The Sunrisers Hyderabad have Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner opening their batting. After them, they have no one else. To have a good chance of winning the game, Kolkata Knight Riders just needed to just both of them – or at least one. They failed through the first 14 overs of the Hyderabad innings. By that time, Warner & Co had done just about enough to win it for the Sunrisers.
From the sublime to the ridiculous. KKR were stupendous at Kotla the other day, playing with a much-required edge to their game. Today, they trudged back to their old ways. While Warner and Dhawan were batting, KKR looked completely out of it. Warner’s wicket allowed them to get back into the game, but it came a little too late.
Bowling to contain, rather than take wickets?
For the past few days, there seems to be a troubling aspect to KKR’s bowling. They seem to be looking to contain rather than take wickets. The strategy seems to be to squeeze the batting team, wait for them to take a risk and, in the process, gift a wicket away.
Not to say that it hasn’t worked. Punjab and Mumbai have both succumbed to this strategy. Punjab were restricted to only 155 in their game against KKR, while Delhi stumbled to a meagre 146. Both underwhelming totals and both chased down with ease.
But against some of the big teams like Chennai or Rajasthan, this is not likely to work. And this showed against Hyderabad where Warner took minimum risks and got maximum results. His fiery 91 off only 55 balls was punctuated by some characteristic timing and poise. Dhawan played second fiddle at the other end, but must be lauded for reining in his natural instincts, especially since Hyderabad have a severe lack of batting options down the order.
For Kolkata though, it all went awry. It is quite obvious now that Narine’s remodelled action has cost him some of the venom of old. The occasional delivery shoots and zips through but otherwise, his bowling lacks some of the earlier magic. Batsmen are no longer afraid to chance their arm, and it’s coming off for them more often than not.
The problem for Gambhir is that Narine remains one of Kolkata’s most potent weapons. Sure, Morkel and Yadav are good bowlers, but none of them brings the mystique of the man from Trinidad. If Narine does not manage to regain some of his old form, Kolkata face a huge problem, considering they are yet to face Rajasthan and Chennai.
The Yusuf conundrum
KKR fans have come to terms with Yusuf Pathan. The general understanding has been that Pathan is in the team to play only that one big innings of note in the season. Most of the IPL season goes by in playing a guessing game: pick the match where Pathan plays that big innings.
In full flow, Pathan can be devastating. Just recall that 22-ball 72 against the same opposition last season. The problem is that this kind of a performance is becoming rarer and rarer. And that begs the question: is Yusuf Pathan’s position in the KKR team more dependent on reputation rather than performance?
The team management has been steadfast in their praise for Yusuf. Just yesterday, Gambhir came out in praise of him, stating that Yusuf is going to do something special for us very soon". A few days ago, it was Wasim Akram who reaffirmed the team’s faith in Pathan, confirming that he was still KKR’s "trump card".
But for how long? Today, there was an element of despondency when Andre Russel got out and Pathan walked in. Simultaneously, there was a recurring question: Why wasn’t Suryakumar Yadav, KKR’s dashing new finisher, at the crease? Pathan faced 7 balls and could hardly get anything away, with KKR crashing to a 16-run defeat.
Yusuf Pathan has not changed, but the game has changed around him. In his heyday, he could pick his spot and put balls into the stands. But bowlers have evolved. A good T20 bowler will put it in the batsmen’s weak zones. Big hitters like McCullum and De Villiers have evolved with them; their batting movement is so quick that they are able to adjust mid-shot and put good balls out of the park.
Not Yusuf. There will be that one good match when fortune is in his favour and he will smash everything out of the ground. But invariably, bowlers have figured out what he is good at and what he’s not with, and will keep on peppering him with low full tosses.
The question is: will KKR recognise this and move to do something about it? Or are they willing to sit back and wait for that one good performance in a blue moon?
From the sublime to the ridiculous. KKR were stupendous at Kotla the other day, playing with a much-required edge to their game. Today, they trudged back to their old ways. While Warner and Dhawan were batting, KKR looked completely out of it. Warner’s wicket allowed them to get back into the game, but it came a little too late.
Bowling to contain, rather than take wickets?
For the past few days, there seems to be a troubling aspect to KKR’s bowling. They seem to be looking to contain rather than take wickets. The strategy seems to be to squeeze the batting team, wait for them to take a risk and, in the process, gift a wicket away.
Not to say that it hasn’t worked. Punjab and Mumbai have both succumbed to this strategy. Punjab were restricted to only 155 in their game against KKR, while Delhi stumbled to a meagre 146. Both underwhelming totals and both chased down with ease.
But against some of the big teams like Chennai or Rajasthan, this is not likely to work. And this showed against Hyderabad where Warner took minimum risks and got maximum results. His fiery 91 off only 55 balls was punctuated by some characteristic timing and poise. Dhawan played second fiddle at the other end, but must be lauded for reining in his natural instincts, especially since Hyderabad have a severe lack of batting options down the order.
For Kolkata though, it all went awry. It is quite obvious now that Narine’s remodelled action has cost him some of the venom of old. The occasional delivery shoots and zips through but otherwise, his bowling lacks some of the earlier magic. Batsmen are no longer afraid to chance their arm, and it’s coming off for them more often than not.
The problem for Gambhir is that Narine remains one of Kolkata’s most potent weapons. Sure, Morkel and Yadav are good bowlers, but none of them brings the mystique of the man from Trinidad. If Narine does not manage to regain some of his old form, Kolkata face a huge problem, considering they are yet to face Rajasthan and Chennai.
The Yusuf conundrum
KKR fans have come to terms with Yusuf Pathan. The general understanding has been that Pathan is in the team to play only that one big innings of note in the season. Most of the IPL season goes by in playing a guessing game: pick the match where Pathan plays that big innings.
In full flow, Pathan can be devastating. Just recall that 22-ball 72 against the same opposition last season. The problem is that this kind of a performance is becoming rarer and rarer. And that begs the question: is Yusuf Pathan’s position in the KKR team more dependent on reputation rather than performance?
The team management has been steadfast in their praise for Yusuf. Just yesterday, Gambhir came out in praise of him, stating that Yusuf is going to do something special for us very soon". A few days ago, it was Wasim Akram who reaffirmed the team’s faith in Pathan, confirming that he was still KKR’s "trump card".
But for how long? Today, there was an element of despondency when Andre Russel got out and Pathan walked in. Simultaneously, there was a recurring question: Why wasn’t Suryakumar Yadav, KKR’s dashing new finisher, at the crease? Pathan faced 7 balls and could hardly get anything away, with KKR crashing to a 16-run defeat.
Yusuf Pathan has not changed, but the game has changed around him. In his heyday, he could pick his spot and put balls into the stands. But bowlers have evolved. A good T20 bowler will put it in the batsmen’s weak zones. Big hitters like McCullum and De Villiers have evolved with them; their batting movement is so quick that they are able to adjust mid-shot and put good balls out of the park.
Not Yusuf. There will be that one good match when fortune is in his favour and he will smash everything out of the ground. But invariably, bowlers have figured out what he is good at and what he’s not with, and will keep on peppering him with low full tosses.
The question is: will KKR recognise this and move to do something about it? Or are they willing to sit back and wait for that one good performance in a blue moon?
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