IPL 6: DD v/s KKR - Quick Flicks

Raipur’s International Cricket Stadium has witnessed some really close encounters since its cricketing debut. It has proved to be a happy hunting ground for the Delhi Daredevils, who secured a rather one-sided win over the struggling defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. While one side has managed to keep their hopes alive, the other seems to be intent on imploding in every single match they play. Here are some snapshots of the game:

Gambhir’s Early Dismissal

The KKR skipper seemed to have left his running shoes back at the team hotel. When your partner calls you for a quick single and you respond, you’ve got to be moving swiftly. But Gambhir hesitated for a fraction of a second, and that cost him his wicket. He might still have made it had he put in the dive, but it was obvious he didn’t want to dirty his clothes. Arrey Gauti, I will wash your clothes – but dive re baba, dive!

The woes of being Manvinder Bisla

The Haryana wicket keeper has had a torrid time in this year’s tournament. Despite 2 consecutive fifties, he still doesn’t look assured or confident at the crease. His skipper was run-out early in the innings, and he succumbed to the Arnold Schwarzenegger effect in trying to smash a charged-up Umesh Yadav out of the stadium. The end result? His off-stump lay at a 150-degree angle. Adding insult to this injury, he collided with Unmukt Chand – a collision that left him sprawled on the ground. Definitely a forgetful night for him.

The Misfirng Yu-Foos Pathan

Yusuf Pathan (nicknamed Yu-Foos for his complete lack of tact while batting) has been a major let-down for the Kolkata outfit. Sure, every batsman needs one good knock to roar back into form, but he doesn’t do that by trying to loft every other ball into the stands. It didn’t help that his younger brother ended up dishing out a fine performance (and ironically took his catch). The final nail in his coffin was hammered by Ben Rohrer – the left hander dispatched a long hop from the hapless elder Pathan into the crowd to level the scores. No prizes for guessing as to who is the most favoured son in the Pathan household now!

Narwal: Hero to Zero in one shot

Domestic all-rounder Sumit Narwal became an instant hero with the bat after scoring a sparkling 23 runs off 15 balls for KKR. His lusty hitting gave some respectability to his side’s final score. But out in the field, he was sloppy as hell, dropping a sitter off a top-edge by Unmukt Chand. From hero to zero in one shot – that pretty much summed up his night.

Rohrer’s Stunner

Kallis really has struggled this season. He has got out playing loose shots more than once. But today, it was an amazing piece of brilliance from Ben Rohrer that curtailed his innings. The Aussie batsman timed his jump to perfection as he pouched Kallis’ lofted drive – and literally plucked the ball out of thin air. A special dismissal for a special cricketer – that’s the best way to sum it up.

Warner Joins The Party

David Warner has been extremely consistent for his side in the last two games, and today was no exception. His athletic fielding prevented KKR from getting to 150 to a large extent. The Sydney dynamo then played a brilliant innings at number 4, coming in with his side having lost both their captain and the marauder Sehwag cheaply. Warner has been a revelation batting at the unfamiliar No.4 slot – something that was missing when he opened for Delhi in the earlier part of the tournament.

Chand Se Parda Kijiye!

Delhi lad and former U-19 World Cup-winning captain Unmukt Chand delivered a solid performance tonight. His catch to dismiss Sumit Narwal put paid to KKR’s slim hopes of achieving a winning total, and his partnership with David Warner hammered the opposition into submission. Having witnessed his knock up close, KKR were effectively looking for a parda to keep Chand away from them.

I hope SRK realizes that his team just lost a die-hard fan in me. This outfit has shown that it can lose matches from winning positions and is extremely sloppy in the field. Unless they make winning a habit, I do not see KKR retaining their title. Period.