Virat Kohli arguing with an umpire on left and Mitchell Starc celebrating wicket with teammates on right. (Agencies)
Starc giveth, Starc taketh away
There is a satirical tweet that went viral some time back. It went something like ‘I asked my landlord if he can increase my rent because I believe in the grind’. It’s been a meme template since. The 20th over bowled by Mitch Starc for KKR against RCB went something like that. When RCB needed 21 off 6 balls, and Starc – one of the most top modern-day bowlers – was bowling to Karn Sharma, you’d have thought there was only result. But when Karn sliced one behind point for six off the first ball, you thought… hang on. Then off the third ball, Karn smashed one over cover for another six. Wait, surely not? The fourth ball, same result as the first. Another six. But Starc, having let RCB get close to the finish line, pulled the rug out from under their feet. A stunning caught and bowled, low to his right on follow-through left Karn crestfallen. A run out last ball and it was another chase that was commendable for RCB but gave them nothing on the points table.
Kohli sees red
Virat Kohli was quite heavily involved during the RCB bowling innings, and having come out to bat, he was striking the ball superbly. But when he guided a full toss right back to bowler Harshit Rana, first he was miffed and then he saw red. Once the TV umpire ruled him out, he was fuming, metaphorical smoke out of his ears. Given traditionally how these decisions go, it was perhaps understandable because Kohli met the ball quite high. But one thing that the review system in IPL has done this year is that – like offside with VAR – there is no subjectivity to waist-high no ball. Not a judgment call, it’s a yes / no decision. Playing condition 41.7.1 states that any delivery, which passes or would have passed, without pitching, above waist height of the striker standing upright at the popping crease, is to be deemed to be unfair. It was the right call, and as Faf du Plessis said in the end, the rules are rules.
Next-gen steps up… for a while
RCB had been disproportionately reliant on old warhorses Kohli and du Plessis. But with both seniors out cheaply and their season hanging by a thread, the next rung took matters into its own hands. Will Jacks took the lead, smashing 22 runs off a Starc over, injecting impetus into the innings. Then Rajat Patidar took over, after being out of form for a long time, smashing KKR spinners – their trump cards – all over and beyond the Eden Gardens outfield. The onslaught brought RCB back into the game and they were well in front with 86 needed in 9 overs, pedestrian requirement judging by how this edition of the IPL has been going. But things are seldom straightforward when it comes to RCB. Two double-wicket overs – Jacks and Patidar returning to the dugout within inside four balls – and KKR were back in the game.
Kolkata: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Will Jacks celebrates his half century during an Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (PTI Photo/Swapam Mahapatra)
Murphy’s Law
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. That’s the commonly used version of Murphy’s Law. And it summed up the third ball of the 17th over that Yash Dayal bowled to Andre Russell. Sure, bowling at the death to DreRuss is one of the toughest things there is in the IPL. Many have tried and failed. But Yash made it worse for himself not once or twice. So much so that he had to bowl it thrice. First, he missed the line so badly that the ball went well wide of Russell’s pads and also evaded Dinesh Karthik. Five wides at that stage of the innings was a pretty bad outcome, but moments later it got worse as the sired went off. He had overstepped, and it was a no ball. The free hit delivery was also a wide as he went far too outside off. At least the third time around, he limited the damage as Russell was caught eventually off the legal free hit delivery. The over then got worse for Yash though, as Shreyas Iyer hit a six and four off the last two balls
Go Green
On a day RCB were wearing their changed green kit, it was fitting Cam Green produced a moment that will be replayed many times. The man who has got buckets for hands has already developed a reputation in international cricket for being a fabulous gully catcher. Rarely anything gets past him in that position in red-ball cricket as he uses his height and wing span to great effect. At the Eden Gardens on Sunday, he nearly took a high catch early in the piece but Sunil Narine’s slice evades his jump. Angkrish Raghuvanshi, not so lucky. A chipped flick shot by the youngster would have gone for a four if the fielder was anyone but Green. But the tall Aussie timed his jump at midwicket to great perfection, put out that bucket hand and grabbed a stunner, and celebrated it with full enthusiasm that was matched by Kohli, who rushed to hug the big man. Go Green indeed.
Narine quiet, but not Salt
At one point in the 4th over, the KKR openers’ scores read: 40 off 11 and 4 off 11. Phil Salt was on fire from the word go, but somehow RCB’s new-ball bowlers kept Narine quiet. There seemed to be a clear plan to the red-hot left-hander. Mohammed Siraj and Yash peppered him with yorkers. Siraj bluffed by threatening a bouncer, but kept the ball out of Narine’s hitting arc but bowling wide yorkers. Dayal nailed an yorker so well, bowling a literal toe crusher that left Narine hopping. In his first 11 deliveries, Narine had just one scoring shot, squeezing a full toss just over point for four. It helped KKR that at the other end, Salt’s assault was non-stop, especially brutal against Lockie Ferguson, smashing 28 runs in one over. Salt’s 14-ball 48 helped KKR get off to a flier despite Narine’s sedate start.
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