Navi Mumbai: Mumbai Indians vice-captain Zaheer Khan was thrilled at making his maiden final of IPL. But, despite the win, he says the team's feet remain firmly on the ground.
Excerpts:
On Sachin Tendulkar’s injury: Yeah, we are a little worried, in a couple of days we are going to take a call. Let’s see how he shapes up, obviously he’s got a few stitches on his hand, it’s a bit of a worry but we are going to take a call in a couple of days time. To be honest everyone was so happy in the dressing room, and they were just jumping around, so I haven’t really had a chance to speak to him. But I spoke to (coach) Robin (Singh) and he said [in a] couple of days time we’ll take a call [on] how exactly he shapes up.
On his role as stand-in captain: Well, yeah, it was unexpected, it was unfortunate that Sachin had to leave the field and I had to take the responsibility. Yeah, it was good, I mean all’s well that ends well. We are happy that we are in the final - that was the major cause and [we] just want to keep focused and wait till [the] 25th comes for the last push.
On MI’s over-dependence on Sachin Tendulkar: Whichever team he plays for relies on him - no doubt about that. Obviously today it was unfortunate that he got out early and injured his hand but we’ve reached the final so not all credit goes to him.
On the extent of the injury: Well I don’t know what exactly the status is. And, honestly, I am a cricketer not a physio (laughs) so I’d like to stick to my job. I hope he plays in the final, I am sure all the Mumbai Indians supporters would be praying that he plays in the final and we all also expect him to play. But some things are not in your hands. As I said, we are going to take a call in a couple of days times so we just need to be patient, wait for a couple of days and see how it is, you never know.
On the Mumbai Indians bowling attack: See, our bowling unit has been performing really well, I am really happy with their effort, even today our plan was to be aggressive up front because the first six overs were really crucial. And I was really happy with the intensity on the field, the whole team was up for it, you know they were running hard on the field and looking for the early breakthroughs.
On contending with batsmen like Kieron Pollard: Well, that’s the nature of T20 cricket, you need to be able to handle pressure well, you need to get your yorkers going, you need to be clear in your mind what’s your plan. So it’s really important to be clear about your plan and just stick to it and execute it well, that’s the way I look at it.
On the pitch and getting Kevin Pietersen’s wicket: Well it was Harbhajan’s call, he wanted to bowl from this end, last match we played at DY Patil he bowled from this end. So it was his call, see, I mean at the end of the day you still got Pietersen out from this end so I am happy with that.
On the importance of Abhishek Nayar: Abhishek is our key player, he’s been playing for Mumbai Indians for the last couple of years, he’s been really consistent. The initial part of IPL (2010) he was struggling with injury and as he is [now] fit we wanted to use him up the order so that (Ambati) Rayudu can face spinners in the middle overs.
On the final being a day after Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday: Knowing Sachin I am sure he is up for it. It doesn’t matter what has happened exactly right now in this game, I am still hopeful. That’s the reason we are saying we are going to take a call in a couple of days time and see how things shape up.
On him thinking of giving a birthday gift (winning the competition) to Sachin Tendulkar: Well that will be a belated birthday gift I guess.
Navi Mumbai: Mumbai Indians vice-captain Zaheer Khan was thrilled at making his maiden final of IPL. But, despite the win, he says the team's feet remain firmly on the ground.
Excerpts:
On Sachin Tendulkar’s injury: Yeah, we are a little worried, in a couple of days we are going to take a call. Let’s see how he shapes up, obviously he’s got a few stitches on his hand, it’s a bit of a worry but we are going to take a call in a couple of days time. To be honest everyone was so happy in the dressing room, and they were just jumping around, so I haven’t really had a chance to speak to him. But I spoke to (coach) Robin (Singh) and he said [in a] couple of days time we’ll take a call [on] how exactly he shapes up.
On his role as stand-in captain: Well, yeah, it was unexpected, it was unfortunate that Sachin had to leave the field and I had to take the responsibility. Yeah, it was good, I mean all’s well that ends well. We are happy that we are in the final - that was the major cause and [we] just want to keep focused and wait till [the] 25th comes for the last push.
On MI’s over-dependence on Sachin Tendulkar: Whichever team he plays for relies on him - no doubt about that. Obviously today it was unfortunate that he got out early and injured his hand but we’ve reached the final so not all credit goes to him.
On the extent of the injury: Well I don’t know what exactly the status is. And, honestly, I am a cricketer not a physio (laughs) so I’d like to stick to my job. I hope he plays in the final, I am sure all the Mumbai Indians supporters would be praying that he plays in the final and we all also expect him to play. But some things are not in your hands. As I said, we are going to take a call in a couple of days times so we just need to be patient, wait for a couple of days and see how it is, you never know.
On the Mumbai Indians bowling attack: See, our bowling unit has been performing really well, I am really happy with their effort, even today our plan was to be aggressive up front because the first six overs were really crucial. And I was really happy with the intensity on the field, the whole team was up for it, you know they were running hard on the field and looking for the early breakthroughs.
On contending with batsmen like Kieron Pollard: Well, that’s the nature of T20 cricket, you need to be able to handle pressure well, you need to get your yorkers going, you need to be clear in your mind what’s your plan. So it’s really important to be clear about your plan and just stick to it and execute it well, that’s the way I look at it.
On the pitch and getting Kevin Pietersen’s wicket: Well it was Harbhajan’s call, he wanted to bowl from this end, last match we played at DY Patil he bowled from this end. So it was his call, see, I mean at the end of the day you still got Pietersen out from this end so I am happy with that.
On the importance of Abhishek Nayar: Abhishek is our key player, he’s been playing for Mumbai Indians for the last couple of years, he’s been really consistent. The initial part of IPL (2010) he was struggling with injury and as he is [now] fit we wanted to use him up the order so that (Ambati) Rayudu can face spinners in the middle overs.
On the final being a day after Sachin Tendulkar’s birthday: Knowing Sachin I am sure he is up for it. It doesn’t matter what has happened exactly right now in this game, I am still hopeful. That’s the reason we are saying we are going to take a call in a couple of days time and see how things shape up.
On him thinking of giving a birthday gift (winning the competition) to Sachin Tendulkar: Well that will be a belated birthday gift I guess.
Dharmasala: MS Dhoni, the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, who helped his team defeat Kings XI Punjab and bag a semi-final spot spoke to the media after the win.
Excerpts:
On whether CSK should have made the semis earlier: Of course, we should have. But at the end of the day the fact is we won. So [I’m] quite happy to be on the winning side. It was a tough thing to wait till the end. If we can perform better in the semi-finals [it will be good] - from now on it’s the knockout stage. Personally I call it the lottery stage where a player needs to click at the right time. You need individuals who rise to the occasion and give you a brilliant performance which can take the game away from the opponent. So let’s hope for the best.
On his team’s bowling not really clicking: Of course, we have been struggling. If you see, more often than not, our main bowlers have not bowled their full quota of overs. It’s not that it has happened just once. It has happened on more than one occasion that we have had to use part-timers. Suresh Raina has been doing that job. Our problem is we don’t have that many part-timers. At the same time that is one of the reasons we featured Justin Kemp in this game. He can bowl at least one over if he doesn’t do well, and more if he does do well. But at the end of the day we are struggling a bit when it comes to our bowling department. But I think our batting also [can be improved], we need to lift our game a bit. I was not in great nick, Matthew Hayden hasn’t been in great nick. I believe in a Twenty20 game, it’s not just about being in form. It’s all about just one game, a couple of balls in the middle and all of a sudden you are back in form […] Overall we need to lift our game.
On the Dharamsala stadium: It’s a beautiful stadium. We all know that. There’s no second opinion about it. It is one of the most beautiful stadiums, if not the most beautiful. I think Anurag Thakur [HPCA President], along with the office bearers and the groundsmen, has done a really good job. It’s a very pleasant atmosphere, you can say, because this time of the year if you are playing in Chennai or any other venue it’s quite hot. But it wasn’t hot, even for the 4’o clock game, so it was good to play. [It was a ] good wicket, [when] 190 runs are scored and the opponent is able to chase [the target] that means the wicket was quite good. So overall, [I’m] quite happy with the venue, the wicket and the hospitality also.
On whether Dharamsala is geared to host international games: Why not? You know, there are a few things that need to be done. The travelling and everything - they are trying their best. They have [made] arrangements [to the best of their ability]. And slowly it will get better and better, so why not? Why can’t we play an international game [here]? But it’s going to be quite tiring, if we are playing a seven ODI series, or five ODI series and it’s the last game then you can imagine going all the way to Kangra and back - it can be a bit of trouble. But you always want to take trouble for a beautiful place like this.
On whether they have any special plans for their bowling in the semis: From the beginning we have been [making efforts to see our] bowling department performs well. Out of the 14 games, we have bowled brilliantly in one or two games like against Kolkata [Knight Riders] and one or two other games. But if you talk of consistent performances, then we haven’t been consistent. We rely heavily on our batsmen to deliver. Suresh Raina has scored the most runs for us, every time he’s the person batting at No. 3. He takes the bowlers on. Badri [S Badrinath] has done well. I am hoping we perform as a team. I hope the bowlers lift their game because it’s a knockout stage. Wickets will be quite different. Frankly, I found out that it’s quite difficult to bowl in Chennai because you don’t get much movement off the wicket and there’s plenty of bounce to play good shots. More often than not even if you mis-hit a delivery you get a six for it. Overall, [it’s] a difficult venue to bowl [at]. But at the end of the day when we are touring we should be bowling better.
On the Dharmasala wicket: It was a good wicket. [There was] a lot of grass cover that had been left on the wicket. But if you leave this much grass for an international match then there are better bowlers to exploit the conditions - so you won’t see this much grass in international games. But overall, [I’m] very happy with the wicket.
On facing MI and planning for Sachin Tendulkar: Well, people have been planning against him for the past 20 years, but nothing really works. So we just hope that he commits a mistake and it works in our favour. It’s not like you can come up with something and say it’s something that will work against Sachin. And it’s not as if Sachin is the only player they have got. They have got big hitters, they have got good bowlers. Especially with the signing of new domestic players they have become a very even side. Their batting line-up is doing well, their openers are doing well, their bowlers are doing well, so they are playing good consistent cricket. But as I say, it’s the lottery stage, commit a few mistakes or bowlers bowl a few good deliveries and you can be under some sort of pressure […]
On MI getting a lot of support with the semis being held in Mumbai: Yes, of course that is expected. So you can say they will be the favourites. They will have a good amount of crowd support. But [even the] Indian cricket team [has] lost in India, so even with the crowd support you can lose. At the end of the day, you are supposed to play well on the field […] In this kind of format, the game changes very quickly.
On the emotional response to winning against KXIP: Of course, it was a very emotional moment for me because the franchise plays professional cricket. The franchise has been really nice when it comes to the amount of respect they have given to the individuals, whether they are the players or support staff and people around. We have never had any trouble with the franchise. We have a very good side at the same time, so we are at least expected to reach the semi-finals if we are playing good, consistent cricket over a period of time. That’s what IPL is all about. You have to been in the semi-finals if you are a good side. It definitely means that even though in the last two editions we haven’t been able to win the Cup, we have been part of the semi-finals - it says [we] have played good, consistent cricket. Ok, we had fitness issues throughout, we signed [Andrew] Flintoff - he got injured. We had [Jacob] Oram in the first edition, he was there for four-five games, after that he went to play for New Zealand, he got injured and he was not the same when he came back. So I think we suffered a lot because of injuries. At the start of this season, we had Justin Kemp, he got injured. Albie Morkel struggled a bit, I got injured myself after the second game. So we have been struggling with injuries and with the form of our domestic bowlers, the Indian seamers you can say [things became difficult]. It was an emotional moment. We should have been in the semi-finals before this game. I had predicted the last time we played Kings XI Punjab [that the loss] would really hurt us. And it really was hurting before the start of the game. The kind of batting they did, the way they played. At the end of the 20 overs it was very difficult to say if we could chase down the 190-odd runs or not. So it was an emotional moment. And Suresh Raina again gave us a good start, soaked up all the pressure. He and Badri [S Badrinath] batted really well. Because of the small ground and because of the high altitude, you can say, the ball travels really far, the outfield was very quick. So it was there at the back of the mind that whatever runs you may need in the last few overs, you can achieve […] Because the wicket was also good and you want [to put] the bowlers also under the same sort of pressure. Both the bowler and you are under the same amount of pressure […] There are 60 to 70 per cent chances that I may succeed - that’s what really happened in this game.
On the final over: It’s never easy. Twenty20 is not only about the pace, otherwise bowlers who bowl 150 [kmph] would have been the most consistent bowlers. I think the bowlers need to be smart and I knew that my batting strength is my power. Not [that] I am the most technically sound batsman. I knew that the bowler and I were under the same sort of pressure. I knew that if he bowls in my area I would look to hit and I was just hoping that he commits a mistake and bowls in my area more than me playing some extraordinary shot. So I think he bowled in my area thrice at least in the four-five deliveries. And it worked in our favour.
On whether playing the semis would mean less time to rest before ICC World T20: Well, of course, but you want to live in the present. I am a person who lives in the present, so I am not thinking too much about the T20 World Cup right now. But as you said, basically I get less time, which means that I would have played a serious T20 game before the first T20 World Cup game that I would be playing. So the time difference between two professional games would be very less, which would be very good for us, in a way. So there are positives, there are negatives, but I am not really surprised.
On the slowness of the wickets this year: Not really. Initially [in the] the tournament, most of the wickets were good for the batsmen and as the tournament progressed, the wickets [moved to] the slower side. Even the Chennai wicket, which is considered one of the better batting tracks we have [slowed down] - the last couple of games we played the wicket was on the slower side. More often than not you have a maximum of two wickets [prepared] for IPL. You can’t really make the whole square, so as the tournament progresses, they get slower and slower [...] I don’t think [in comparison] to the first edition the wickets have gone slower, it’s just that the wear and tear is there because we play lots and lots of games and the time gap between two games is less. The groundsmen don’t get enough time to prepare the wicket. And the conditions are also not suitable [for a good batting pitch]. It’s very hot and humid at almost all the venues, so that can be one of the reasons.
McLeodganj: Cricketers suffer from a lot of stress both on and off the field and are in constant need of spiritual guidance to be able to handle it all better. And the weekend saw a lucky few IPL stars meet a spiritual guru who helped guide them towards the path to inner peace.
The players of Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings and IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi were among those to be blessed by Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in a one-on-one meeting.
The Nobel laureate was a special guest at both the IPL matches played at Dharamsala and watched the games along with several Buddhist monks from his monastery.
On Sunday, His Holiness met the KXIP and CSK cricketers before the game began and presented them with the ‘khata’, a traditional ceremonial scarf. All the players sought his blessing to not only improve their game but also to find spiritual fulfillment.
The Dalai Lama watched the match in the company of Preity Zinta, co-owner of Kings XI Punjab and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) president Anurag Thakur.
Earlier on Saturday, the players of Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers teams along with IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi had the good fortune of having an audience with the spiritual leader at his official home at McLeodganj.
The players and a host of IPL officials attended a one-and-a-half hour long discourse by His Holiness with the Dalai Lama exhorting the group to look within for peace.
The discourse was followed by a question and answer session in which Yuvraj Singh and others asked questions to the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama also chatted with the players and even told Yuvraj that the only sport he had played was table tennis, once even with a Chinese Prime Minister.
Modi, who had been accompanied by his wife, said he felt enlightened after listening to the Tibetan spiritual leader.
"His teachings are very meaningful and one derives peace of mind listening to him," Modi said.
“I am feeling relaxed after listening to the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama,” Modi said, adding that he “needed the Dalai Lama’s blessings”.
“From today, I shall be a changed man. I could relate to a lot of things he said,” KXIP bowler Sreesanth declared after meeting with the Dalai Lama.
Speaking after his audience with the Dalai Lama, Yuvraj said that the monastery had a very calming effect on him and also that he found His Holiness’ discourse inspiring.
On the aspect of handling the constant stress of winning and performing, he said that though he would still have to grapple with it, he would do so with a calmer mind.
Dharamsala: Kings XI Punjab coach Tom Moody spoke to the media one last time about his team’s IPL 2010 campaign after their loss to Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday.
Excerpts
On his IPL 2010 experience
Oh, look it was a difficult season there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately we had too many games like tonight where we had winning scores that we failed to defend. We just didn’t execute [the plan] as well as we should have in all three disciplines - bat, ball and in the field consistently throughout the whole [season]. Hence you know we’ve had a number of defeats, in a competition like this where it’s high intensity, a high standard you need to bring high standards to that game every single time and we failed to do that. Tonight I thought we batted superbly well, we got a score that was a score that we should have definitely defended. But due to some missed opportunities in the field and some poor execution with the ball, we ended up coming second. It’s as simple as that. But you’ve got to give credit to Chennai - they kept themselves in the run chase right till the end. And even with two overs to go you would have probably felt that we were slightly in favour but we just didn’t execute our yorkers as well as we should have done in the last 12 balls.
On the bowlers going for too many runs
I wouldn’t say they bowled like millionaires - I wouldn’t be terming it that way. Yeah there is nothing you can do on the sidelines as a coach. You prepare the side, you discuss strategy, you talk about areas you’d like the bowlers to bowl in to certain players, certain bowling changes are discussed. At the end of the day the players are the ones who take responsibility, the players are the one who get the rewards and accolades when they do well. And when it doesn’t go in their favour, obviously as a team you suffer, you come second. There is nothing you can do on the sidelines. All you can do is try to get the strategy right and prepare well so the players can hopefully execute on the night.
On the team’s cohesiveness
It is important to have that connection in the team. We didn’t have any huge issues within the playing group. Even though halfway through the season there was speculation of a rift between certain players that certainly wasn’t the case. The case was that we had a number of players out of form, and it wasn’t until the back half of the season that our batsmen [found] form, and the second [impediment] was the number of injuries. So which really affected our strike power more than anything else. We didn’t have the ability with the ball to have an impact bowler like a Doug Bollinger or a Dale Steyn. Brett Lee came back from injury – it’s probably fair to say that [he was only] 80% [fit]. And [his fitness], along with a couple of other injuries that we suffered [hit us badly]. James Hopes not even turning up because of a calf injury, Jerome Taylor not even appearing in this IPL because of a back problem [really cost us]. Rusty Theron did a great job, but his role is more towards the back end of the innings and not as a front line strike bowler. At times our attack lacked teeth, if I could put it that way, tonight was a good example where the spinners did a terrific job out there. It put us in a wonderful position but all our medium pacers went for plenty.
On Yuvraj Singh being out of form this season
I think at the end of the day Yuvraj [Singh] came into the start of the IPL having recovered from a wrist injury. So he was out of the game for about a month with a wrist injury, so he had [played] no cricket. He was still having a few issues with the wrist in the first part of the tournament - that was quite evident just even at practice. So it’s hard for a batsman to catch up, you know every batsman needs time in the middle. In T20 cricket you don’t tend to have a lot of time and there’s only 20 overs per side so it was a difficult one for Yuvraj going into a season like this, particularly for a player like him. There’s so much expectation - every time he walks to the crease people expect sixes and there’s always that memory of the six sixes in an over - it’s always a tough one for Yuvi. End of the day I feel that he’s coming into some good form and I think he’s showed that in the last few games. And you can guarantee he’ll have a good [ICC T20] World Cup.
On the rumours surrounding the team ownership
I don’t really want to comment about that, because it’s got nothing to do with me. There have been a number of rumours about the team and the sale of the team. That’s been going on for weeks, months. At the end of the day I certainly hope I am involved with the Kings XI. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Outside of the infrastructure of the tournament we need to put things into place and there have been a number of discussions about those plans already. I look forward to the opportunity to work on those and build the franchise [and see it emerge as] one of the strongest in the competition.
On the areas of improvement for the next season
It’s very difficult to answer that because we don’t know who we going to have. It’s an unknown [scenario] so we’re stepping into a new phase in IPL where we don’t know yet how many players we can retain - whether it’ll be overseas players, Indian capped players or domestic players. There’s a big question mark on that and we’ve got two new franchises coming in. So they obviously want to have a say on player availability. What we can do, though, in the mean time is look at all the operational type of things - how we can be more efficient off the field with our operations, cricket operations and the whole franchise operations. And when we do know where we stand with regards to player availability - retaining players and what the situation is with the auction, overseas players, domestic players and capped players - we can move forward.
On the difference between coaching a national team and an IPL team
It’s interesting; there is a very fine line between success and failure. We came into this competition this year as the second team with the most wins. So we were the second most successful team as a franchise. We got a lot right in the first two years, we’ve had a few issues with regards to […] how we approach things. What we need to do is just strive to be better at what we do, and be smarter about how we go about things. And I think every team, every player, every coach, every physio – everyone is involved with this competition. If they are not striving to improve on their performances and [make the most of] the lessons that they’ve learnt from previous seasons, well they are going to go backwards. I personally, along with every single player in this franchise, will go away and look at how they can do things better because this is a fast growing competition. T20 is, realistically, still in its infant stages, but the game is developing. There are new ways to play it, there are new strategies to be learnt and there are new ways to be successful in different phases of the game. The team that [has a coach] that keeps up with the pace of the game is going to be in good hands.
On the disappointing performance of the domestic players this season
There’s no question that the teams that are [tasting] success this year are teams that have got domestic players that have stood up. We’ve had a season where we’ve had a number of players that haven’t shown that consistency in their performance when given the opportunity. I’ll be never pointing a finger at a particular player, I’ll never be pointing a finger at a particular group of players whether it be domestic players or capped Indian players or overseas players. But everyone is responsible. It’s very evident that teams that are successful this season have had either an influx of new domestic players in their squad - a lot of them are the released ICL players - and they have really kicked on and given a lot of teams and the squads a lot of depth in strength.
“The Mumbai Indians might just be off the boil because they are already assured of topping the league table. However, it would be a big mistake if they rest their big guns ahead of the semifinals, because it could disrupt momentum, going into the knockout phase. They must not do anything that will break the winning habit, because decisions to rest players or give someone a break can often backfire in a must win situation,”wrote Steve Waugh in The Times of India.
“One of the many lessons I have learned during 16 years of professional cricket is that it is much easier to perform under pressure when there isn’t actually any pressure! The Mumbai Indians had qualified for the semifinals a week ago so when they needed to catch up with their desired run right having made a fairly slow start it was a lot easier for JP Duminy to hit the accelerator knowing that there really wasn’t much to lose. ... I am told that the Royal Challengers are still guaranteed a semifinal place, but funny things happen when teams get desperate massive scores, huge victory margins and wildly fluctuating run rates so I’ll wait for the last league match to be played before thinking about the semis,” Jacques Kallis wrote in The Times of India.
“On Monday we take on Mumbai Indians in our last league game..... Not only is their starting XI a quality one, their bench-strength too is good. It will be interesting to see who Mumbai play for Mondays match. It’s also tougher to get ready for a game after travelling. Either way this is KKRs last IPL at the Eden this season. Personally, this is one of my favourite grounds and I have loved it here: the fans are terrific and it’s just awesome to hear your name being chanted,” Shane Bond wrote in The Times of India.
“If we get the opportunity to do something special, in order to reach the last four, we will give it our best shot. If our match against the Mumbai Indians turns out to be a matter of statistical interest, we will still try and give our fans something to cheer about…. On the personal front, the going with the bat has not been bad. A lot of people are surprised by my fielding effort… it is a reflection of the hard work put in throughout the year. We are not that bad a team that we need to depend on others to decide our fate. But there is still a silver lining. As our team slogan says, miles to go and promises to keep,” Kolkata Knight Riders skipper, Sourav Ganguly wrote in the Hindustan Times.
"Entire team has to take responsibility. We did not play as a team. We should have batted with more responsibility. We never chased convincingly in the entire tournament. We were in positions to chase convincingly but we were not consistent. If we lose four out of five matches we do not deserve to be in semifinals," Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir was quoted as saying by the Indian Express after their loss to the Deccan Chargers.
“Like any foreign captain, it took me a while to understand each and every player, his ability, temperament and utility to the team. The loss of form of the main players like Mahela, Yuvi and myself had compounded our misery,” Kumara Sangakkara, captain Kings XI Punjab told The Times of India. He added, “Our recent victories over the top two teams Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, show that we are not a bad team, but put ourselves in a bad position by playing poor cricket at the beginning. … it feels good to step on the toes of the teams desperate for semifinal berths. Being party-spoilers at the late stage has given us some pleasure.”
“Shane Warne is not sure whether he will play in the fourth season of IPL. The Rajasthan Royals captain-cum-coach gave himself a 50-50 chance of playing next season. I have not been playing too much cricket and needed a couple of games to get into it. I think I bowled well after the first three games, he said. The fact that he is 40 and not getting younger, is not lost on him. As of now, I really don’t know,” reported the Times of India.
“The tournament is springing surprises everyday and few games have produced results to keep us alive, maybe with a remote chance. But we need to survive on our own, look at our cause, win matches and keep the tournament alive for ourselves. … It is indeed painful to find ourselves in the current situation…We should try and find solace for our millions of fans by winning the last two matches at home. At least, they will realize that the Knight Riders' were a team, who had the potential of a podium finish but just didn't make it. As captain though, it shall be no consolation for me,” Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Sourav Ganguly wrote in the Hindustan Times.
“It's not in our hands now. It depends on Deccan Chargers who have two matches while we have only one. We are supposed to win that match and hope — that is not wishing them bad — they go down. The loss against Kings XI Punjab really hurts you,” Mahindra Singh Dhoni, captain, Chennai Super Kings was quoted as saying by DNA. He added, “One of the departments of concern is the fast bowling. If we had one or two Indian fast bowlers who could have done well consistently, then the whole combination of the side would have changed.”
“I know that a lot of us want to be out there all the time, but it doesn’t happen in the IPL with ten guys on the squads but only four places in a playing XI. I understand that situation too because the IPL is as much about big-ticket cricket and glamour as it is about the development of Indian players, particularly the younger ones. Then there are times, like on Thursday night, that you see the experience of a seasoned Indian first class player come through at a key moment. We’ve got a few in the Daredevils squad and we know how valuable they are,” Daniel Vettori wrote in The Times of India.
“Our support staff has done a great job but they cannot go out and play for us, and against Chennai we needed something special after losing four early wickets. The pitch had reasonable carry and bounce, though it was the spinners who had a field day and Ashwin was really good. Raina, too, was brilliant and took the game away from us: he never really gave us a chance,” wrote Shane Bond in The Times of India.
Bengaluru: Anil Kumble won the toss and decided to ask Mumbai Indians to bat first.
Speaking to Mike Haysman, he said that “It’s a good wicket and the ball will come on to the bat. It will slow down a little later, so we’d like to bowl first.” He also added that their strength lies in chasing down targets and in the batting order, so he opted to bowl first. The Royal Challengers Bangalore side is unchanged for this match.
Sachin Tendulkar did not have any qualms on losing the toss, and said “It has a good amount of grass cover, and the wicket looks quite true, and it will come onto the bat well.”
Speaking to Sunil Gavaskar, he said that even though they have made it to the semi-finals, they would be looking to continue the winning momentum. The Mumbai Indians have revamped their side for this match.
While Dilhara Fernando retained his place in Mumbai Indians line-up, Aditya Tare and Abhishek Nayyar are getting a match and Ryan McLaren is also a part of the playing XI. Also out of the playing XI are Chandan Madan and Ali Murtaza.
Starting XIs
Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar (captain), JP Duminy, Saurabh Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Dilhara Fernando, Aditya Tare (wk), Abhishek Nayar, Ryan McLaren
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (captain), Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Kevin Pietersen, Robin Uthappa (wk), Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, R Vinay Kumar, Dale Steyn, Pankaj Singh
Kolkata: As the Eden Gardens stadium saw a steady stream of spectators filling the stands, visiting captain Shane Warne of Rajasthan Royals won the toss and elected to bat first.
The host captain, Sourav Ganguly, will be determined to go out and win this game for pride now that all realistic chances for Kolkata Knight Riders have been extinguished. Murali Kartik, who had performed impressively for the side, returns from injury while McCullum will take over wicketkeeping duties from Wriddhimaan Saha. David Hussey has been left out of the squad, as has Ajit Agarkar while Shane Bond gets an outing here in Kolkata.
Warne, on the other hand, needs to win this vital encounter and earn two valuable points to give Rajasthan’s semi-final quest a final push. Aaron Finch gets his first game of the tournament while Michael Lumb sits this one out.
Teams:
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (captin), Aaron Finch, Naman Ojha (wk), Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Adam Voges, Faiz Fazal, Paras Dogra, Abhishek Raut, Siddharth Trivedi, Kamran Khan
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Cheteshwar Pujara, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Angelo Mathews, Shane Bond, Murali Kartik, Ashoke Dinda, Jaidev Unadkat
Bengaluru: The Mumbai Indians juggernaut rolled on for one more game continuing their reign over the points table of IPL 2010.
In a return match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here against hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians turned in a solid all-round team effort.
The Mumbai Indians added two more points to their tally with a confidence-boosting win in preparation for the semi-finals. For the hosts, the loss by 57 runs meant that they needed to watch the results of the other fixtures with a lot of interest.
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble seemed to have got it right with his call to field first. His strike bowler Dale Steyn bowled a mean spell, but the other bowlers did not back up the fast bowler.
Set to chase Mumbai Indians’ target of 191-4, the Royal Challengers Bangalore innings never took off.
Kieron Pollard’s spell of 3-28, complemented by Dilhara Fernando (2-24) and Harbhajan Singh (2-29) helped Mumbai Indians win by a massive margin.
For the home team, the fall of Jacques Kallis early on put pressure on the line-up. The middle-order crumbled as the asking rate mounted and the big-hitters like Robin Uthappa just could not turn it on.
Earlier, the Mumbai Indians innings was built around a team effort as the batsmen contributed massively to the total.
Ambati Rayudu weighed in with 46 off 27 balls with three fours and four sixes. Rayudu and Sachin Tendulkar’s newest opening partner, Ryan McLaren, shared a crucial 69-run second wicket stand.
This alliance propelled Mumbai Indians to a strong base from where the strikers could use the long handle to good effect.
That’s exactly what happened as Kieron Pollard walked in and slammed sixes at will. Pollard scored a dramatic 20 off 7 balls with three successive sixes (6, 6, 6) off a Pankaj Singh over.
Then it was up to Jean Paul Duminy to provide the late flourish. The South African left-hander dictated terms to the Royal Challengers during his crucial stay at the crease. Duminy made 42 off 19 balls with three fours and three sixes.
The Duminy charge right at the end of the innings added meat to the Mumbai Indians innings and pushed the score just beyond the Royal Challengers’ reach.
In the end it was Tendulkar who walked away with the Orange Cap, leaving Kallis to chase him in the semi-finals if his team make it there.
Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Mumbai Indians
When: April 17, 2010, 4 pm
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Who won: Mumbai Indians
How: By 57 runs
Man-of-the-match: Ryan McLaren
MVP of the match: Ambati Rayudu
What’d he do?: He was the one that got things started for the Mumbai outfit. His 46 off 27 balls set the foundation for the likes of Pollard and Duminy to exploit in the latter stages.
Turning point: Well begun is half the job done - RCB never got going and were behind the eight ball right from the word go. No momentum, no impetus - a complete non-starter proved by the fact that the Challengers took 23 balls to hit their first boundary.
Longest hit: Rayudu danced down the track and up she went, way way over the long-on boundary for a 93-metre monster hit.
Innovative stroke: Necessity breeds invention - MI certainly needed some invention and Rayudu provided just that with a delectable shuffle and flick behind square.
Dot-ball hero: Dilhara Fernando kept a tight leash on the RCB batsmen throughout, suffocating the Challengers’ chase with 14 dot balls.
Captain vs. Captain: Disappointing with the ball, bereft of ideas while captaining, Anil Kumble had a day to forget. His compatriot and opposite number, on the other hand, had a gala time. Despite failing with the bat, Sachin Tendulkar did the most important thing a captain needs to – winning the match.
Moment of the match: “Hit that”, said McLaren and Kallis had no chance and found his middle stump lying on the ground in disarray, much like RCB’s hopes of victory after losing their batting lynchpin.
Interesting fact of the match: RCB took 23 balls in their innings to find the boundary rope. Kallis’ six off Zaheer Khan was RCB’s first boundary of the match.
What
The Kings XI Punjab play for pride in their last match as they face the Chennai Super Kings in what is a must-win match for the men in yellow
When
Sunday, April 18, 4pm
Where
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, Dharamsala
The Protagonists
Mahela Jayawardene – His captain Kumar Sangakkara had seen Mahela Jayawardene at his fluid best when opening the innings for Wayamba during the recent Sri Lankan T20 tournament. So he decided to promote the right-hander up the order and the risk yielded massive dividends, reviving their semi-final hopes, albeit briefly. The Kings XI have been playing the role of party-spoiler for many teams, and will be looking to pull off another upset.
Doug Bollinger – Ravichandran Ashwin may be grabbing the headlines for his bowling and being an able deputy for Muttiah Muralitharan, but the southpaw from New South Wales has quietly been chipping in with vital wickets and terrific deliveries. Explosive pace and lethal swing are always a deadly combination, and a pitch like Dharamsala can be his very own hunting ground.
Head to head
The Kings XI have been Chennai’s punch bag in the past, losing four matches out of five against them. The last match had a different outcome, however, as the Kings XI forced the match to head into a super over and came out on top in the decider.
Previous Encounter
The last match for the Kings XI against Deccan Chargers was a case of ‘so close yet so far’, as they couldn’t hold their nerve and the match slipped out of their hands. The Super Kings failed with the bat and couldn’t keep the pressure on the Delhi Daredevils long enough to secure a much-needed victory against their northern counterparts.
What next?
Punjab has pride to play for and will want to script a win to send out a warning signal to their rivals ahead of IPL 4. For the Super Kings, this match is in some ways a quarter-final clash. A comprehensive win for the Super Kings would give them two crucial points and aid their net run-rate as they look to reach the semi-finals at the last possible moment.
Dharamsala: Kings XI Punjab skipper Kumar Sangakkara put up a brave, yet philosophical, front as he spoke to the media after yet another loss for his team, this time against Deccan Chargers.
Excerpts:
On whether he is tired of offering up the reasons for a loss so often: Yeah, but we have got to be accountable at the end of the day. [We put a] great total on the board [and gave a] great opportunity for our bowlers to really execute game plans. And we fell way, way short.
On the pitch: [There was] some movement and bounce early on, but not much after that. [It was] quite a good track, much better than what we thought it would be.
On what they need to do next year: Well, I think it’s a few things. I think first of all to keep things as simple as we can and make sure everyone’s on the same page as to what the plans are and how well we execute them. We have got to make sure that we are supporting each other and everyone’s playing for each other and for the franchise with a lot of pride. And also make sure individually that we get better every year, every game we play. The real thing is to be a thinking cricketer, to understand what your side needs from you at that particular moment of the game. When you start reading the game you become a better player, you become a better team.
On the bowling plans: Yeah...everyone wants to win. No one wants to look back and unfortunately…today we had our bowling plans, we had great opportunities to use it up….unfortunately we had too many balls [that were] either half-trackers or not quite in the blockhole. Rohit Sharma batted really, really well to put those away. Unfortunately all the hard work done in a great innings by Mahela (Jayawardena) went in vain at the end of the day.
On whether the mood in the camp is to get the tournament over and done with: Well, not really. I think you know I want to win every time I play. If I don’t have that motivation and that drive, I don’t think I will be playing this game. Whether I play for my country or whether I play for my club or some other charity game, I still want to do good and perform as well as I can. So that’s what keeps driving me and I am sure that’s what drives all the players in the dressing room.
On how will he keep track of players: It’s difficult. International players you kind of see them on and off on tours. But local players, it gets really difficult. But I think we have got a good recruitment and coaching programme locally. So I think most of the work to be done has to be more on an individual basis where you take something away by playing on a stage like this. And you try and work on your own game when you play for your state and internationally.
On the Dharamsala venue: It’s a wonderful place. I think the people are extremely friendly, very hospitable. Beautiful place, beautiful ground, more cricket to be played here. I believe more teams would probably want to come here and play.
On whether he visited the Buddhist temple: No, I haven’t visited the temple as yet. [I] just walked around a bit, went to a couple of restaurants, that’s about it really.
On meeting the Dalai Lama: Well, I think he is such a world figure, religious figure. I think anyone is privileged to have an audience with him. There will be a lot of players out there who would want to visit the monastery.
On whether he is relieved at not making the semis: Not really. We are here to win, we want to win in every match we play and get into the semis, final, hopefully. But unfortunately this year it’s not going to.
"The man with the hardest job, of course, is the coach, Ray Jennings, who has to make the call on who takes the enforced rest. He is very forthright and honest, however, and although nobody would ever question his decisions, he always explains his thinking. Basically, as I have said several times already in this column, he has an impossible job given the number of world class players in the squad," wrote Jacques Kallis in The Times of India.
"I am a mentor. I help the batsmen, the bowlers and the captain in firming up strategies and team selection,” Wasim Akram was quoted as saying by The Times of India on his role within the Kolkata Knight Riders. He added, “Skipper Ganguly has led from the front, he is on time for practice, he dives around and is the best fielder in the team!"
"Just when you think you have seen all of India, you come across with something even more fascinating. It's so beautiful and I love every second of it,” Adam Gilchrist, skipper, Deccan Chargers was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times about Dharmasala. On their upcoming match against the Kings XI Punjab he added, “We need to keep winning and then hope that we have done enough to deserve a place in the semis. A huge team effort has been behind the turnaround in the last three games and we hope to keep it going."
"Essentially, the way we took the first six overs, both with ball and bat, won us the game. Before the match we had spoken about how we wanted our destiny to be in our hands, and not have to depend on net run rates or the results of other teams. It's an attitude that served us well, and we'll be taking it into our final league game of the season. All we want to do is build on our win, and look for- ward with a positive attitude," wrote Royal Challengers captain Anil Kumble in the Hindustan Times on his team’s approach for the previous game and the forthcoming ones.
"I will be playing at my home ground, and it’s obviously a special feeling. At the same time, I can tell you that it’s a bit weird not to have the crowd behind me. I have grown up playing at Eden Gardens and it will be really satisfying if I can perform in front of the crowd on Saturday,” said Abhishek Jhunjhunwala to The Telegraph while speaking about the upcoming match - KKR vs RR. On his performance so far, he said, "I am pretty satisfied with my performance so far. ... I hope I get to play a few more balls."
"Hayden has been our leading player, so him not batting well as he had been has affected us. I have also fired only in a few matches. After the injury, I wasn't 100 per cent sure of what I was doing in the middle. I am a sort of player who loves to spend more time on the wicket," Mahendra Singh Dhoni was quoted as saying by the Indian Express after Chennai Super Kings loss to Delhi Daredevils. On CSK’s chances for a semi-final spot, he said, “It's not in our hands now. It depends on Deccan Chargers, who have two matches while we have only one."
Dharamsala: On an unfamiliar territory, Adam Gilchrist won the toss and decided to field first.
Speaking to Pommie Mbangwa, the Deccan Chargers skipper said that because of the acceptance of the locals, this place felt more like home than Cuttack and Nagpur.
On the pitch, he said, “This pitch has got a lot of grass, and there’s no guarantee of how it’ll be either.”
He also said that if they (Deccan Chargers) bowled well and started well, then anything could be possible tonight and expressed the hope that they would get a good result.
As for the team changes, Harmeet Singh is out because of an injury and will be replaced by Rahul Sharma and Mitchell Marsh comes in for Herschelle Gibbs.
Kumar Sangakkara echoed Gilchrist’s words and said he too would have bowled first.
“This place reminds me a lot of Kandy as that too is at an elevation, but this is more beautiful with mountains around. It’s got the odd crack and patches of grass, but I think it’ll stay the same for the forty overs,” the KXIP captain said.
He also said that they would bat well and try to exert some pressure on the opposition.
Kings XI Punjab have brought in Vikramjeet Malik and Shalabh Srivastava in place of Ramesh Powar and Love Ablish respectively. Shaun Marsh is back and Adrian Barath has to sit out for the hosts.
Playing XIs
Kings XI Punjab
Kumar Sangakkara (c & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Shaun Marsh, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Karan Goel, Vikramjeet Singh Malik, Piyush Chawla, Shalabh Srivastava, Reetinder Sodhi, Juan Theron
Deccan Chargers
Adam Gilchrist (c & wk), Mohnish Mishra, Rohit Sharma, T Suman, Andrew Symonds, Bodapati Sumanth, Mitchell Marsh, Rahul Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, RP Singh, Ryan Harris
Match: Kings XI Punjab vs. Deccan Chargers
When: April 16, 2010, 8 pm
Where: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
Who won: Deccan Chargers
How: By 5 wickets
Man-of-the-match: Rohit Sharma
MVP of the match: Rohit Sharma
What’d he do?: His 65* off 38 balls was a master class in fine finishing as Sharma anchored the Chargers’ chase to perfection. A composed performance from the youngster ensured that the away side were never out of the match.
Longest hit: Mitchell Marsh provided that vital final flurry to the Chargers' chase as the Aussie all but ended the Kings' hopes with a massive straight hit (89 m) off Yuvraj Singh.
Dot-ball hero: Ryan Harris was the pick of the DC bowlers restricting the Kings XI batsmen brilliantly with 16 dot balls.
Captain vs. Captain: Kumar Sangakkara led from the front - scoring 52 for the Kings XI. But despite continuing with his disappointing form with the bat, Adam Gilchrist ended up on the winning side.
Off-beat moment: Andrew Symonds got a taste of something he didn’t quite bargain for. With a flurry of bugs and moths fluttering around the ground, one unlucky pest seemed to have made its way into Symonds’ mouth, forcing the Aussie to taken an early snack break.
Moment of the day: Five’s a charm for Mahela Jayawardene. The Sri Lankan took a liking to the left-arm medium pace of RP Singh, smashing the Charger to five consecutive fours in the 17th over (1, 0, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4).
Interesting fact of the match: Brothers in arms - Shaun (KXIP) and Mitchell Marsh (DC) are the second set of brothers to be playing in opposing teams in IPL 2010. Unfortunately, the older Marsh didn’t last long enough to face his kid brother Mitchell. The Pathan brothers were the first to play against each other this season.
Dharamsala: Rohit Sharma stormed Kings XI Punjab’s hilly bastion to power Deccan Chargers to a five-wicket victory over the hosts here tonight.
There was a danger of the rains ruining the night with a forecast predicting showers, thankfully it didn't rain. But the idyllic location did see a downpour - that of sixes from the bat of Sharma. The explosive middle-order bat seemed to have learnt from his experience against Rajasthan Royals and played intelligently to see his team through.
Sharma’s innings (68) was made up of precision timing, judicious power hitting and also running those precious singles and twos. He never seemed to be worried and despite losing partners at the other end, Sharma didn’t panic or play any rash shots.
The Maharashtra lad’s six in the 19th over that just eluded a fully stretched Piyush Chawla decided the game. And then B Sumanth completed the formalities by hitting a boundary in the last over.
The Deccan Chargers had earlier lost their skipper early again. His partner Mohnish Mishra soon joined him after a brief little cameo. This brought together T Suman and Sharma and the duo set off like an express train with each trying to outdo the other’s big hitting. Unfortunately, Suman (43) nicked a Piyush Chawla delivery for Adam Gilchrist to pouch it.
Earlier, the in-form Ryan Harris struck early getting rid of Shaun Marsh in the very first over for a golden duck. The early departure of the KXIP opener though denied cricket lovers the opportunity to see an interesting contest: Shaun facing his younger brother Mitchell’s bowling.
Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara didn’t let the early wicket affect them attacking the Chargers with aplomb. But the bowlers, who were getting appreciable bounce and swing from the helpful pitch, would feel unlucky at not having got a nick despite making the two batsmen play and miss regularly.
The Sri Lankan duo rode their luck, with Jayawardene being dropped when he was on 21 and then again in the 16th over the culprit both times being Rahul Sharma. Sangakkara (52) scored a quick-fire half-century. But he couldn’t quite kick on, getting out to an overambitious reverse sweep against leggie Rahul Sharma.
Jayawardene, on the other hand, took full advantage of his lifeline scoring freely with boundaries galore and a couple of sixes. His unbeaten 93 being the chief contribution towards the team total of 174.
Other News
Preview: KXIP vs CSK
Desperate Chennai seek to book semi-final berth
4/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 72
Snappy Report: RCB vs MI
Mumbai boys set the stage for the semis with a fine all-round display against RCB
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 329
Mumbai team come together to script big win
MI bowlers and batsmen contribute equally to emphatic win over hosts RCB
3/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 654
Toss Report KKR vs RR
Shane Warne wins toss, Rajasthan Royals to bat first
4.5/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 215
Toss Report: RCB vs MI
Kumble wins toss, RCB to bowl first
4/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 228
Newspaper round-up: April 17
Being party-spoilers at the late stage has given us some pleasure: Kumara Sangakkara
4.6666666666667/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 38
Sangakkara looks to the future
KXIP skipper is already thinking about IPL 2011
4/5
1
2
3
4
5
0 | 14216 Apr 2010 A | A | A | A
Sharma stays the course
Dharamsala: Rohit Sharma, the hero of the Deccan Chargers run-chase against Kings XI Punjab, was relieved to have won the game for his side in a hard-fought encounter. He spoke to the media after the game.
Excerpts:
On his innings: Yeah I think it was important to stay right till the end, considering the ground and everything – the wicket was completely good for batting so I thought one of the batsmen has to stay till the end. 175 is a pretty decent total I feel, but, you know, like I said, one batsman has to be there so that was my plan.
On whether he was worried after Andrew Symonds’ dismissal: Yeah, I think so, because he is in great form and obviously his wicket at that point of time was very crucial for us. But, as I said, one (batsman) had to stay there.
On the pitch: The wicket was very good, it was coming on to the bat well, but it was slow at one end because it was dry there and on the other side it was coming on well. So for the fast bowlers, I wouldn’t say easy, but the ball was coming on to the bat.
On how important KXIP wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara missing Tirumalasetti Suman’s stumping was: Yeah, obviously, because I was very new to the crease, and losing back-to-back wickets makes it difficult. So he was lucky I would say - he escaped.
On the preparations for the next match against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday: For the time being we’ve won this match so we are happy about that, tomorrow we’ll go to Delhi and think about that there.
Gilchrist praises Sharma character
Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist was a happy man as he spoke to the media after the win against Kings XI Punjab.
Excerpts:
On whether he thought KXIP got too many runs at 174: From where we were we probably gave up a few too many at the end but overall I think that [it was a] 180 wicket. It’s a very nice wicket, I agree with everything Rohit said about the wicket just before. That dry area was a little bit dicey as far as coming on to the bat, where the grass was, you knew it wasn’t going to hold up too much. So [it was a] smallish ground, boundaries that are clearable - yeah I think we did well overall to keep them to that total.
On what he told Rohit Sharma after the narrow loss against Rajasthan Royals at Nagpur: I spoke with him and sent him a message late that evening. When I got back to the hotel I said what a wonderful innings it was and he should be proud of his efforts and he replied saying yeah but he should have finished the job for us. That shows you what a hard marker he is on himself and how desperate he is to succeed. I certainly didn’t feel any disappointment on his behalf that night. There were 10 others who could have contributed those two runs, but it’s good to see that’s the sort of player he is, he takes a lot of pride in finishing those innings, particularly in this format of the game.
On the individuals who have contributed to DC’s comeback: Yeah, I think everyone feels the same way, no doubt about it. And some guys have been able to go on and show with successful scores that they’ve adjusted and contributed the way they’d like to. Some of us haven’t but I do know everyone has got the same attitude and the same mindset in putting the team first and just being desperate to do whatever the team needs at the time. And, you are right, Symmo (Andrew Symonds) and Rohit (Sharma) and (Tirumalasetti) Suman have been stand-out performers in that regard.
On his form being a worry: The positive is I am not using up many deliveries (laughs), I am not chewing up too many balls for the big-hitters to come in. I’ll keep ‘em (big hits) in the bag till later (semis). Look, I am not going to get worried and talk up my situation, it goes without saying we all want to get runs, we all want to score heavily. I am missing out, and I’ll keep thinking about that, but I am not going to let that drag down what we are doing – [we have] a good roll going and, yeah, be ready, I’ll come good.
Would we see golf balls in your glove?: Ummm, no golf balls, maybe squash balls (laughs), golf ball might hurt.
On his experience of Dharamsala: I’ll speak extremely highly of it, we have loved our time up here. It really has been a pleasant experience, we’ve been made to feel so welcome by the locals here. From the hotel to the various restaurants to every person we’ve met on the street made us feel welcome. It felt as much like a home game as what we’ve had this season. So I think the crowd support was leading with Kings XI in the game, and that’s what it should be in their home game, but we’ve had a wonderful time.
On Shaun Marsh walking after nicking the ball: Most exciting (laughs).
On the pitch in Delhi (for their last match against the Daredevils): No, we’ll get there and have a look, see what’s it like, obviously it’s a low scoring wicket. It is back end of the summer and everyone knows it’s going to be slow and most likely a bit low. So we’ll just have to try and adjust our game and adjust our balance of our team. As I said out on the ground, there are two big games tomorrow, so we’ll know a lot more about our situation [and] what we do need to do in that game on Sunday.
Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne was a disappointed man as he addressed the media after his team’s comprehensive defeat against an upbeat Royal Challengers Bangalore.
On the biggest reason for the defeat
Look, it’s very disappointing, I’m very depressed tonight. We just did not [get it right] you know. Every time we’ve made 150 or more, we’ve never lost batting first in IPL. The wicket and conditions tonight compared [with those] the other night. The other night we bowled first. We did gave away [too many in] the last few overs and got off to a horror start so we addressed that, we worked on that. Tonight we looked at the wicket so batting first [the obvious choice] under the dew wasn’t going to be too much of an issue tonight. It was a bat first wicket and you know we were off to a horror start again in the first six overs in the last two games. That is one of the reasons why we lost both games - because of the start we had. [At] none for fourteen off two overs [we were] actually looking pretty good but it wasn’t to be. I think we were three for fifteen again or three for twenty, so [it’s] hard to recover from that. So credit to Bangalore, but silly run-out again. I think we’ve had twenty odd run-outs or more. [I’m] just really disappointed being run-out like that, and we [faltered in] such a big game. It’s about calmness, we spoke about calm heads under pressure and unfortunately there was a little bit of a panic and we got off to a bad start. [A few players] got run-out and [we] lost a couple of wickets straight away so I think it was very hard to recover from that. I actually think we did pretty well to make 131, [it] looked like we are going to make a 100. Adam Voges and Abhishek Raut batted beautifully at the end to give us something to bowl at. If we had got off to a good start, got them at 3 for 30 or something like that, we thought we could win the game but we got the early wicket and Kevin Pietersen came out. He decided he would just absolutely try and take every one down and he got away with it and played beautifully and that is where a game is probably won or lost. We fought back, you know, taking the game to the sixteenth over - we did pretty well too.
On the players appearing unprepared for the big game
I definitely think we were up for it. As I said, we got off to a horrible start, credit to Bangalore - but it was just a stupid run-out. We have had twenty odd run-outs or something like that. You cannot afford to do that especially in the first six. Our boys were up for it, ready for it. The attitude I think both sides went into [the game] with was that whoever loses was basically out. I mean mathematically we can still get in but hopefully a miracle [will occur] and we get a chance and we play Kolkata.
On IPL 2010 being more intensely competitive than the previous two seasons
All three years have been pretty good. I have enjoyed [the tournament]. I think all the teams have always been quite [competitive]. The format of the Twenty20 game [implies] any team could beat any team on a given day. But as we are seeing in this tournament, every team is pretty close - probably six sides, seven sides that are pretty good. Kings XI can beat anyone as well - they just had a bad start. But I think all the teams [are well matched] - anyone can beat anyone as I said. It’s been a pretty good competition as I said to Ravi [Shastri]. I think our guys have learnt a lot and they will be better for it.
On introducing himself a little too late into the attack
[If] you look at the wicket and the way the wicket was, the fast bowlers [were likely to succeed] – [the picth] was a little bit up and down. I thought the fast bowlers could get some wickets and I could save myself for the middle overs – [to introduce myself into the attack between overs] 8 to 15 was our plan […] at the start. Unfortunately, the way Kevin [Pietersen] came out and played it was good and we still thought the quicks could maybe get him out […] So once [the plan] was wasn’t working it was do or die, that’s when I come on.
On whether batting first was the correct choice
No, I would’ve batted first for sure. I think if we would’ve got 150-160 we were right in the game – [and we were in for] as long as the 16th over. They got into [the game] in the 16th over so if we had got 160 it would have been a really good game. We were just 20-30 [runs] short with the bat. […] This was a used wicket and batting first I think was the right thing to do.
On whether the dew came into play
No, not tonight - that’s why we batted first.
Match Report: Match-51: Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala, April 16, 2010
Dharamsala, April 16: Rohit Sharma smashed a splendid 38-ball 68 (6x4, 3x6) as Deccan Chargers Hyderabad tamed Kings XI Punjab by five wickets in Match 51 in IPL-2010 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium here on Friday night.
Led by Sharma’s brutal assault, Deccan Chargers Hyderabad made light of the Kings XI Punjab’s target of 175 at this scenic IPL venue. The winners made 178/5 in 19.1 overs and gathered two more valuable points to inch closer to a semi-final spot. With 14 points from 13 matches, Deccan Chargers Hyderabad jumped to fourth spot in the table. The 2009 champions play in a do-or-die battle against Delhi Daredevils in the last match. Kings XI Punjab tasted their ninth defeat from 13 matches. The bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab end their campaign with a match against Chennai Super Kings at the same venue.
Deccan Chargers Hyderabad skipper Adam Gilchrist’s poor form continued. The left-hander was dismissed in the second over, giving a catch to extra cover off Irfan Pathan for 9. Monish Mishra made a 21-ball 20 before falling to a doubtful lbw decision to Vikramajit Malik to a delivery which was going down the leg side. But the in-form Tirmulasetti Suman (43; 31 balls, 3x4, 3x6) flourished in the company of Rohit Sharma. The third wicket pair punished the erratic Kings XI Punjab bowling. They put on 66 runs off 40 balls before Suman was out. He fell to leg-spinner Piyush Chawla who induced him to cut to keeper Kumar Sangakkara. Deccan Chargers lost their fourth wicket when Andrew Symonds played a wrong line to Juan Theron to be bowled for 4. Deccan Chargers Hyderabad were 126/4 in 14.3 overs at that stage.
However, the clinical Sharma, with a calculated assault, took the wind out of Kings XI Punjab attack. The solid Sharma looked in great touch as he pulled and drove Deccan Chargers Hyderabad to their seventh win of the tournament.
It was the same old story for the Kings XI Punjab bowlers. They were toothless. They bowled a bad line and length to be sent on a leather hunt. Theron 1/32) and Chawla (1/24) was the best bowlers on view for the home side.
Earlier, Mahela Jayawardene hit a sparkling 93 not out off 62 deliveries (13x4, 2x6) as Kings XI Punjab posted a challenging 174/3 in 20 overs. Jayawardene and Yuvraj Singh put on 86 runs in 8.3 overs before the later was out in the last over for 20-ball 20. This was after Deccan Chargers Hyderabad’s Ryan Harris struck with the fifth delivery of the match. The Australian fast bowler forced left-hander Shaun Marsh (0) to edge to wicketkeeper Gilchrist. It was an all-Australian affair in the dismissal.
Kings XI Punjab rallied through the second wicket partnership between skipper Sangakkara (52 off 37 balls, 9x4. 1x6) and Jayawardene, who added 86 runs in 10.3 overs. Sangakkara was all class before his reverse sweep off leg spinner Rahul Sharma spelt his doom as Ojha held the catch at short fine leg. The classy Jayawardene, who was dropped by Rahul Sharma in Pragyan Ojha’s first over, struck four successive boundaries off left-arm swing bowler RP Singh in the 17th over. The former Lankan captain reached his half-century off 49 deliveries.
Purple Cap holder Ojha, who has captured 18 wickets from 12 matches, went wicketless from two overs. But RP Singh (4-0-51-1) leaked too many runs. Harris and young Marsh bowled splendidly to contain the Kings XI Punjab batsmen before Jayawardene cut loose in the slog overs.
Deccan Chargers Hyderabad had a huge setback with last match’s man of the match Harmeet Singh being ruled out because of an injury and leg-spinner Rahul Sharma came in his place. Mitchell Marsh of Australia was included in place of Herschelle Gibbs.
Kings XI Punjab, too, made two changes. Off-spinner Ramesh Powar and Love Ablish were dropped and in their place Vikramjeet Malik and Shalabh Srivastava were included. Shaun Marsh made his return to the team in place of Adrian Barath.
Nagpur: Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Anil Kumble did not mince words when speaking to the media after the loss at the hands of Deccan Chargers. Here's more from his interaction with the media.
Excerpts:
On the defeat:
It was just a matter of pressure building, possibly. They (RCB batsmen) could have probably selected better strokes. But I thought, this was a game which was in our hands and we just let things go by.
On playing Jacques Kallis and his approach:
It’s just that he gives you that option of bowling option. But he won us a couple of games. Today he did get stuck (27 off 37 balls). He should have probably gone after the bowling in the first six overs, which didn’t happen. But, you know, it’s just one of those days where he should have moved on. That really put pressure on the guys coming in. And it’s not every day that someone like Robin (Uthappa) can see you through.
On whether Rahul Dravid could have accelerated:
I don’t think so. If he plays properly, people say he is too mild and he is not aggressive. Probably he was the one who gave us the initiative in the first six overs, after losing a wicket off the first ball. He gave us a start, he was the one who was instrumental in putting us on course. And it was just unfortunate that he got out, possibly at the wrong time. But then there was a lot of overs, lot of good batsmen to come through as well. Really disappointing that we were not able to finish.
On inconsistency, a win followed by a loss:
I think that’s definitely a worry, when you have done well in the previous game and you win. And you come here and then Dale Steyn runs in, charges in and then picks up three wickets early on. Then, you restrict Deccan Chargers to 150 on a good wicket. It did get slow but then, you know, it was gettable. And you’re on course till the ninth-10th over, and then you just fell apart. It certainly disappoints the way we have played in the last couple of games.
On whether the big ground made a difference:
It does, the boundaries are big. When you have eight runs an over, nine runs an over, it doesn’t really matter whether the ground is big or small. You still need to play good cricketing shots if you want to clear the boundary. You can’t say that if this match was at Bangalore, then a couple of catches which [they] took on the boundary line would have gone for six. You can’t really talk like that. I mean, you have enough quality and experience in that middle-order that we have. I am sure they have all played in different grounds, probably bigger sizes. And they have won games. It’s just that today they bowled well. Deccan Chargers did bowl well. But we probably allowed them a bit in the middle overs.
On whether scheduling affected the team:
Nothing of that sort will happen. I mean, players are responsible and they know their responsibility. And it’s not that…you are not playing matches back to back. IPL is all about that. And I don’t think that’s a reason. I don’t want to give that as an excuse. It’s just that we didn’t play sensibly in those last seven overs. That was probably the cause for our loss
“Hoping to make a comeback on the cricket field, former Test cricketer Vinod Kambli may be seen in action with his old friend and teammate Sachin Tendulkar in the cash-awash Indian Premier League,” reported the Indian Express. The daily quoted Vinod Kambli as saying, “I am going to be associated with the Indian Premier League soon and hope to walk into the field with Sachin again."
“We need to pick ourselves up and do the basics right if we are to keep our chances alive. … I believe it will go down to the wire. If we want to see ourselves up there, we need to get consistent in every aspect. It was a heart-breaking experience in Bangalore. … Talent is necessary but what counts more is the will to deliver. Bad days will be there but how you wake up to it determines how far one will go. The time has come for us to stand up as a unit, not just rely on a few individuals to deliver. If that happens, we can still be a team to look forward to in the last phase of the group league,” KKR captain Sourav Ganguly wrote in the Hindustan Times.
“We were also aware that Royals had never lost a game in Jaipur and their batting would come hard at us. Our plan was to keep the momentum going and we somehow managed to take the required run rate to above 10. … Our key this year was to remain in the moment and stick to the basics. We had a quality side but it was just that in the last two editions we were not hitting the nail at the right time. … .Reaching the semifinals is not the final destination and the road to be travelled is still long,” wrote Harbhajan Singh in The Times of India.
“As a player, a must-win situation is something to look forward to. A performance in such a game is worth its weight in gold, and separates the champions from the rest. On either side, there are a couple of guys who have been quiet so far. Matthew Hayden has had a quiet tournament while Brendon McCullum has not played a blinder as yet. Both teams find themselves in a precipitous situation because they have been up and down right through the tournament,” wrote Steve Waugh in The Times of India on the eve of Chennai Super Kings’ match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
“We are treating tomorrow’s match as a final in the tournament. We have to win every game to ensure our progress to the semi-final. We are not unduly worried about the net run-rate but we want to concentrate on our winning all the remaining matches to earn the spot,” Albie Morkel was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. “We need to restrict both Gayle and Brendon McCullum. Their bowling is not as strong as their batting. But, of course, they have Shane Bond and Ajantha Mendis in their ranks. If Super Kings and Knight Riders happen to go to the final, both have a chance of winning the title,” he added.
New Delhi: Gautam Gambhir was a disappointed man as he fronted the media after the comprehensive home defeat to Kings XI Punjab, during which he suffered another run out calamity.
Excerpts:
On whether the wicket was a bad one or if the defeat was just down to the team’s performance: We played badly, because, batting first, winning the toss, it was very important and even if wickets fell early we should have at least scored 140-150. I think we were pretty below-par as a team.
On this being one of their worst performances in the IPL so far: If you look at it, 111 is the lowest [score] of the tournament. And if we have made it, then it has to be the worst game. The way we started with 40 runs in four overs and then ended up with only 111 in spite of having nine batsmen in the team. I think it was pretty below-par.
On the pitch: The pitch was obviously on the slower side and has been so in all the matches at Delhi, always on the slower side, so [it was not] like the pitch was very different. We still should have got around 160-170, it was a wicket where we could have easily got 160-170.
On how they rate their chance of reaching the semi-finals: We just want to think about the next game, which is very important, rather than thinking that we need to win two out of three. The important thing is to concentrate on the next game and try and pull our socks up because we had the momentum. We have given it up after the Calcutta game and today the way we performed. I think we need to pull our socks up and try and play a as a team, not only in one department but in all three and we don’t want to get a situation where we need to win two out of two and get into a desperate situation. So the important thing is to just give everything we have in the next game and try and win that, try and get the momentum back.
On the team not clicking together as a unit: I think you are saying this because we have lost two games, the last games. Before that we won three or four in a row and everyone was saying that we were playing as a team. So suddenly when you don’t win people start talking that you are not contributing as a unit, you are not playing as a unit and that’s what I think, everyone starts talking. But I personally feel it’s just one of the days where none of the departments clicked, whether it was the batting, the bowling. I still feel there weren’t enough runs on the board, we should have [got] at least 140-150, and then [we] could have analysed the bowling. I still feel that today was just one of those days, where we just didn’t play well as a team, but if you see before that we have played as a team, even against Kolkata when we were chasing 180 we managed to get 160 plus. I think we were playing as a team but it is just those last two games where we lost momentum.
On whether he personally approves of such a slow wicket that is played on at the Kotla: (Laughs) I think I would prefer playing away games for sure. I think those are much better wickets as a batsman and as a bowler. I would love to play away games because those are the wickets where there is value for shots and you know what kind of form you are in and, as a bowler as well, there is an even contest. If you see Calcutta, Bangalore, you have got value for shots, you can play some big hits, but when you play on these kinds of tracks it gets very difficult to go big and you really have to accumulate runs. That is not what Twenty20 is all about, Twenty20 is all about hitting big shots, hitting boundaries and sixes. But this is the wicket where you really need to graft, I think. I personally feel I would definitely want to play away games because those are much better wickets than what it is here.
On the batting order and whether he should open: I think that depends on the team combination, we have always tried to keep the best combination, which is best suited on these wickets, in these conditions. Obviously [I’ve] never opened in a Twenty20 match but would like to open. But the important thing is what is best for the team and we have tried to do that always because the team genuinely comes first rather than my personal thinking that I want to open or I don’t want to open. [The] important thing is that we want to end up winning the game, let’s see what happens in the next game, we want to just sit down and discuss what the best combination for the next game is. But if you personally ask me I would love to open.
On getting run out again: Three [times] in a row, it’s very frustrating and the way I was hitting the ball today and the way I got run out against Calcutta, I would say it was a blunder on my part because it was my call in Calcutta. So very frustrating, especially when you get those starts and it is very difficult to get those starts and then end up getting run out. If you try hitting a big shot and then end up losing your wicket you still feel you know, yeah, I will decide to go for a big one and it just didn’t click. Run outs are another thing. You would never want to get run out, especially in a Twenty20 game, because its bang-bang stuff so I think it is pretty frustrating and hopefully it doesn’t become four in a row.
“The Rajasthan Royals were stopped by the genius of Tendulkar and for once Shane Warne got it wrong by holding back Yusuf Pathan. He may have done so because he wanted Pathan to take on Harbhajan, but with half the batting side back in the pavilion it was asking too much of Pathan to win them the game when the asking rate was over 11 runs an over. It is far tougher to play a cavalier innings when the asking rate climbs up than when batting first. It is now a must win game for both teams but the way the Kings XI are sneaking up, there is now no such thing as a comfort zone for teams,” Sunil Gavaskar in the Hindustan Times.
“The prospect of playing a semi-final in our own stadium in a huge motivation. The Bangalore public have been extraordinary with their support and that only added to the disappointment of Monday’s defeat. There is more than enough personal pride at stake but if we needed any further reason to make sure we win the next two games then the people of Bangalore have already provided it. … All I know for sure is that everything we have achieved as individuals in the IPL so far counts for nothing - and I mean nothing - unless we win the next two games and reach the semis,” Jacques Kallis wrote in The Times of India.
“My batting hasn’t changed much. I’m playing my natural game… It’s a different format and am batting according to the team’s requirements,” Murali Vijay told The Telegraph. “I’m trying to keep it simple… It’s all about confidence and I’m trying to go out there and enjoy. I give it my best shot, and if it’s your day, you have a great time,” he added
“The loss against Kings XI Punjab obviously hurt, but it was obvious that we could have batted a lot better. The start was good, and Gautam seemed to have found his bearing on that wicket, when the two successive run outs changed the complexion of the game. I thought that a total of 130-140 would have made it a trifle more interesting,” Tillekaratne Dilshan wrote in The Times of India
“Look we may not have as many stars as RCB but then we play as a team. It can't get bigger than this. … There are six teams trying to get into the semifinals and the team which loses tomorrow goes out. It is a crucial match for both the teams. … We have been learning from every match. It is great to have some youngsters who understand their roles and give their best. We have enjoyed playing here because of the support from the audience,” Rajasthan Royals Skipper, Shane Warne was quoted as saying by The Hindu.
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians' star import, Kieron Pollard, finally made a telling contribution in his team's win over the Delhi Daredevils, and the talented West Indian was clearly happy about his performance during the post-match media interaction.
Excerpts:
On whether the team was peaking too soon
No, I think as a team it is about the right time because we want to win five games in a row. We lost a couple of games, we really went back and worked hard and we are now [getting] back that momentum. Hopefully that momentum can carry us all the way through the semi-final and hopefully win the semi-final and the final.
On coming good with the bat
Yes, I finally came through. I have been hitting the ball well and that’s what [was needed]. All credit must go to the management staff - they stuck with me right through [to] the end because they know what I am capable of and I just go out there and practice and I just try to play my game. If it comes off [then all’s well]. That’s how it goes - there are a lot of ups, there are a lot of downs, you’ve got to take it when it comes.
On being happy with the team’s overall performance
Yeah, I think everything has fallen into place as far as the team is concerned. But having said that, [in] each and every game there is room for improvement. We actually put down a couple of catches today and we could have dived around a little more in the field - but that’s just an eye opener. I’m sure we will go back and try and better that in the upcoming games.
On the Mumbai crowd
I think the crowd has been fantastic - they have supported us right through. All we wanted to do was try and play our best cricket and try to [stick to the] basics and win the game for them because they have been through thick and thin for us. So [it’s] just a matter of us continuing to play well when we go away from home as well.
On what was going through his mind during the last three overs of the game
Basically, coming on at the end of the innings you need to go and push it on. [In the] last few overs I read the situation and I just go and play my game and try to get a couple of runs for my team. It actually came off today so well done. But I think the guys upfront played well. We have been losing a lot of wickets in the middle and we are trying to achieve something differently. I think the guys batted differently and we know in general our batting is coming down to the end - we can score runs, we score runs in the first five we score runs coming on in the end so we just have to work on that middle period. I think it really paid off today – [Ambati] Rayadu and [Saurabh] Tiwary really batted well together.
On whether he would like to continue playing for Mumbai Indians or switch to some other team
Well, at the moment let’s concentrate on the semifinal, we are playing the semifinal and after that we will discuss anything after that.
On the gap between Mumbai Indians and other teams widening after this performance
Yeah, I think it has widened. What goes on with the rest of teams is not our concern - our concern is to just try and go out there and play cricket and [get the basics right] each and every time. [That’s how we’ve] qualified for the semis - it’s a matter of keeping our heads on the floor and really working hard because we don’t want to play such good cricket and then come and lose in the semi-finals. So that’s our main aim now - to try and peak at the right time and try to play our best game in the next couple of games going into the semis.
On whether the team is too reliant on a late surge by the batsmen
No, I think that is not really a concern for us. We are feeling [it] out and we have a couple of different partners for Sachin [Tendulkar]. It doesn’t matter [who performs] – [the aim is to] give everybody an opportunity to go out and perform and all we have to do is go out and play cricket on [that] day. Some days we get a good start, some days we don’t get a good start - that’s just a matter of [what happens] on [a player’s] day.
On Sachin’s advice to him
No, I just continue to back myself and play my natural game. No pressure, no anything – […] you know the type of player I am. I have the confidence to go out there and do it, so all hats off to the team management for sticking with me. I really appreciate that and hopefully we can continue to play as a team and do well the rest of the tournament.
On the possibility of him being promoted up the order given the kind of form he is in
Batting early or batting late doesn’t really matter to me - once the team is winning and I am contributing or whatever contribution I can make at that point in time with bowling or fielding [is enough for me]. It doesn’t matter to me going up the order and getting more batting – [I’m willing to do] whatever the team requires. The combination we have is a very good one. In terms of batting, we have [Saurabh] Tiwary and [Ambati] Rayadu in the middle and they have been doing brilliantly for us. That is not a concern for me, going on top to bat.
Jaipur: On a wicket which could be affected by dew, Shane Warne won the toss and decided to bat first. “It’s a good surface, and the ball will come on to the bat quite well. The boys are hungry for a win and want to bounce back, so we hope to come out on top of this one,” he said.
The veteran Aussie added that his squad had never lost defending a total of 150 or higher. “Statistics wise, we should have batted first. Pitch wise, we should have bowled first. I’ll go with the statistics,” he said. The Rajasthan Royals have made two changes to their side, bringing in Amit Paunikar in place of Faiz Fazal and Kamran Khan for Aditya Dole.
Anil Kumble agreed with Shane Warne about the toss. “Yes, it’s a good surface; it has quite a bit of grass. The ball will skid and come on to the bat, and there will be quite a bit of dew as well in the latter part of the game, so we hope to do well in all three departments of the game,” he said.
He added that his side was quite experienced, so he was hoping for them to come good and play a good game of cricket. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have brought in Pankaj Singh in place of KP Appanna and Kevin Pietersen in place of Cameron White.
Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Anil Kumble (c), Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey, Kevin Pietersen, Robin Uthappa (wk), Ross Taylor, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, R Vinay Kumar, KP Appanna, Dale Steyn, Pankaj Singh
Rajasthan Royals
Shane Warne (c), Michael Lumb, Naman Ojha (wk), Shane Watson, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Abhishek Raut, Adam Voges, Siddharth Trivedi, Amit Paunikar, Kamran Khan
Jaipur: After their disappointing 37-run loss at home against Mumbai Indians, Royals skipper, Shane Warne was less than pleased with his team's under-par performance. He attributed the loss to a variety of factors including Sachin’s dropped catch and the poor start to his team’s innings.
Excerpts
On how the match panned out for RR: Yeah obviously, now that was a crucial catch [the one where Sachin Tendulkar was dropped by Dole], but those things happen in a game. They were just 115 off 16 overs, we thought we could restrict them. Obviously that catch of Sachin would have made a huge difference. But I thought the way we responded was disappointing, you know those things happen in cricket, dropped catches and things like that - they happen. But we still conceded 60 runs off our last four overs and I think that gave Mumbai a lot of momentum. Even if we finish off well and they get 10 an over for the last four, it gives them 155. So we go for 60 odd runs in the last four, with Sid Trivedi and Shane Watson, who are very good bowlers, but that can happen in this game, it was disappointing. Still I thought they had the momentum, but the way we started our first six overs really cost us. We got three run-outs in our first eight overs, we just didn’t get off to a very good start. We batted deep tonight - Abhishek Raut, [Aditya] Dole can bat at No. 8 and 9, but unfortunately the game was gone by then. It’s our first loss in Jaipur - never a good time for a loss, it had to come at some stage. But there’s never a good time to lose one but especially now [since] we go back in the pack with everybody else.
On whether Mumbai Indians’ bowling made the difference tonight: I think the difference was the way we finished our bowling innings - four overs for 60 runs, when they should have only made 150, maybe 155. And our start [while batting] our first six overs, yeah they’ve [MI] got a good bowling side, they are a good team, that’s why they’ve won eight games. But I thought 170 was about par, and I thought they just had the momentum with the finish they had, and our start was just poor. It’s our worst start we’ve had for a few games, losing a couple of wickets, Michael Lumb and then Naman Ojha, then Shane Watson in a space of five or six overs was just - it really hurt us.
On sending Yusuf Pathan in at No. 7: Yeah look Yusuf - wee like to use him at the right time and he’s such a wonderful player, a wonderful striker. Problem was we lost so many wickets, we needed a partnership, a clever partnership to get together and then send Yusuf in. And we started to get that but because of our start he had a lot to do, but there’s one player in the IPL who can come out and have two big overs and suddenly we are back in the game. The way their quicks were bowling - they started with [some] short stuff - we wanted Adam Voges to go in there at No. 5 rather than Yusuf. We just lost too many wickets, we just needed a partnership to settle down and then for Yusuf to come in. So I don’t think it was too late for him at all. If he got going in 5 overs or so then he could have turned the game around.
On Sachin Tendulkar taking the game away from RR: Yeah look Sachin you know is the best player I’ve played against in my 20 years of playing, I said that at the start. And obviously that dropped catch hurt us at that stage. As I said, I think we lost the match in the last four overs going for 60 runs and our first six overs when we were three for eleven. So I think that’s where the game was won and lost.
On whether the Royals felt at home in Jaipur: We love playing here, the players enjoy playing - there are some off-field issues and we’ll leave that to the owners and the RCA [Rajasthan Cricket Association]. We just want to play the game, it’s disappointing that we were told all different things and some of the things that happened were very disappointing for us as well. I think we’ve been very good for Jaipur and I think they’ve been good to us. Some of the issues were very, very disappointing and you know that just shouldn’t happen. Some of the stuff that was forced on us and what happened was - just should never have happened. And I think too many egos [came into play] which was very disappointing, hopefully they can sort that out and allow us players to play somewhere we like playing.
On the bowling strategy against Sachin Tendulkar: Some of the deliveries that were bowled weren’t really the tactics that we were trying, if you looked at the fields. But that can happen in this game - it’s very hard bowling at the end we’ve done extremely well in our last few games. Today we were bowling to someone like Sachin who was set and well in, we can’t afford to give him too many chances - such a great player and those last couple of overs … We probably went for 40 something in the last two overs, that was the difference between 150 and 170. You know it’s a massive difference in scores - 20 runs, it took us five overs to get that many.
