IPL 6: DD vs RR - The Quick Flicks

Rajasthan Royals‘ juggernaut at home continued to roll, as with a thoroughly professional performance, they made light work of a team who find themselves at the wrong end of the table. RR’s perfect record at their well-guarded fortress never seemed to be in any sort threat, while playing Delhi Daredevils.

Snapshots from today’s game:

Shaun Tait – “The wild thing”

When Shaun Tait bowls, one can expect anything. He can be a genuine wicket-taker, but on an off-day, gives migraines to the captain with his capriciousness. Today, against Delhi Daredevils, in a spell of 3 overs, a few good deliveries he bowled at pace were mixed by wides as well as short and wide deliveries. The only consolation for RR’s captain being that Tait didn’t bowl 21 no balls like he once did in County Cricket, while playing for Durham against Somerset in ’04.

RR try to pull another cat out of the bag

We have already seen that RR’s think-tank have tried to be inventive. In today’s game, they made the cricketing world sit up and take notice, as they gave the unheralded leg-spinner, Pravin Tambe, a chance to make his IPL debut at the ripe age of 41. The leg-spinner didn’t let down the trust shown in him by bowling a tidy spell.

Revival of class

A few of Dravid’s critics must be rubbing their eyes in disbelief all the time. The quintessential Test match batsman has re-invented himself at the age of 40, and is playing some sublime knocks in the IPL. It was a joy to watch him play those lissome flicks and crisply played lofted shots against DD’s bowlers.

The way Dravid, with precision, pierced the gaps in the field, transported the onlookers to a bygone era. Here is a cricketer who writes eternal symphonies with a willow in hand. Dravid and the impressive Rahane have no doubt carved a niche for themselves at the top of the order with classical stroke-play.

Ben Rohrer and Siddarth Kaul impress

For the umpteenth time in this year’s IPL, DD’s batting line-up put up a listless show. The only silver lining being the middle-order batsman, Rohrer, playing a well-measured knock. The 32 year old veteran has already chalked up some impressive performances in the Big Bash league in Australia. After a few failures in the IPL, he delivered the goods against the marauding RR team, and kept DD’s flag flying for a while. He seems to have a calm head on his shoulders.

The 23 year old quick, Siddarth Kaul, showed some promise with a new ball in hand. With a smooth run-up and a repeatable action, he bowled with decent control and surprised the batsmen for a bit of pace. He also zips through the crease quickly, and that should stand him in good stead. As a cricket enthusiast, I hope that he works his way up the ladder, and in the not too distant future, can touch rarefied heights as a bowler.

It seemed like just one team arrived at the ground today, and that was Rajasthan Royals. The way Delhi Daredevils have played in this IPL can be best exemplified by how their strike bowler, Morne Morkel, has been completely off-colour throughout the season.