in the Mumbai Indians side was Abhisheik Nayar who scored only a handy 38 runs off 24 balls.But,the overall scorecard of the Mumbai Indians read 178/7 at the end of their alloted 20 overs.The run rate being almost 9.0 runs an over.Which is decent a decent one in the T20 format and that too in a team where none of them could manage a 50+ score.And when it came to the batting of Deccan Chargers,it was as usual.Lose couple of quick wickets and then towards the fag end of the innings,the prevailing batsmen can be seen only as though trying to draw a test match.

Shahid Afridi couldn't continue the good work he was found doing in the first three overs in the fourth over.It would raise eye-brows if one hears that Afridi's first three overs cost just 9 runs until he was blasted by Bravo for 14 runs in his fourth and the 16th over of the match.And when it came to his batting,the scoring was only in the minds of the fans of Shahid Afridi who are so far almost dejected.

An all round performance from Dwayne Bravo who scored a handy 30 off 17 balls with a couple of boundaries and an equal number of sixes.And in the second innings when it was his turn to take the ball into his hands,he never did a Virender Sehwag (who cost 22 runs in his only over against Kings XI Punjab).But,took 3 wickets giving away
24 runs from 4 overs.

The last time when the same two teams faced each other,the ball was on the Deccan Chargers' court owing to which Adam Gilchrist blasted a 42 ball hundred which was the then fastest hundred of the tournament.There it was a one man show unlike in the second round.But,Mumbai should have found it relaxing after it gave back Deccan Chargers what they (Deccan Chargers) had given them in the first meeting.

Slowly Turning The Other Way?

Well as soon as the talk is about the T20 game,the first thing that comes to people's mind is about not batting but about belting the ball ruthlessly.But,in the ongoing Indian Premier League,in addition to merciless belting of the cricket ball,there are at time when teams end up putting a low total,and in case of Royal Challengers Bangalore,it is something a common gesture I can say.But,the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Delhi Dare Devils found the Kolkata Knight Riders not only end up scoring a low total but also defend it successfully.Coutesy:Shoaib Akthar's 4/11 off 3 overs.

And in the recent match between the Chennai Super Kings versus Rajasthan Royals, the match witnessed not only a hat-trick but also a second 5-wicket haul.The first one being Sohail Tanvir's 6/14.I doubt weather he has taken better figures than this one even in tests?And more recently,that is in yesterday's match,there was one more hat-trick by Amith Mishra who was also making a comeback after a very long time. Not sure as to when he last played his international game in any format.

Well another coincidence has arisen which even I came to know while writing this particular post.That is all the aforementioned bowling efforts have been by bowlers who have made a comeback after a long time.

It was nice to see some big hitter like Shahid Afridi play his natural game of slogging the ball randomly.Though not lasting too long,there was some satisfaction compared to his previous knocks.And the innings played by Goutam Gambhir is outstanding not to mention.Congrats Goutam on reaching the 400 run aggregate mark.Lets hope that he gets atleast one man of the match award.No doubt that he still stands one of the best (may be the only one) to be awarded the man of the series award.I've already awarded him it!!!

Finall The Mumbai Drought Ends

Last night was a relief for most of the Mumbai fans out there not for on, but for many reasons.The first being the return of the local hero in Sachin Tendulkar,whose introduction would be foolish thing to do.And then,there was one batsmen from Mumbai Indians' side who finally came out with a classical knock when the fans witnessed the second fastest hundred in the tournament from the blades of Sanath Jayasuriya.

11 sixes by Sanath Jayasuriya on a ground where he was found blasting an unbeaten 151 to carry his team (the then world champions) to the finals of the Pepsi Independence Cup and eventually win the series.This is the second time that I know that Sanath Jayasuriya hit 11 sixes after the first instance against Pakistan in the Singer Cup 1996-where he blasted 134 off just 65 deliveries.And if this chance was let off by Jayasuriya,it would mean the end of hopes for the Mumbai Indians as well. Thank god he didn't let that happen.

His knock against the Chennai Super Kings reminds me of the knock played by Adam Gilchrist when he was found smashing the Mumbai Indians repeatedly over the mid on side.And Sanath Jayasuriya's knock was something similar to that.Don't know as to what might happen in future regarding either Sanath Jayasuriya or Mumbai Indians,after even the same Adam Gilchrist had nothing to prove after his fastest hundred.As far as this math went out,it was a treat to watch as i-a huge fan of Jayasuriya could see him blast the bowlers,though there was a superb bowling performance when he took 3/19 and also 2 catches to empower his team to victory against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The last time I saw Sanath Jayasuriya play a splendid innings was in the T20 game against New Zealand-where he scored 61 runs off just 42 deliveries.Well if this is the way people like Sanath Jayasuriya,Shahid Afridi,Adam Gilchrist...so on and so forth (who are known for their big hitting) goes,it would be a real success for a tournament where players are paid astronomical sums.

Same Faces Again And Again

Well the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals as usual,not to mention..well I guess the result has already been guessed.Thats true..Well lets forget that.There's lots and lots that we can talk about the match.So lets not get our moods rotten by talking about Royal Challengers and their plight in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League.

It is once again Shaun Marsh who was the match winner in the match against Royal Challengers Bangalore too as he was in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Some things-some good and the rest of them bad can and will never change. With the same people emerging as the match winners in each and every game they face.Some examples being Yousuf Pathan,Shane Watson,Brendon McCullum,Goutam Gambhir ...While there are some like Virender Sehwag,Sanath Jayasuriya,Adam Gilchrist etc who are good only on their particular days...while the third category which includes the likes of Rahul Dravid,Shahid Afridi,V V S Laxman..who are never found to fire what so ever.

Same two Teams,Same Result,Same Man

Well the last time when the Deccan Chargers met the Royal Challengers,they were outplayed by the latter despite the then fastest hundred from the blades of Andrew Symonds.The match was outplayed by another man from Rajasthan Royals who notched up the fastest fifty of the tournament.And the same story repeated once again when the same two teams met each other at Jaipur.

This time there was no Andrew Symonds,but off course there was Yousuf Pathan who was once again found to trouble the Deccan Chargers' bowlers with his power shots.Off course the main culprit being the hopeless batting display by the Deccan Chargers-which also included Adam Gilchrist's 49 ball 61 for that he could not result in the momentum going.If it was at the top of the batting order that saw some stroke play from the blades of Adam Gilchrist,the next such show came towards the end when Venugopal Rao blasted a 11-ball 23.The team whose score was 74/1 at the end of 10 overs,were found to pile up just 66 runs in the next slot losing 7 wickets.

And this was in no way found to trouble the Rajasthan Royals.And how would it ever do-when a target of over 200 didn't fount to in the first encounter,how come a target that was some 60 runs short compared to the first?That too without the power of Andrew Symonds?With Smith and Pathan almost getting the job done,the next who came in (Kaif and Watson) had nothing much to do but to give a perfect finish to their team.

God knows as to when will there be a BOOM BOOM AFRIDI?

Replace a Match Winner By Another Match Winner

Set a thief to catch a thief.And this is what the Kings XI Punjab were found doing in the encounter against Deccan Chargers who on the last night gave the kings a tough fight.People like Shahid Afridi,Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs-who are known for their hard hitting abilities were found to do the scoring part only in the imaginary world.While lesser known names (when it come to big hitting) like V V S Laxman and Rohith Sharma were found to dominate with the bat.And the coincidence being that the match winner in the last game-Simon Katich was replaced by another match winner-Shepherd Marsh(son of Geoff Marsh).

And one of the rare feats that is witnessed in the Indian Premier League,both the teams put up a tough fight.But,as the rules of the game goes,there could be only one winner and that turned out to be the Kings XI Punjab.Someone like Yuvraj Singh and Shahid Afridi were once again found to disappoint.But,the man who made the day out there was Rohith Sharma who scored an unbeaten 76 off just 42 balls-just like he did in the inaugural T20 world cup against South Africa in South Africa.This happened when all the batsmen from the other end collapsed but for VVS Laxman.

And it was also a delight to watch Mahela Jayawardane who scored 45 runs off 23 balls which involved most of them scoops.After all,it was a rare fight that was witnessed in the IPL after the second game.And also more smiles for Priety Zinta who saw her team climb up the stairs after three initial losses.

A Rcord Overtaken In Just Two Days

Well the very first match of the Indian Premier League saw some blistering sixes from the blades of the New Zealand dasher Brendon McCullum,who score the fastest hundred of the tournament in just 53 balls,only three days later to be seen losing to Australian effortless hitter Andrew Symonds,but even this feat didn't seem to last long as well,as the feat was once again overtaken by his Australian team mate-Adam Gilchrist,who made the fastest hundred in just 42 balls,overtaking Andrew Symonds' 47 ball feat.

It was nice to see the stroke play of Andrew Symonds,for he was found plundering the ball all over,unlike Brendon McCullum-who just blasted a weak bowling line up in Royal Challengers,who were babies when it came to the T20 format of cricket.And taking Adam Gilchrist's knock,almost all of them were targeted towards the mid wicket.This could rather be referred to his day.At the end,it was a treat to watch as the Aussie was back to his firing ways.But,god knows as to how long this will go on?

Adam Gilchrist:

Though its been almost two weeks since the commonwealth bank series got over,the series is still on when it comes to blogs.One man who can never be forgotten is the man who was calling it a day-when it comes to international cricket. Adam Gilchrist.

Though the series was not a memorable one for Australia when it came to answering questions about the ethics of the game,the past record and contribution of this man should never be forgotten.He was the one who walked off the field when he was suspicious about his decision weather out or not out!this was in the first semi finals of the 2003 World Cup against Sri lanka.The pitch on which Australia was batting then had bitter memories against England & New Zealand which had seen their batting tumble.in such a situation,Gilchrist never thought of the consequences before choosing to walk.

The man is known for his explosive batting in addition to his wicket keeping magic.He held the record for the most dismissals by a wicket keeper in tests(416) surpassing South Africa's Mark Boucher(who has reclaimed the record after Gilchrist retired).Irrespective of the wicket,opposition,pressure..Gilchrist always tends to fire with the bat.The man almost snatched a win against India in the TVS Cup 2003 involving New Zealand,when he scored 83 off 79 balls at Gwalior.
Some must watch videos of his include:

1)The second fastest hundred against England.
2)149 off 104 balls in the finals of the 2007 WC against Sri Lanka.
3)First ever to hit a 100th six in tests.
4)172 against Zimbabwe in the VB Series 2003/04
5)118 vs Sri Lanka at W.A.C.A......
6)122 off 91 balls against Sri Lanka

Some Exchanging Of gifts Between the Teams In Melbourne..

Though not of any great consequence,the twelfth ODI match between Australia and Sri Lanka at Melbourne turned out to be a christmas for both the teams,for both Australia and Sri Lanka exchanged gifts between each other.

It all started with Sri Lanka winning the toss and electing to bat first for the first time in the series against Australia.The Sri Lankan batting going on as usual,with hardly any firing from the Sri lankan batsmen.Sri Lanka-who had lost three earlier matches to Australia was not at all expected to come back harsh at the Australians by grabbing a consolation win at Melbourne.

For a change,Sri Lankans batted first in the match.But,the result being the same,ie the team batting first winning the contest.It was something special for both the teams out there.Firstly for Sanath Jayasuriya-the man who is playing his last match on the Australian soil(or probably his last series or match) got his 249th six when he cleared the ropes off the bowling of Brett Lee.And what more...the man got his first wicket in the series and that too of his first ball.And not less for Muttiah Muralitharan who was also playing his last match on Australian soil.The man picked up 2/42..the best against Australia this series.

Next was that of Adam Gilchrist-who for some reasons had planned to quit international cricket all of a sudden was found in a punishing mood altogether,belting 83 runs of just 50 balls.It looked as though the Sri lankans would be disappointed this time too.But,when the rest of the Australian players had planned to gift the match to the Sri Lankans,what more has Gilchrist got to do with it?

At the end of the day,Sri Lanka had something to take away,as they snatched narrow 13run win against Australia,three times after losing to the same even after some initial success with the ball.As deserved,Adam Gilchrist was awarded the man of the match for his astonishing innings.Though it was too late for Sri Lanka,it was some consolation for the Sri Lankan team which had lost all chances to enter the finals.The win can be better said to be Australia's loss rather than a Sri Lankan win.

Well Sri Lanka,this time the Australians have genourously donated a match after the last one was cut short due to rain.Else,an Australia-Sri Lanka finals would not be a wrong statement.

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