If Kings XI Punjab were embarrassed by the logo of a “protective cover” on the back of their team jerseys, Rajasthan Royals must have smiled to see a lush cover of grass on the normally arid pitch in Pune. After three games, Royals caused the first major upset in the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when they beat the Kings effortlessly by 26 runs.
Greentop trouble
Things didn’t start too well for the Royals as their skipper Shane Watson was ruled out due to a hip injury and the grassy pitch saw the early demise of three talented Indian batsmen Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson and Karun Nair. The prospect of playing Mitchell Johnson on a grassy track probably forced these batsmen to try and accumulate as many runs as possible.
They probably did not realise that pace and swing are two different features of the same ball game. Johnson feeds on a bouncy, pacy pitch and though the Pune track was green, it wasn’t quick enough for the Aussie warhead to strike terror. Unfortunately for the Kings their spinners could not support the Indian pacers who had made early inroads into the Royals batting with deceptive bowling.
Leading from the front
What can one say about a certain Steve Smith, who is having a dream run as a batsman and captain ever since he started his season against India in the Test series down under?
Brought in to replace Watson, the 25-year old led the Royals by example. First, he debunked the Johnson bogey with a clever counter attack, instilling confidence in the latter batsmen and later marshaled his bowlers chipping away into the Royals line-up with clever changes.
The game was also a battle between two Australian captains, Smith (who replaced Michael Clarke in Test matches) and George Bailey (who leads Australia in the shorter version of the game).
Smith’s handling of James Faulkner on a swing-oriented track and his field setting for Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and Bailey was perfect. Bailey, on the other hand made a gambler’s error by sending Axar Patel ahead of himself and Miller, confounding many. By the time the Australian duo took guard, the bird had flown the coop.
Clever bowling
The main difference between the two teams was that while the Kings got a tad carried away after seeing the grassy pitch, the Royals consistently put the ball in the right areas to derive maximum benefit. The green tinge must have taken Tim Southee’s mind back to Wellington where he bagged his career-best 7 for 33 in a World Cup encounter against England. His first ball dismissal of Virendra Sehwag set the right tone for the Royals defence.
Going in with two spinners (three if you count Maxwell) was a big mistake committed by the Kings, and the Royals just bowled three overs of spin as compared to the eight bowled by Kings.
Faulkner, the man of the match, had a dream run at Pune. He wore a batsman’s cap and carried on the tempo set by his captain carving a crucial 46 runs of 33 balls and came back as a bowler to torment the Royals, getting the crucial wickets of Maxwell and Bailey.
Team mentor Rahul Dravid must be a pleased man with his team’s effort where each member contributed to the winning cause. One remembers the affable former Indian skipper banging his cap on the ground in disgust after Royals had failed to qualify for the play-offs in the 2014 edition.
In a television interview held during the game, Dravid had promised not to lose his cool this season. He won’t need to if his team continues to perform the way they did at Pune.
Greentop trouble
Things didn’t start too well for the Royals as their skipper Shane Watson was ruled out due to a hip injury and the grassy pitch saw the early demise of three talented Indian batsmen Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson and Karun Nair. The prospect of playing Mitchell Johnson on a grassy track probably forced these batsmen to try and accumulate as many runs as possible.
They probably did not realise that pace and swing are two different features of the same ball game. Johnson feeds on a bouncy, pacy pitch and though the Pune track was green, it wasn’t quick enough for the Aussie warhead to strike terror. Unfortunately for the Kings their spinners could not support the Indian pacers who had made early inroads into the Royals batting with deceptive bowling.
Leading from the front
What can one say about a certain Steve Smith, who is having a dream run as a batsman and captain ever since he started his season against India in the Test series down under?
Brought in to replace Watson, the 25-year old led the Royals by example. First, he debunked the Johnson bogey with a clever counter attack, instilling confidence in the latter batsmen and later marshaled his bowlers chipping away into the Royals line-up with clever changes.
The game was also a battle between two Australian captains, Smith (who replaced Michael Clarke in Test matches) and George Bailey (who leads Australia in the shorter version of the game).
Smith’s handling of James Faulkner on a swing-oriented track and his field setting for Glenn Maxwell, David Miller and Bailey was perfect. Bailey, on the other hand made a gambler’s error by sending Axar Patel ahead of himself and Miller, confounding many. By the time the Australian duo took guard, the bird had flown the coop.
Clever bowling
The main difference between the two teams was that while the Kings got a tad carried away after seeing the grassy pitch, the Royals consistently put the ball in the right areas to derive maximum benefit. The green tinge must have taken Tim Southee’s mind back to Wellington where he bagged his career-best 7 for 33 in a World Cup encounter against England. His first ball dismissal of Virendra Sehwag set the right tone for the Royals defence.
Going in with two spinners (three if you count Maxwell) was a big mistake committed by the Kings, and the Royals just bowled three overs of spin as compared to the eight bowled by Kings.
Faulkner, the man of the match, had a dream run at Pune. He wore a batsman’s cap and carried on the tempo set by his captain carving a crucial 46 runs of 33 balls and came back as a bowler to torment the Royals, getting the crucial wickets of Maxwell and Bailey.
Team mentor Rahul Dravid must be a pleased man with his team’s effort where each member contributed to the winning cause. One remembers the affable former Indian skipper banging his cap on the ground in disgust after Royals had failed to qualify for the play-offs in the 2014 edition.
In a television interview held during the game, Dravid had promised not to lose his cool this season. He won’t need to if his team continues to perform the way they did at Pune.
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