I
love IPL and its unimaginable magic finishes – if it was Rinku Singh’s 5
sixers, yesterday it was a totally different ball game at Bengaluru with 425
runs being scored in 40 overs !!
To some who would speak of mad frenzy, match-fixing and so on –
please move on, no post for people like
you ! - those who had played at least
street cricket would well know, it is not possible to pre-plan and hit sixers
at will even of tennis ball bowled under-arm and none could have scripted what
happened last night !! – the pandemonium, how some stood cool, while most lost
their balance and making it a pure rollercoaster ride teasing people’s
imagination about he results. Mega
entertainment, if only you were not supporting any particular team – ‘come-on –
whichever horse !!’ !!
RCB have always had great
players composition yet would lose choking in final moments. Yesterday they
scored 212 so fluently with all batsmen on view excelling. They had the match in their grip for most time it appeared yet
lost in final moments.
A cursory reference to that glorious Prudential world Cup in
June 21, 1975 when West Indies beat Australia by 17 runs is not out of place,
you know why ?
Royal
Challengers' innings was of three parts: 56 runs in the powerplay, 48 in the
next seven, and 108 from the final seven. First it was Virat Kohli fluency, Super Giants' spinner Krunal Pandya and Ravi
Bishnoi applying the brakes. Then Faf showed his power – a clean 115 M hit
without too much of exertion, as sixes galored - du
Plessis and Glenn Maxwell smacked 11 sixes towards the end. Du Plessis finished on 79, Glenn Maxwell 59 –
and a target of 213 seemed improbable. After the two spinners, the veteran Amit
Mishra showed his guile removing Virat Kohli and later was smashed by Maxie.
His
impact sub Ayush Badoni, played a peach of innings in the chase, remaining cool
amidst chaos. Marcus Stoinis came out at 23 for 3 after four
overs, struggled first 3 balls then started hitting all over making 65 from 30 deliveries.
At that stage too, RCB were confident of an easy win. Then came Nicholas Pooran
who couple of years earlier was getting ducks and ducks – it was 114 off
56 - and he was man on mission. His savage hitting got him 50 off mere 15
balls and 62 from
19. Seven sixers, and four fours.
16.6
was a full toss from Siraj and Pooran just caressed it straight to deep
backward square – to me and to most, it appeared the ball had been played above
his head !! but the technology, Umpire, the trajectory projection showed it to
be below waist and he had to walk back !!
That
stage Giants required 24 from 18 ! In
18.4 – little Ayush Badoni played a magic scoop hitting Parnell for a six
behind ! - but – could not control his
right hand, perhaps was admiring his shot as it ended up dislodging the
bails. Going by the rules, it was out
and no run ! – though the ball had been despatched beyond the ropes.
It
was just 5 off the final but there were tail-enders and pandemonium. Harshal bowled a dipping slower one – Mark Wood,
made an agricultural heave to be bowled.
Jayadev Unadkat has runs in Ranji
but played poor shot getting out – meantime, Bishnoi ran two – runs looked too
difficult with so many fielders inside the circle.
With
just one needed off the last ball, last man Avesh Khan at the crease- Harshall
ran in, found Bishnoi already running, tried to Mankad him out, failed, then
tried throwing at the stumps, by which time, it was over as there cannot be a
throw after the run-out attempt !! so he had to rebowl ! that last ball – beat Avesh,
the reliable Dinesh Karthik fumbled, not collecting it cleanly – Bishnoi was
already close to striker end and AVesh ran the other part. Avesh in a fit of
rage threw his helmet celebrating !!
Game over. The Royal Challengers Bangalore and their fans were left
with broke hearts. The Super Giants claimed a humdinger.
Back
in 1975, on that mid summer day, Windies opener Roy Fredricks hooked fearsome bouncer
of Dennis Lillee for a six but fell a heap on his stumps, hit wicket with no
run of that shot.
11.4.2023
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