When Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the local boy, wasn’t sure of what to expect from the surface ahead of Chennai Super King’s clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the JSCA International Stadium on Friday night (May 2), it would be hard to think of many who got their prediction right.
In that sense, the toss was vital. But as the rain came down shortly after the spin of the coin, Kolkata may have thought it was, perhaps, a good toss to lose.
Chennai posted 148 courtesy Brendon McCullum’s 56 and a late blitz by Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in their stipulated 17 overs, and Kolkata blazed away to 35 off the first four overs. But losing the wickets of Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan in the space of five deliveries to a succession of poor strokes meant even a spirited effort by Robin Uthappa and a late burst by Yusuf Pathan went in vain.
That meant Kolkata slumped to their fourth loss in six matches to slide further down in a crowded mid-table in the Pepsi IPL 2014 standings. The 34-run defeat also severely dented their net run-rate, taking it into the negatives.
“When you are chasing a score as big as that in 17 overs, you need to carry the momentum through. But losing wickets in bunches didn’t help our cause and took the game away from us,” said Uthappa soon after the match. “I thought we were left chasing far too many in the last four overs. With the ball, our best bowlers did well, but I thought we could have pulled it back a bit.”
Play began an hour and 40 minutes late. The steady pitter-patter of rain meant the outfield was slightly greasy despite the best efforts of the ground staff, which is why Gautam Gambhir’s decision to operate with his spinners for the first six overs came as a surprise. But Uthappa, who spent considerable time at the wicket in his sparkling 47, backed his captain’s call.
“The wicket was dry and was definitely turning. If you saw balls that were bowled slowly, there was a lot of grip and turn,” he reasoned. “Even later on, when there was dew, (Ravindra) Jadeja got the ball to spin sharply and took four wickets. It was definitely a spin-friendly wicket, but there was also lot of bounce, which made it good for batting. We just kept losing wickets.”
As the discussion drifted towards his own form, Uthappa was forthright in his preference to open the batting, and felt it added an extra dimension to his game.
Up until Friday, Uthappa looked off colour while batting lower down the order. It wasn’t as if he was in poor form, but the growing pressure to up the scoring rate and damage the limitation, at times, meant he had to take his chances, which didn’t come off.
“Opening is what I feel comfortable with… I know how to approach and read the game while batting at the top,” he opined. “Setting a foundation is like second nature to me. I’ve been in good form and when I’m opening, I feel I have complete control over my game. In that sense, middle order challenges you a lot more. But then I’m happy to do whatever the team wants from me, whether it’s batting at No. 6 or No. 7. It is important to be flexible in T20 cricket and I’ve grown to understand that.”
Despite the loss, Uthappa chose to look at the positives. Up until the game against Chennai, Yusuf tallied 14 runs in three innings. He was also left out of the side for one game, but upon being brought back, he finally struck form with a valiant 29-ball 41, which included four towering sixes. While it didn’t make a difference to the end result, Uthappa acknowledged Yusuf’s efforts and his importance to the remaining matches.
“I think in T20s, it is important to back your instincts. We need to give ourselves a chance and I thought that is where Yusuf did well for us today. He ate up a few balls at the start, but made up nicely in the end,” said Uthappa. “It’s good to see him get his form back. Tournament-wise, it is important to peak at the right time. We’ve seen positive signs of that happening.
“In a tournament like this, you have to always be ready to experience close games. In the six games, we have played a few close ones. Against RCB, we were in no position to win, but we stole the game. Then unfortunately we couldn’t pull it off against Rajasthan Royals in the Super Over. But then, you can’t be emotional about it. As a unit, there is a healthy vibe and I am sure we will bounce back.”
source: http://www.wisdenindia.com / Wisden India / Home> News Flash / by Wisden India Staff / Rachi – May 03rd, 2014
