Well despite coming so close to the target of 152, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala eventually lost their plot towards the end when they fell 11 runs short of a tie and 12 runs short of a victory. Whatever, victory and losses happen in the game of cricket. But, looking at the Kochi Tuskers Kerala, the way they batted was too pathetic. There have been many instances where a total of 151 has been defended and many instances where the same total of 151 has been chased with little effort. Yesterday, Kochi had enough wickets in hand to overcome the total.
But, all that they needed was some quick timing of the ball which never seemed to be the case whatsoever. They never got the scoreboard ticking, meaning neither did the Kochi Tuskers lose wickets at regular intervals nor did they put up a big partnership enough for them to taste a victory. Looking at these, one can confirm that the pitch was a tough one for batsmen of the mindset of a T20 game. Runs never came loosely and batsmen had to work hard to score even in singles and doubles. Only batsmen with enormous can be expected to do miracles.
But, this was no international match where the best players are picked from the lot to represent their nation. Notable scores from the Chennai Superkings include Mike Hussey who scored 32 runs no matter the number of balls he took in scoring those runs. And then there was Wriddhiman Saha who was instrumental in setting up a total for his team that eventually went on to become a winning total. It was strange to see that Muttiah Muralitharan went wicketless in this game and was the only bowler to do so from the Kochi team. Likewise, there was more juice from the batsmen of Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
There was a batsman in Brad Hodge who score the only half century of the match and that too he did it quickly by not consuming too many deliveries. However, if not for Brendon McCullum, no other batting performances in the Kochi team can be of a highlight. One has to applaud Brad Hodge for fighting for the Kochi Tuskers till the end when they ran out of overs. Hodge remained unbeaten till the end of the innings. One mistake that can be realized from the Kochi Tuskers was that Vinay Kumar should should have been sent in before Jadhav who was a better batsman.
Showing posts with label Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Surrendering to Dinesh Karthik!
Well the cricketing world has seen players like Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Sehwag and Dhoni to name a few who have won many games for their teams single handed. But, if someone like Dinesh Karthik does the same, either the cricketing world has seen a new talent or has the same been dreaming. Yesterday was one such day when Dinesh Karthik did exactly what was expected off him but not anticipated. Dinesh Karthik was individually instrumental in chasing down a huge target of 178 against the Kochi Tuskers. For a change, this was a neutral venue hosted by neither of the teams.
A total of 178 has rarely been found to be chased and that too if any team has been able to chase it down successfully with as many as 7 balls to spare, the efforts of that particular team should not go unrewarded. One thing that can be realized from looking at the scorecard is that the pitch definitely favored the batsmen which in turn favored the T20 game of cricket. This is the third time a team has successfully chased down a total in excess of 170 runs. Previously, the Delhi Daredevils chased down 187 against Pune Warriors, days after Punjab won against Chennai after successfully chasing down 188.
I beg your pardon; there was a match where Kochi Tuskers Kerala successfully chased down a total of 183 against Mumbai Indians which takes the tally to 4. Coming to the game between Kochi Tuskers and Kings XI Punjab, there were four major contributions to the Kochi Tuskers with Mahela Jayawardane being the daddy of them all scoring 76 runs. Lesser contributions include Owais Shah's 23 and McCullum's 32. Can anyone of you spare the Kings XI Punjab bowlers for bowling as many as 19 wise deliveries that equally contributed to the Kochi's score? Added to that was using only 5 bowlers.
The Kings XI Punjab captain used only five bowlers which happen to be the minimum number of bowlers any team can use. But, everything got washed away as the Kings XI Punjab team eventually won the game by 6 wickets. One more player who made it count for his team was R P Singh who grabbed 4 out of the 6 Punjabi wickets that fell. This feat should no doubt go down as one of the great bowling performances in IPL. Now, once again, the man of the match debate should inevitably pop up when RP Singh stood the chance better than anybody else.
A total of 178 has rarely been found to be chased and that too if any team has been able to chase it down successfully with as many as 7 balls to spare, the efforts of that particular team should not go unrewarded. One thing that can be realized from looking at the scorecard is that the pitch definitely favored the batsmen which in turn favored the T20 game of cricket. This is the third time a team has successfully chased down a total in excess of 170 runs. Previously, the Delhi Daredevils chased down 187 against Pune Warriors, days after Punjab won against Chennai after successfully chasing down 188.
I beg your pardon; there was a match where Kochi Tuskers Kerala successfully chased down a total of 183 against Mumbai Indians which takes the tally to 4. Coming to the game between Kochi Tuskers and Kings XI Punjab, there were four major contributions to the Kochi Tuskers with Mahela Jayawardane being the daddy of them all scoring 76 runs. Lesser contributions include Owais Shah's 23 and McCullum's 32. Can anyone of you spare the Kings XI Punjab bowlers for bowling as many as 19 wise deliveries that equally contributed to the Kochi's score? Added to that was using only 5 bowlers.
The Kings XI Punjab captain used only five bowlers which happen to be the minimum number of bowlers any team can use. But, everything got washed away as the Kings XI Punjab team eventually won the game by 6 wickets. One more player who made it count for his team was R P Singh who grabbed 4 out of the 6 Punjabi wickets that fell. This feat should no doubt go down as one of the great bowling performances in IPL. Now, once again, the man of the match debate should inevitably pop up when RP Singh stood the chance better than anybody else.
Monday, 9 May 2011
Kochi Tuskers double Gayled
Well in a couple of matches prior to the one yesterday between Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the man with a Midas touch - Chris Gayle was seen destroying the opposition bowlers only with the willow. But, yesterday was something different when Chris Gayle not only hammered the ball with his bat but was also found bowling his full quota of 4 overs being a part time bowler and what is more! Chris Gayle was successful in giving the RCB their initial breakthrough when he had Michael Klinger bowled. At the end, Gayle's efforts was equivalent to Zaheer Khan's.
Coming to the match, the game would be remembered for Chris Gayle's 37 run over that was aided with extra deliveries. However, the bowler who was bowling to Chris Gayle should also be given a consideration when only has to nothing but pity Prasanth Parameswaran who was unlucky to have hit Chris Gayle in his initial period of his cricketing career. However, that should not be mistaken with 6 ball over with an extra delivery being bowled in the second ball which unfortunately (as far as the bowler was considered) went for six runs. This makes it 37 runs off 7 balls.
Sparing this over, if Gayle's innings is considered otherwise, scorecard suggests that his overall tally stood at 44 runs unbeaten which brings down the equation to 7 runs from 10 balls which suggests that Gayle was still in setting up his innings rather than going for the kill once for all. It was the Kochi batsmen ho made life tough for the viewers who would have watched an even better show from Chris Gayle had the total been some 150+. The highlight would be the 37 run over, the 4 overs which Gayle bowled and his 16 ball 44* which completely took the game away from Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
It is accepted that nothing much could have been done with Gayle out there in full bloom. But, with batsmen like McCullum, Klinger, Patel and Jayawardane there in the side, the Kochi Tuskers might have put up a better batting performance by getting to a total of at least 150-180. The entire Kochi innings didn't consist of any sixes. The match would have been won by the same margin even without Gayle. Dilshan, deVilliars etc would have got the job done for RCB. The RCB bowlers had read the mindset of Kochi batsmen it seemed when no experimentation happened with their bowlers.
Coming to the match, the game would be remembered for Chris Gayle's 37 run over that was aided with extra deliveries. However, the bowler who was bowling to Chris Gayle should also be given a consideration when only has to nothing but pity Prasanth Parameswaran who was unlucky to have hit Chris Gayle in his initial period of his cricketing career. However, that should not be mistaken with 6 ball over with an extra delivery being bowled in the second ball which unfortunately (as far as the bowler was considered) went for six runs. This makes it 37 runs off 7 balls.
Sparing this over, if Gayle's innings is considered otherwise, scorecard suggests that his overall tally stood at 44 runs unbeaten which brings down the equation to 7 runs from 10 balls which suggests that Gayle was still in setting up his innings rather than going for the kill once for all. It was the Kochi batsmen ho made life tough for the viewers who would have watched an even better show from Chris Gayle had the total been some 150+. The highlight would be the 37 run over, the 4 overs which Gayle bowled and his 16 ball 44* which completely took the game away from Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
It is accepted that nothing much could have been done with Gayle out there in full bloom. But, with batsmen like McCullum, Klinger, Patel and Jayawardane there in the side, the Kochi Tuskers might have put up a better batting performance by getting to a total of at least 150-180. The entire Kochi innings didn't consist of any sixes. The match would have been won by the same margin even without Gayle. Dilshan, deVilliars etc would have got the job done for RCB. The RCB bowlers had read the mindset of Kochi batsmen it seemed when no experimentation happened with their bowlers.
Friday, 6 May 2011
Tuskers strong on their day
Well one of the teams upon which all IPL fans can have their bet this time around would be the Kolkata Knight Riders who are found to have regrouped from their previous shattering which was evident in the last three editions especially the second one where Brendon McCullum was made to captain the side instead of Sourav Ganguly. However, yesterday the story was slightly different with the Kolkata Knight Riders having a tough time against Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Kochi (where else). Another delight of the day was that the home team won the match which has been otherwise in the other contests.
Home teams have been seen returning at the losing end with the teams like Delhi and Hyderabad topping the list followed by Mumbai. Coming to the game between Kochi and Kolkata, the match was a favorite one for 'K' fans with both teams having the letter 'K' in them. However, even if one goes by that theory, then the fans would have been delighted for the team with the maximum number of 'Ks' emerging victorious. The Kochi Tuskers kerala have three 'Ks' in them as against only two such 'Ks' by the Kolkata Knight Riders. And for peiople who don't go by that, here it is.
One has to just think why on earth does the batsman from whom a master innings is expected happens to disappoint? Brendon McCullum who has shown to entertain his fans happens to get out early scoring just one run no matter how many balls he has played. Is it because McCullum had last played for Kolkata in the past three editions of the tournament that he has a soft corner for them should be thought about not so seriously. No individual batsmen can be highlighted from the Kocjhi team with contributions pouring in from Parthiv Patel, Michael Klinger, Mahela Jayawardane and Brad Hodge.
The toughest decision to make was as to who should be adjudged the man of the match with Jayawardane being the top scorer of the innings and Morgan doing his stand alone innings of 66 that topped the match overall. However, with the preference going to the individual from the winning team, adjudging Jayawardane as the man of the match would not have been a bad choice. But, considering a quickfire innings, the award points to no one else but Brad Hodge for his 35 from 19 deliveries at a strike rate of 184. Main mistake lied in Kochi giving 4 overs to Lee who went in for 42 runs at 10 runs an over.
Home teams have been seen returning at the losing end with the teams like Delhi and Hyderabad topping the list followed by Mumbai. Coming to the game between Kochi and Kolkata, the match was a favorite one for 'K' fans with both teams having the letter 'K' in them. However, even if one goes by that theory, then the fans would have been delighted for the team with the maximum number of 'Ks' emerging victorious. The Kochi Tuskers kerala have three 'Ks' in them as against only two such 'Ks' by the Kolkata Knight Riders. And for peiople who don't go by that, here it is.
One has to just think why on earth does the batsman from whom a master innings is expected happens to disappoint? Brendon McCullum who has shown to entertain his fans happens to get out early scoring just one run no matter how many balls he has played. Is it because McCullum had last played for Kolkata in the past three editions of the tournament that he has a soft corner for them should be thought about not so seriously. No individual batsmen can be highlighted from the Kocjhi team with contributions pouring in from Parthiv Patel, Michael Klinger, Mahela Jayawardane and Brad Hodge.
The toughest decision to make was as to who should be adjudged the man of the match with Jayawardane being the top scorer of the innings and Morgan doing his stand alone innings of 66 that topped the match overall. However, with the preference going to the individual from the winning team, adjudging Jayawardane as the man of the match would not have been a bad choice. But, considering a quickfire innings, the award points to no one else but Brad Hodge for his 35 from 19 deliveries at a strike rate of 184. Main mistake lied in Kochi giving 4 overs to Lee who went in for 42 runs at 10 runs an over.
Sunday, 1 May 2011
What if Sehwag doesn't score?
Well if the current edition of the Indian Premier League is considered, it is the Delhi Daredevils who are one of the teams that are at the receiving end of their opponent's ego. However, for a change yesterday it was the same Delhi Daredevils aided with the magnificent knock of Virender Sehwag who held the upper hand in their group match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala at Kochi. One thing that can be noted is that the Delhi Daredevils were not playing on their home soil and secondly, it was the same old Virender Sehwag who did the good work for Delhi.
Let us go through the scorecard of yesterday's game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala which suggests that out of the total score of 157 scored by Delhi, 80 was scored by Sehwag alone single handed. Sehwag scored 80 runs which constitutes more than 50% of the total of 157 that included 16 extras. If this year's edition of the Indian Premier League is given a closer look at with Delhi Daredevils taking the spotlight, the names which make it look big for the team include only Virender Sehwag and David Warner. Other smaller names include Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao.
However, keeping in mind yesterday's encounter the Delhi scorecard had no other individual score to boast about if not for Sehwag's 80 as mentioned. The next best score was 22 runs from the blades of Yogesh Nagar. The remaining scores would just be a waste of time and patience. Likewaise, the scorecard of the Kochi Tuskers' batting consisted of decent scores unlike the Delhi team's which was dominated by Sehwag alone. There was Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja and Mahela Jayawardane who returned with double figure scores though not so attractive like Virender Sehwag's 80. But, something different was expected from Brendon McCullum.
Like always, both teams who have been the bottom takers of the points table are found to take less experiment with their bowling like it happened yesterday as well when all the both captains there didn't quite experiment with the ball. First, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota and on the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each with the 5th bowler bowling just one over short of his full quota. May be this is the secret of the teams to have reached the bottom of their points table.
Let us go through the scorecard of yesterday's game between the Delhi Daredevils and the Kochi Tuskers Kerala which suggests that out of the total score of 157 scored by Delhi, 80 was scored by Sehwag alone single handed. Sehwag scored 80 runs which constitutes more than 50% of the total of 157 that included 16 extras. If this year's edition of the Indian Premier League is given a closer look at with Delhi Daredevils taking the spotlight, the names which make it look big for the team include only Virender Sehwag and David Warner. Other smaller names include Irfan Pathan and Venugopal Rao.
However, keeping in mind yesterday's encounter the Delhi scorecard had no other individual score to boast about if not for Sehwag's 80 as mentioned. The next best score was 22 runs from the blades of Yogesh Nagar. The remaining scores would just be a waste of time and patience. Likewaise, the scorecard of the Kochi Tuskers' batting consisted of decent scores unlike the Delhi team's which was dominated by Sehwag alone. There was Brad Hodge, Ravindra Jadeja and Mahela Jayawardane who returned with double figure scores though not so attractive like Virender Sehwag's 80. But, something different was expected from Brendon McCullum.
Like always, both teams who have been the bottom takers of the points table are found to take less experiment with their bowling like it happened yesterday as well when all the both captains there didn't quite experiment with the ball. First, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota and on the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils had four bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each with the 5th bowler bowling just one over short of his full quota. May be this is the secret of the teams to have reached the bottom of their points table.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Has Chennai taken over Kolkata
Well in this edition of the tournament, the Chennai Super Kings are showing a down to earth performance with them losing the plot in the matches they played. They had a lucky run against the Kolkata Knight Riders where they secured a 2 run victory over the trouble torn team lacking in confidence but are seem to be coming up in this edition. That was followed by a win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore and a loss to Kings XI Punjab. The Chennai Super Kings could not defend a total of 188 against the Punjab team. This time it was Kochi who tamed Chennai.
Though the match was trimmed to just 17 overs, a total of 131 by the Chennai Super Kings was below par compared to what was expected off them. The run-rate of the Chennai Super Kings happened to be just over 7.0 runs an over when something less than 9 runs an over is just unacceptable. But, this should have been a winning total keeping in mind the winning record of the Chennai Super Kings in the three editions they have played so far. At the end of the day, the Chennai Super Kings had another loss to their kitty which was a mess.
On the other hand, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala maintained a run-rate of exactly 9.0 runs an over aided by a series of double figure scores starting from 47 by Brendon McCullum and ending with Ravindra Jadeja remaining unbeaten on 16 from six balls with two sixes. As a rarity, the team work of both Chennai and Kochi stands undisputed for, regarding both the teams out there, it was not a one man show like it happens in most games. There was only one lucky player in Suresh Raina who scored a half century. But, as a suggestion, it would have been wise for Chennai to go for big ones.
As it goes in a T20 game, if the match is viewed from the number of sixes scored perspective, then still the Chennai Super Kings lose it all with their batsmen being able to make it only on three occasions. Instead, the Kochi Tuskers had more than twice of what the Chennai team could manage when they had 7 hits out of the ground. But, needless to be said, it is the target which needs to be defended or chased that would a decide who the winner of the match is. Towards the end of the post, one thing that needs to be asked after Chennai's 2nd loss is whether Chennai have taken over from Kolkata?
Though the match was trimmed to just 17 overs, a total of 131 by the Chennai Super Kings was below par compared to what was expected off them. The run-rate of the Chennai Super Kings happened to be just over 7.0 runs an over when something less than 9 runs an over is just unacceptable. But, this should have been a winning total keeping in mind the winning record of the Chennai Super Kings in the three editions they have played so far. At the end of the day, the Chennai Super Kings had another loss to their kitty which was a mess.
On the other hand, the Kochi Tuskers Kerala maintained a run-rate of exactly 9.0 runs an over aided by a series of double figure scores starting from 47 by Brendon McCullum and ending with Ravindra Jadeja remaining unbeaten on 16 from six balls with two sixes. As a rarity, the team work of both Chennai and Kochi stands undisputed for, regarding both the teams out there, it was not a one man show like it happens in most games. There was only one lucky player in Suresh Raina who scored a half century. But, as a suggestion, it would have been wise for Chennai to go for big ones.
As it goes in a T20 game, if the match is viewed from the number of sixes scored perspective, then still the Chennai Super Kings lose it all with their batsmen being able to make it only on three occasions. Instead, the Kochi Tuskers had more than twice of what the Chennai team could manage when they had 7 hits out of the ground. But, needless to be said, it is the target which needs to be defended or chased that would a decide who the winner of the match is. Towards the end of the post, one thing that needs to be asked after Chennai's 2nd loss is whether Chennai have taken over from Kolkata?
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
IPL 2011 saved!
Well just imagine what would have happened in case there was an IPL in 2007 just after the world cup where India along with arch-rivals Pakistan gave a grand exit in the first round of the tournament itself after losing to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka? The franchisees would have been cursing themselves for bidding their hard earned and well thought money on such useless claims. Millions of dollars would have gone down the rains with not even a single paisa being able to recovered. With team India being favorites only on ad shows, viewers' ire would have reached its peak.
This time as well, had there been a super six stage, then India were supposed to win all three games against Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka in order to reach the semi-finals of the world cup. Coincidentally, India did win against all the three teams mentioned above in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. Luckily, India were the only team from group B to have crossed the quarter-finals stage beating Australia. This time, had India been exit from the world cup, then one need not cite specially what would have happened. May be the entire idea to have an IPL would have been dropped.
Of course, India did win the 2007 T20 world cup at South Africa. But, that was followed by a series of crashes after India failed twice in 2009 and 2010 to win even a single game in the super eights of the world cups. But, by then, the IPL had already been over. Added to that, the Indian team mates were also found partying late night that time after losing their last and final match against Sri Lanka. This would have added fuel to the fire no doubt. Now that India have won the world cup, things will go on as smooth as ever.
The IPL this time will be another big hit not only for players who would be seen making another debut but also for the fact that the world cup matches will be repeatedly replayed by the Indian cricket fans with an eye on the IPL. This time, there have been two more teams added with Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala making their debut. But, I wish the franchises have taken a risk with the world cup memories still afresh in people's minds. If everything is good then fine. But, things need to be viewed in other angles as well.
This time as well, had there been a super six stage, then India were supposed to win all three games against Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka in order to reach the semi-finals of the world cup. Coincidentally, India did win against all the three teams mentioned above in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. Luckily, India were the only team from group B to have crossed the quarter-finals stage beating Australia. This time, had India been exit from the world cup, then one need not cite specially what would have happened. May be the entire idea to have an IPL would have been dropped.
Of course, India did win the 2007 T20 world cup at South Africa. But, that was followed by a series of crashes after India failed twice in 2009 and 2010 to win even a single game in the super eights of the world cups. But, by then, the IPL had already been over. Added to that, the Indian team mates were also found partying late night that time after losing their last and final match against Sri Lanka. This would have added fuel to the fire no doubt. Now that India have won the world cup, things will go on as smooth as ever.
The IPL this time will be another big hit not only for players who would be seen making another debut but also for the fact that the world cup matches will be repeatedly replayed by the Indian cricket fans with an eye on the IPL. This time, there have been two more teams added with Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala making their debut. But, I wish the franchises have taken a risk with the world cup memories still afresh in people's minds. If everything is good then fine. But, things need to be viewed in other angles as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)