“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.
