Gautam Gambhir’s eyes are worth observing when he is on the field. The intensity never wavers. Ball after ball, the focus remains. He never takes it easy. He scowls when one of his players misfields.
When Yuvraj came in to bat, Gambhir stationed himself bang in front of Yuvi, at bat-pad. He didn’t need to do that. He’s the captain, for heaven’s sake, it would have easy for him to ask some youngster to put the helmet on and stand in front of Yuvraj. But that’s not Gambhir’s way. He gets a kick out of fighting fire with fire. So, there he was, eyes fixed fiercely on Yuvraj, stationed at bat-pad, daring him to play a false shot.
KKR are lucky to have Gambhir. He might not be the prettiest player around. But what he does have in abundance is a single-minded determination to win. It may get too overwhelming at times, but for a team which has often relied, at times a tad too much, on its flamboyance to attract fans, Gambhir provides the necessary backbone to this Kolkata side.
A tragic beginning
Tragic news filtered in before the start of the game about Ankit Keshri, a 20-year-old former Bengal U-19 captain, who passed away after an accident on the field while playing a league game. A promising youngster, Keshri suffered a cardiac arrest while recovering from an on-field collision with another player while trying to take a catch – something which frequently happens in the game nowadays.
For any cricket player anywhere in the world, it would have been a shocking thing to read about, absorb and then go out and play a game. Fittingly, the players observed a minute’s silence in a tribute to Keshri. Credit must go to both Kolkata and Delhi’s team managements for ensuring that the teams could put the incident behind them and play the game in a normal frame of mind.
KKR fire on all cylinders, finally,
KKR have been consistently inconsistent in the last three matches. One good spell of bowling has invariably been followed by a dropped catch or two. A rash of boundaries while batting has often led to a spat of wickets. Unlike Chennai or Rajasthan, they’ve been unable to dominate teams completely and that must have been a cause of worry for Trevor Bayliss and the rest of the Kolkata coaching entourage.
In that context, this match has come as a welcome change. Finally, KKR fired on all cylinders. Winning the toss and putting Delhi in to bat made sense for KKR; they have the batting to chase targets down. Morkel and Yadav bowled great opening spells, squeezing Delhi for runs and picking up an early wicket.
Unlike in other games, Kolkata kept the pressure on. No Delhi batsman was allowed to get away; Delhi’s run rate crossed 7 only once in 15 overs. A late onslaught by Matthews on Narine helped Delhi cross 140, but any chances of 150 and beyond were ruined by Umesh Yadav who bowled a fabulous last over. A word for Umesh Yadav; he often slips under the radar with his performances, but his bowling today was flawless. His clever changes of pace had Delhi bamboozled; his final figures read 4 overs, 18 runs, and 2 wickets at an economy rate of just over 4, pure gold-dust in this format.
A captain’s knock
It wouldn’t be much of a surprise tomorrow if West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made Gambhir an honourary Kolkatan. Such has been his contribution over the past few years that it is difficult to think of a KKR team without the steel and backbone that their captain provides them.
Today’s was a typical Gambhir innings. Fidgety at the start. A few edges, a few mishits. But unlike a lot of other flashy batsmen who often flatter to deceive, Gambhir never gave it away. He lays tremendous value on his wicket. He sticks in. And when he does carry on, KKR has the luxury of breathing easily.
Gambhir’s footwork against spin is a treat to watch. Today, he completely neutralised Delhi’s two biggest strengths: Tahir and Mishra. Tahir’s bowling has justifiably earned him the Orange Cap, but today he was powerless against Gambhir. With deft use of his feet, Gambhir expertly navigated his way through Delhi’s two premier spin bowlers, ensuring Kolkata had no major hiccups through their chase.
Eventually, it was a rather tame ending. After two consecutive wins, Delhi were brought back to earth at home. Kolkata will hope to carry this forward onto their remaining games.
When Yuvraj came in to bat, Gambhir stationed himself bang in front of Yuvi, at bat-pad. He didn’t need to do that. He’s the captain, for heaven’s sake, it would have easy for him to ask some youngster to put the helmet on and stand in front of Yuvraj. But that’s not Gambhir’s way. He gets a kick out of fighting fire with fire. So, there he was, eyes fixed fiercely on Yuvraj, stationed at bat-pad, daring him to play a false shot.
KKR are lucky to have Gambhir. He might not be the prettiest player around. But what he does have in abundance is a single-minded determination to win. It may get too overwhelming at times, but for a team which has often relied, at times a tad too much, on its flamboyance to attract fans, Gambhir provides the necessary backbone to this Kolkata side.
A tragic beginning
Tragic news filtered in before the start of the game about Ankit Keshri, a 20-year-old former Bengal U-19 captain, who passed away after an accident on the field while playing a league game. A promising youngster, Keshri suffered a cardiac arrest while recovering from an on-field collision with another player while trying to take a catch – something which frequently happens in the game nowadays.
For any cricket player anywhere in the world, it would have been a shocking thing to read about, absorb and then go out and play a game. Fittingly, the players observed a minute’s silence in a tribute to Keshri. Credit must go to both Kolkata and Delhi’s team managements for ensuring that the teams could put the incident behind them and play the game in a normal frame of mind.
KKR fire on all cylinders, finally,
KKR have been consistently inconsistent in the last three matches. One good spell of bowling has invariably been followed by a dropped catch or two. A rash of boundaries while batting has often led to a spat of wickets. Unlike Chennai or Rajasthan, they’ve been unable to dominate teams completely and that must have been a cause of worry for Trevor Bayliss and the rest of the Kolkata coaching entourage.
In that context, this match has come as a welcome change. Finally, KKR fired on all cylinders. Winning the toss and putting Delhi in to bat made sense for KKR; they have the batting to chase targets down. Morkel and Yadav bowled great opening spells, squeezing Delhi for runs and picking up an early wicket.
Unlike in other games, Kolkata kept the pressure on. No Delhi batsman was allowed to get away; Delhi’s run rate crossed 7 only once in 15 overs. A late onslaught by Matthews on Narine helped Delhi cross 140, but any chances of 150 and beyond were ruined by Umesh Yadav who bowled a fabulous last over. A word for Umesh Yadav; he often slips under the radar with his performances, but his bowling today was flawless. His clever changes of pace had Delhi bamboozled; his final figures read 4 overs, 18 runs, and 2 wickets at an economy rate of just over 4, pure gold-dust in this format.
A captain’s knock
It wouldn’t be much of a surprise tomorrow if West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee made Gambhir an honourary Kolkatan. Such has been his contribution over the past few years that it is difficult to think of a KKR team without the steel and backbone that their captain provides them.
Today’s was a typical Gambhir innings. Fidgety at the start. A few edges, a few mishits. But unlike a lot of other flashy batsmen who often flatter to deceive, Gambhir never gave it away. He lays tremendous value on his wicket. He sticks in. And when he does carry on, KKR has the luxury of breathing easily.
Gambhir’s footwork against spin is a treat to watch. Today, he completely neutralised Delhi’s two biggest strengths: Tahir and Mishra. Tahir’s bowling has justifiably earned him the Orange Cap, but today he was powerless against Gambhir. With deft use of his feet, Gambhir expertly navigated his way through Delhi’s two premier spin bowlers, ensuring Kolkata had no major hiccups through their chase.
Eventually, it was a rather tame ending. After two consecutive wins, Delhi were brought back to earth at home. Kolkata will hope to carry this forward onto their remaining games.
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