The final scorecard might say Kolkata Knight Riders lost by 2 runs, but make no mistake, it really wasn’t as close. KKR had lost the game the minute they fell into the pit dug by Chennai’s spinners.
Today saw a typically frustrating KKR performance – high on quality in the bowling department and pathetically incompetent with the batting. At 52/1 in 5 overs chasing only 135, it should have been a stroll in the park.
But the very sight of Chennai’s spinners seemed to freeze Kolkata in Chennai. They never really recovered. Ten Doeschate’s late-over flurry made it just a little bit more respectable, but in any case, the result was never in doubt once the CSK spinners had put a stranglehold on KKR.
Dhoni outclasses Gambhir
On a slow, low pitch with absolutely no pace in it, Dhoni is a master, thoroughly in his element. Especially when he has Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina as his lieutenants.
Not that Gambhir wouldn’t have been aware of that. He’s played with Dhoni far too long. Hence Gambhir might have had a furrowed brow during the interval.
True, Kolkata’s bowlers had done their bit, squeezing a strong Chennai batting lineup to only 134. But the game wasn’t finished yet. The spinners were going to play a big role. And in this KKR lineup, there is only one player who is comfortable against spin. That is Gambhir.
Hence, it was essential that Gambir stayed at the crease long enough to at least see off the spinners. No other KKR batsman has the footwork to navigate the kind of canny spin dished out by Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina.
Unfortunately, one of Gambhir’s old failings resurfaced at the most inappropriate time. Second ball of the match, he played a nothing shot to Ishwar Pandey. It has become a typical Gambhir dismissal – hanging his bat outside offstump, nibbling at the ball without any footwork whatsoever. CSK had their man and Dhoni knew the importance of that wicket.
The middle-order choke
If you needed to identify where exactly KKR lost the game, it would be between overs 5 and 10. From 52/1, KKR limped to 70/3. That’s only 28 runs in 5 overs with the loss of 2 wickets. Unacceptable in the context of a T20 match.
Simply put, KKR allowed Chennai to dictate terms. Forget boundaries, all the batsmen seemed to be in a shell, blocking out deliveries and not even middling them. Manish Pandey scored 15 off 20, Suryakumar Yadav, 16 off 26, and Pathan, 13 off 18. With no one in the middle order managing even a run a ball, this just pushed up the asking rate, making a chase of 134 seem gigantic.
Perhaps it is time Kolkata play around with their middle order a bit. One possible solution is playing Uthappa down the order. Other than Gambhir, he seems to be the only batsmen in this lineup to have the required technique and the positive mindset to play against the spinners. He hasn’t scored big runs so far but has looked in good touch every time he’s batted. Perhaps, he’s a better fit in a middle order which has failed to figure out how to finish an innings properly.
Kolkata also seriously need to consider pushing Andre Russell up ahead of Yusuf Pathan. Watching Pathan in the last two games has been excruciating. It is difficult to believe that this is the same man who invoked fear among bowlers a few years ago. Nowadays, he seems a pale shadow of his former self, playing exaggerated defensive shots, trying (and failing) to play the sort of game that is alien to him.
On the other hand, Russell is wasted at No. 7. On current form he seems a better batsman than Pathan. He can easily come in earlier and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Royal Challengers Bangalore were making the same mistake by sending in De Villiers late; they have rectified the situation by pushing ABD up to No. 3. It’s time KKR take a leaf out of that book.
Losing matches they should win
KKR have strong reasons to worry. This is their third loss now. All of them have come in matches where they’ve conspired to lose from very strong positions.
This indicates that they’re freezing at key moments – letting the pressure muddle up their brains. The team management has to step in now and talk to the players. Because if this trend continues even a little longer, Kolkata’s chances of winning another IPL crown will be remote.
Chennai Super Kings (134 for 6) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (132 for 9) by 2 runs.
Today saw a typically frustrating KKR performance – high on quality in the bowling department and pathetically incompetent with the batting. At 52/1 in 5 overs chasing only 135, it should have been a stroll in the park.
But the very sight of Chennai’s spinners seemed to freeze Kolkata in Chennai. They never really recovered. Ten Doeschate’s late-over flurry made it just a little bit more respectable, but in any case, the result was never in doubt once the CSK spinners had put a stranglehold on KKR.
Dhoni outclasses Gambhir
On a slow, low pitch with absolutely no pace in it, Dhoni is a master, thoroughly in his element. Especially when he has Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina as his lieutenants.
Not that Gambhir wouldn’t have been aware of that. He’s played with Dhoni far too long. Hence Gambhir might have had a furrowed brow during the interval.
True, Kolkata’s bowlers had done their bit, squeezing a strong Chennai batting lineup to only 134. But the game wasn’t finished yet. The spinners were going to play a big role. And in this KKR lineup, there is only one player who is comfortable against spin. That is Gambhir.
Hence, it was essential that Gambir stayed at the crease long enough to at least see off the spinners. No other KKR batsman has the footwork to navigate the kind of canny spin dished out by Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina.
Unfortunately, one of Gambhir’s old failings resurfaced at the most inappropriate time. Second ball of the match, he played a nothing shot to Ishwar Pandey. It has become a typical Gambhir dismissal – hanging his bat outside offstump, nibbling at the ball without any footwork whatsoever. CSK had their man and Dhoni knew the importance of that wicket.
The middle-order choke
If you needed to identify where exactly KKR lost the game, it would be between overs 5 and 10. From 52/1, KKR limped to 70/3. That’s only 28 runs in 5 overs with the loss of 2 wickets. Unacceptable in the context of a T20 match.
Simply put, KKR allowed Chennai to dictate terms. Forget boundaries, all the batsmen seemed to be in a shell, blocking out deliveries and not even middling them. Manish Pandey scored 15 off 20, Suryakumar Yadav, 16 off 26, and Pathan, 13 off 18. With no one in the middle order managing even a run a ball, this just pushed up the asking rate, making a chase of 134 seem gigantic.
Perhaps it is time Kolkata play around with their middle order a bit. One possible solution is playing Uthappa down the order. Other than Gambhir, he seems to be the only batsmen in this lineup to have the required technique and the positive mindset to play against the spinners. He hasn’t scored big runs so far but has looked in good touch every time he’s batted. Perhaps, he’s a better fit in a middle order which has failed to figure out how to finish an innings properly.
Kolkata also seriously need to consider pushing Andre Russell up ahead of Yusuf Pathan. Watching Pathan in the last two games has been excruciating. It is difficult to believe that this is the same man who invoked fear among bowlers a few years ago. Nowadays, he seems a pale shadow of his former self, playing exaggerated defensive shots, trying (and failing) to play the sort of game that is alien to him.
On the other hand, Russell is wasted at No. 7. On current form he seems a better batsman than Pathan. He can easily come in earlier and take the game by the scruff of the neck. Royal Challengers Bangalore were making the same mistake by sending in De Villiers late; they have rectified the situation by pushing ABD up to No. 3. It’s time KKR take a leaf out of that book.
Losing matches they should win
KKR have strong reasons to worry. This is their third loss now. All of them have come in matches where they’ve conspired to lose from very strong positions.
This indicates that they’re freezing at key moments – letting the pressure muddle up their brains. The team management has to step in now and talk to the players. Because if this trend continues even a little longer, Kolkata’s chances of winning another IPL crown will be remote.
Chennai Super Kings (134 for 6) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (132 for 9) by 2 runs.
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