Match report by Chinmay - JECC vs USCA on 07/27/2014 @ Far Hills

Match report by Chinmay Bhat 

JECC beat USCA by 8 wickets.

Batting First, USCA were all out for 57 in 28 overs. JECC chased down the target for 2 wickets in 13 overs.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8661

Man of the match: Sid for an outstanding opening spell, to claim 3 wickets.

Bowling:

Much to our disappointment, USCA won the toss and elected to bat. We would have loved to bat first in this match and give our batters a chance to put up a good score, but that was not to be. Like a well-oiled machine, our opening bowling pair of Venki and Sid continue to produce good performance week in and week out. They both seem to enjoy their bowling partnership and have a contrasting, yet complementary bowling styles. Sid getting huge in-swingers at an alarming pace with an occasional bouncer and Venki skidding the ball while moving it off the seam.

With the cloud cover and the ball moving around, we knew that it was a matter of time before USCA would loose their first wicket. Sid got us the break through in his very first over when the batsman couldn’t cover the inswing got bowled. The next batsman, who was left handed found himself in a very precarious position where the ball was moving around with three slips waiting to gobble up any edge. He got beaten the very first ball but promptly edged the second ball to the second slip. I took my first catch of the season. Venki continued to keep it tight on the other end and was rewarded with an LBW for a ball that was full and heading to the stumps (More on this below). Sid bowled a beautiful ball that held its line to get the next batsman bowled and claim his 3rd wicket in 4 overs.

After the first 8 overs, the sun was out and it was time for some spin. Ron (our new player – left arm spinner) came in next and got the batsman bowled in his very first over for JECC. He bowled with good control and was unfortunate not to get another wicket when we dropped a catch. At this point USCA were 5 down and fighting for survival. They had lost 5 wickets at one end while the other opener showed good defensive skills.

This match was an emotional one for the JECC member's as it was Murali's last match before he moves out of NJ. It was obvious that everybody was going to miss his friendship and the affable nature. It was time for Murali to weave some magic and he did. He got the other opener out thanks to a well-judged catch by Sid. Sid ran back from covers and took the catch with a well-timed jump. While we were walking back for the first break, Umpire requested us to recall the batsman who got out to Venki, as the umpire thought there was an inside edge. This was an unusual request as the batsman had already walked off and they had lost 4 more wickets after that. We weren’t convinced of calling the batsman back. Due to the fact that USCA is a team of youngsters (13-16 year Old’s), we decided to let the batsman bat one more time but asked the umpire to bat him after they loose all the 10 wickets.

After the second break we wrapped up the tail quickly with Jay taking 2 wickets and Murali grabbing another one. Manoj kept one end tidy and bowled in the channel. Penchal bowled 2 overs and was unlucky when a close LBW was turned down.  Their 11th(!!!) wicket partnership hung around for a while and scored another 15 odd runs. Dhanu polished off the last wicket with a full ball that earned him an LBW.

  

Batting:

After a quick break, Dhanu and Ananth went in to open the batting. Ananth got started on the first ball that he carved over point for couple of runs. Dhanu played couple of beautiful squarecuts, one of which went for four. They both were aggressive from the start and we looked set for a 10 wicket win.  Against the run of the play, Ananth got out to a slower ball that he couldn’t keep it down and spooned it to long off.  Very next over Dhanu got out to a ball that took the outside edge on its way to the slips.

By popular demand, we sent in Murali at the fall of first wicket.  As soon as Murali went in, he tried to play his trademark hoik over midwicket and missed the ball. This resulted in everybody shouting at Murali to play straight. After that slight misjudgment, better senses prevailed in Murali. He played straight and played couple of good-looking cover drives. Naga played his trademark leg glances. Naga and Murali finished the game in 13 overs without much difficulty. We all wanted Murali to finish the match unbeaten and it was very satisfying to see him be there until the end.

Overall it was an easy win for us against a young opposition. More importantly, we got the 2 points we needed. We have 3 vital and relatively difficult games coming up. As we get closer to the playoffs, it is very important for us to maintain the winning momentum and raise the bar. Lets Go.... EAGLES.....

Match Report by Ravi - JECC vs Indus, 07/20/2014 @ North Brunswick

Match report by:
Ravi Kumar Suri

JECC beat Indus by 14 runs.

Batting first, JECC were all out for 155 in 39 overs. With a great bowling performance, JECC got Indus all out for 141 with 11 balls to go.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8640

Man of the Match:  Ananth for classy 38 runs and 2 crucial catches. A direct hit run out to seal the match was icing on the cake!

In competitive sport we hear the words like momentum, winning habits, being in the zone. What do these words mean, what is MOMENTUM in cricket? The past few games we played with the exception of the game against Franklyn define momentum and indicate what a winning habit is. Momentum is when teams find ways of winning a losing battle. It is about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Momentum is also about ensuring that you don’t lose from a winning position. Momentum is about not depending on one or two performers. It is about finding new heroes in victories as season rolls out. Chinmay, Sid, Y’ster, Avi, Dhanu, Vijay, Murali have all performed in the early part of the season. Dilip has led aggressively and intelligently. Ananth is getting to his best form during the business end of the season. This so called momentum has put us on top of the pile in the leagues points table.

The game against INDUS was a very crucial game and we badly wanted a win. For starters we lost to INDUS last year and wanted to end up on the winning side this time around. INDUS is a very good cricket team and plays the sport in genuine spirit, to win against such an opponent gives immense satisfaction. They have quality players and match winners like Sameer. They have highly experienced players like Vishal, Anil, Ashish, Pavan who have been playing cricket in NJ league(s) for several years. Another cricketer Nanda (former Hyd Ranji) did’nt come for this game. He was my team mate at Gladiators and I know firsthand; he is a match winner with bat and ball. In his prime he was one of the best we had in NJ.   There is no substitute for experience and you learn a lot when you play such opponents. When a game of cricket is played at a lovely venue like the North Brunswick Astro Turf ground, you don’t need additional motivation..

TOSS:

Given all this backdrop Dilip won the toss and opted to bat. It is extremely important to get to the game in the right mind set. We knew INDUS had a quality bowling attack, we knew the Astro turf wicket had bounce (played a friendly game at this venue), despite this Dilip was not worried or hesitant and opted to bat first showing lot of confidence in his team.  Dhanu and I opened for JECC and were immediately put to a test of bounce, swing and at times pace. Cricket wickets like the one at INDUS test a batsmen’s and bowler’s abilities. If you can ride the bounce and are quick on your feet you can pull, cut and play the lofted drive. If you cannot judge length you can get into all sorts of trouble. I was very keen as would Dhanu to score some quick runs. 

Batting:

Most games we got off to a flying start, but here both Dhanu and I were tied up with some quality bowling. We were both lucky with catches going down but could not capitalize. Dhanu got out and very next over I got out, Ashish taking a terrific slip catch. Vishal bowled a slower one, I read it and got greedy looking for single, but the bounce got better of me and Ashish dived in front to his left to come up with a stunning catch. Ananth replaced Dhanu and Sid replaced me. We were precariously placed at about 10 for 2. INDUS was bowling extremely well, Pavan was moving the ball at pace, Vishal mixed his slower ones well and Sameer who just came was nippy as usual. If one did’nt play Sameer earlier, he will find him difficult to read as he is very deceptive, generates lot of pace from a short run up. 

Ananth was hit on the head and the helmet saved a 911 call / trip to Hospital. After that wake up call, Ananth came into his own and counter attacked. He drove and lofted well, particularly to his favorite cover region. INDUS was caught off guard and by the time they spread the field, Ananth and Sid took us to a comfortable 60 for 2 at drinks from a shaky 10 for 2. When two competitive teams play to their potential the ebbs and flow of a game are a treat to watch. As well as Sameer, Baldeep bowled; Ananth’s counter attack and Sid’s solid technique kept the opponent at bay. The best part about that partnership was runs were coming at a fast clip. With the outfield being thick only the lofted shot had a chance to make it to the boundary. Ananth used it to good effect with a six over cover standing out for quality and gave a scare to those of us sitting at the benches, the a ball falling within a foot of where Asif’s cute son was busy in his child’s world.

Ananth’s innings ended when another lofted hit was well caught at long off. INDUS got back into the game with tight bowling. Their back up bowlers led by Giri did a marvelous job in bowling a wicket to wicket line and impeccable length. Sid was out to a dodgy LBW, hitting him high and down the leg. Dilip and Hari got involved in a re build exercise. They batted sensibly given the tight bowling, losing any more wickets at that stage would have been playing into INDUS hands. Dilip is a smart cookie and guided Hari in getting a partnership going. Dilip struck a few hefty blows after changing his bat, but was out soon as was Hari. 

They were replaced by Avi and Chinmay, the pair which laid the base for our win against Middlesex. Chinmay in particular has batted very responsibly and put a price on his wicket this season. Bombay cricket calls such a player Khadoos, means I will not give in without a fight. Without being noticed they added about 40 runs, ran very well between wickets, hit the odd boundary, converted singles to doubles and enforced some over throws. This partnership was highly critical and took us to a competitive or a par score. Murali and Srini ensured we crossed the 150 mark and finally we ended on 155 which was not a winning score but a competitive one.

Bowling:

To defend such a total we needed early wickets. All season we have been fortunate in seeing our new ball attack get us early wickets. This game was no different, if at all it looked like Christmas came early and we were getting bagful of wickets as gifts. Venky bowled a good first ball and followed that up with one which surprised the ten of us fielding and the one batting. The second ball of the innings was a slower one which was more like an off spinners stock ball. It caught Vishal totally off guard and removed his middle peg. They say you need luck in this game of cricket and you need to be getting the rub of the green. While I totally agree with that view, I will add nothing in cricket happens by chance. You need to create your luck and you need to read the game and play the situation. 

Sameer we knew was an attacking batsman who likes to dictate to the bowlers. Sameer hammered us last season and was the difference between the two teams when we lost. This year we knew our only chance of winning was to get Sameer cheaply. Dilip set a smart field and Murali took a very good running catch under pressure. Batsmen like Sameer or Dhanu in our team need to be controlled in the first 3 to 4 balls and should not be given boundary balls or HIT ME deliveries. If a bowler can ensure to string 3 to 4 dot balls, the next one is most likely to be hit in the air. That’s how it played out and we got Sameer out cheaply. Ashish came in at #3 and played some delightful shots, one in particular was a terrific pull shot to the mid-wicket region. The beauty of playing on a bouncy wicket is you can play the full blooded pull, hook, cut as well as the on rise shots. Ashish would have known this wicket really well being their home ground. You could make that from his pull shot as the ball was not all that short. He picked it early and rocked on his back foot and played one of the shots of the day. We were fortunate to get him out soon to an LBW, as he was looking in great nick. The next three wickets fell in a heap, a good slip catch by Ananth, a good catch in the gully by myself, were indicating we were in the grove.

Anil came in next and showed what experience and quality is all about. He played as if his team was 30 for no loss and not 30 for 5. He wrested the initiative and laid the base for something none at the ground was prepared for or anticipated. It was not desperate heaves to cow corner, rather Anil played classy shots and packed so much power that even the thick outfield on which most found boundary making impossible, did’nt stop Anil from going well past the boundary. Dhanu who normally gets us at least 3 to 4 wickets a game was not in his elements, Chinmay was disciplined as usual but the penetration was not there. Anil’s burst laid us flat for a while, Pavan skied one to long off, our “safe hands” of Venky was getting under the skier and I remember saying Thank you as I saw the ball in air and Venky under it. Y’ster would take this catch 9 out of 10 times, but this time he misread the skier and the wind played its part taking the ball away from him. 

Hereabouts the game changed, Baldeep and Pavan frustrated us with quality batting. They both defended stoutly and played on our impatience to seal the deal. Baldeep in particular played one of the finest innings I have seen under immense pressure. What he showed was when chasing a modest 150 score what you need to do is to stay at the wicket. Run rate does not matter, what matters is getting under the skin of the opposition. What also matters is for the batters to keep cool. COOL is what Baldeep was all about. At drinks we were quite uneasy and wanted to break the partnership between Baldeep and Pavan. Venky is a go to guy in such situations and he did’nt disappoint. He got Pavan out to one which kept low but was bowled with genuine pace. We were thinking the game is wrapped up as INDUS needed 47 more with 2 wickets standing. Hari was asking us if we knew how Giri bats. I had not seen Giri, but commented the way INDUS lower order is batting we can’t take anyone lightly. But what unfolded was Cricket at its best. The next 6 overs Giri and Baldeep batted brilliantly and brought the required target down to 19 of 3 overs. During this phase there was no signs of desperation or tension on the batsmen. 

Baldeep was brilliant I can only use the word COOL for him and we were getting hot under the collar. A loss from there meant JECC team would not sleep for next few weeks and who knows the word MOMENTUM would have made a shift in a southward journey.

A word of praise and genuine respect for INDUS as a team. At such a juncture of the game any other opponent would have been screaming their heads off, put undue pressure on umpire, use language to get under the fielders skin and in general heat up the environment. To all their credit INDUS played this game in true spirit and not a word in anger was used by their supporters.

To get back to the game, we were in a precarious position. We had to win and losing was not an option. INDUS was snatching a win from jaws of defeat and we were letting a prey whose arms, legs and body were all damaged get away. At such situations you look to the captain and you need a guy tough as nails to take the right decision. Dilip took the responsibility to bowl and delivered a knockout punch. He bowled 3 dot balls and Giri was forced to play against the spin, got out LBW. Think about the captain’s nerve and guts to come in and bowl at this stage. If he failed one would say why was spin an option, if he clicks one would say what a move. It is a gamble and I have always opined that unless a captain gambles he will not get results in his favor. The other thing a captain needs to do is trust his instincts, a good example is all this season Dilip fielded me at point or cover point. Just out of instinct he moved me to gully a position I have not fielded for JECC. The batsman guided one to gully and I took it without any discomfort as I fielded a lot at slip for Piscataway and Gladiators. Dilip went by instinct and it paid off. I am not saying all gambles or instincts pay off, but the game of cricket has a way of rewarding captains who are willing to be on their toes and think out of the box.

Dilip bowled a brilliant 38^th over and left INDUS to get 16 of 39^th and 40^th over with just one wicket in hand. Baldeep the ICE was still not melting, Giri the enforcer was gone. Dhanu was brought to bowl the 39^th over. Ananth was asked to be at slip to begin with and then cricketing sense prevailed and he was moved to third man. Dhanu bowled a Yorker, Baldeep ticked it to fine leg, Ananth ran from thirdman to fine leg like a hare (Yes that’s an oxymoron but when the game is on the edge, you see camels turn to hares) and threw one back which hit the stumps-direct hit. Baldeep had no option but to go for a second one and I can vouch that was the only way Baldeep would get out- a run out. We know Ananth’s arm is weak and he can hardly throw, but did say something about MOMENTUM in the beginning of this report. Yes, Momentum makes the team deliver what it takes, be it catches by me who has not been a safe fielder historically, be it throws by a weak arm, be it lower order getting us runs almost every game, it is the winning habit which makes these this happen.

We won another game in the season, two more points. This game had two winners for me. The spirit displayed by INDUS and the well-mannered cricketers in their team deserve our applause. When cricket is played in such spirit, both teams win. Baldeep hats off to you!

Cheers!! See you all at next game.

Ravi

Match Report by Ravi - JECC vs SGCC Jr. 07/13/2014 @ Princeton

Match report by:
Ravi Kumar Suri

JECC beat SGCC Jr by 2 wickets.
Batting first, SGCC Jr. were all out for 61 in 18 overs. JECC got to the target with 2 wickets to spare.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8617

Man of the Match: Dhanushka for 4 wickets giving away only 7 runs.

Cricket is a fascinating sport which unites Asians / Cricketers in general and sets up a harmony which no other engagement does. We have seen unfortunate break-ups in relationships; be it marriage, be it brotherhood, be it family. But when it comes to cricket a bond once made is made for life. The brutal east coast winter brings about a hiatus in this bond, but once spring and summer are back in their bloom so is the bonding of cricketers. Team mates look forward to not only playing but catching up too on weekends and have about 8 hours FUN, notwithstanding the highs of a win and lows of a loss.

In pursuit of 2 more points and rejoin the fun we assembled at the Princeton cricket ground to play SGCC Jr. We lost to this opponent last season and were determined to win this time to make up for the disappointment of last year. The Princeton ground scores a 10 on 10 from a look and feel point of view. It is a massive open area with no disturbance of any sort. The wicket was cut from the outfield and it was a huge square, the pitch itself was at an elevated level. At first glance this looked the best playing surface one can ever get. Unfortunately the pitch played double standards with the villain showing up as much on screen as the hero. Some balls kept so low that a batsman had no chance and some took off to the extent we were fortunate no one was injured in the game.

Dilip our captain indicated we would field first if we won the toss. His reasoning was sound in that he felt the opponents were not strong and if we got them out cheaply we can force a result before the predicted rain came. As it happened we lost the toss and were asked to field, which in any case was our preferred option. At the huddle the captain laid down the objectives; CONTROL THE WIDES, get the opponent out for a low a score. When a leader is crisp and clear in his message the team finds it motivating and duty bound to follow instructions. 

We opened with the usual menace of Y’ster and Sid. These two have been phenomenal this season, getting us early break through every game. Most often we had opponents at about 50 for 4 which is a tremendous start to a cricket match. This game was no different Venky got the opener out to a pearl of a delivery which took the middle peg out cartwheeling. Sid got two wickets in one over, a clean bowled, a caught behind and missed on a third as the umpire and bowler dint hear a snick. We had SGCC Jr reeling at 17 for 4 of which 13 were extras in the form of our nemesis the WIDES. Murali came in got his customary break through. Murali has been the silent and unseen – unobserved performer this season. Coming in behind Yster and Sid, Murali kept lid on the scoring and got wickets when it mattered.

As has been the case all season long Dhanu came in to put the body in the coffin and seal it up. As usual he got a wicket in his first over of the spell. I can recollect 4 other games he has done this. Ananth took a very good catch at first slip, this was followed by an extremely good catch by Srinath, running in from deep gully and judging a steep one perfectly. Dhanu finished with four wickets and continues to dominate the bowling charts at JECC. Dhanu is the quintessential league player, he does things easily and effortlessly. He is different from others; for starters he is a left hander, which in itself is a big plus in cricket, he bowls and bats, when he bowls he is blessed with the knack of taking wickets, when he bats he is blessed with knack of scoring runs. Not just that when he bowls, he comes up with deliveries which are not in the run of play. For example Dhanu was the only bowler from either side who could get the ball above head high on this wicket, he in fact put fear in the batsman,  was able to get the Yorker, the bouncer, the incoming and away going ball into play in his spell. When he bats, he can get the drive, the pull, he cut, the lofted shot into play. All these abilities rolled into a short frame and to top it all he is a safe fielder. We had SGCC Jr. bundled for 61 with Chinmay taking one wicket, Dilip missing on one with the leg umpire being desperate to extend his team’s stay at the wicket.

Chasing low scores is often sweet pill laced with poison. If one is not careful, the glorious uncertainties of this great game of cricket kick in and KICK YOU. If one can get onto a quick start half the battle is won in such situations. Keeping that in mind I got the opportunity to hit the first ball I faced to six to my favorite point region. Ananth took over from there and hit his trade mark six to cover. That shot has Ananth written all over it, one of these days it may well be called Ananth drive. By the 5^th over we were 38 for no loss. From there it took us 15 more overs to get to 62 and in the process we lost 8 wickets. An additional 24 runs took us 15 overs and 8 wickets; that is how well SGCC Jr. bowled and that’s the power of the glorious uncertainties of the game. It’s not that we played bad cricket, in fact nobody got out to horrendous or irresponsible shots. A combination of low wicket, terrific line and length bowling, slow outfield, pressure of chasing, contributed to inexplicable freeze of runs. Sid played two deliveries and remained at non-strikers end for most of the time, Srini, Myself, Chinmay, Vijay, Dilip, Murali, Dhanu, got out before Ananth could finish his well-earned lunch. Venky scooped one over the third man fielder and got us the 2 runs needed for win with just 2 wickets remaining.

End of the day the game of cricket gave us a shock treatment before awarding us the 2 points which is the bottom line. We continue to do well and prosper this season. Winning is a habit and we should endeavor to retain this habit. The foundation from our opening bowlers, Murali’s back up, Dhanu and Chinmay combined efforts in sealing the deal have helped us as a bowling unit to keep opponents in check. Chinmay has been contributing immensely with bat and ball. He got us crucial runs and wickets against Middlesex and Miracle. Sid and Yster got us runs and wickets and have won us games. The bowling unit is doing a tremendous job so many of our bowlers have more than 12 wickets in the season. We need batsmen to score more, need to support Dhanu and Chinmay who have been consistent. Dilip and in his absence Chinmay have led us brilliantly. Their grasp of the game and situational analysis is extremely impressive.

The business end of the season is on us and now is when we need to keep the momentum going and in fact raise the bar. The wides have to stop and more runs have to come from batsmen. Looking forward to remainder of the season. FLY HIGH EAGLES!!

Cheers!

Ravi

Match Report by Ravi: JECC vs Franklin @ Far Hills on 06/29/2014

Match Report by

Ravi Kumar Suri

JECC lost to Franklin CC by 24 Runs.

Scorecard: http://www.dreamcricket.com/clnj/scorecarddisplay.aspx?gameid=8596

Man of the Match: For JECC - Dhanu for 43 runs and 2 wickets and Murali for outstanding spell and 3 crucial wickets.

Toss: It was a beautiful summer day for cricket. Not too hot, just a mild breeze, beautiful blue sky, terrific looking green outfield with looking being operative word. All in all a perfect day for cricket. Murali spun the coin and it was correctly by Bharat and Franklyn opted to bat. 

Bowling: As has been the practice this whole season our new ball pair of Y’ster (Venkatesh) and Sid bowled magnificently and were extremely unlucky in not getting a bucket full of wickets. Time and again the ball went past the edge without catching it. At the odd occasion when the ball caught the edge it missed the umpire’s ear or the slip fielder’s hands. Either way our opening bowlers were very unlucky.

The opponents were slowly getting into a strong position. At first drink break the game was Even Steven at 42 for 1 but after that Paresh stepped on the gas and hit some lusty blows. He was timing the ball very well and Bhaskar was also prospering. The “Go To Man” Dhanu was pressed into the attack and he did what he does most often which is get a wicket in his first over. Paresh square cut a short rising ball to me at point. I held onto it which gave us a crucial break. We piled the pressure from here on and all the bowlers, Murali in particular bowled very well to bring us right back in the game. Our catching was pretty good Srinath took two, Naga kept very well and took a couple. From a safe position of 70 for one, Franklyn crumpled to 119 for 8. At this stage we had the game in our grip. A crucial 50-50 LBW went in favor of Bhaskar and this turned the game in their favor. 

Sid was brought in for his second spell and after starting off with a couple of wides he brought one in which I felt had the batsman in front. If this decision had gone in our favor we would have wrapped up the game. Unfortunately it went in favor of the batman who made most of it. Our bowlers were doing their best and were reasonably supported in the field, but Bhaskar and the tail batted very sensibly adding 40 crucial runs. That partnership set us back and the momentum shift gave a huge shot in the arm to the opponent. All our bowlers bowled quite well but we could not drive the final nail in the coffin and allowed the buried to come out of the coffin. Only observation I have to make is we are still giving away too many wides.  

It’s not about a particular bowler, all seem guilty of this. In this match too ultimately it was the wides which cost us. I would love an honest and open chat between the captain – bowlers and maybe one or two senior players who can help the bowlers devise the bowling strategy. As much as batsmen thrive in partnerships, bowlers also do so. In a partnership we notice if one batsmen is at his attacking best, the other batsman goes into a support role.

A great example of a bowler going into a support role was seen in what Bharat did when we were batting. He bowled 8 overs for 20 runs 4 of which were maidens. This put huge pressure on our batting. Hats off to Bharat as he knew his limitations and bowled within them. To the extent of being boring he repeated one good ball after another.

Batting: Dhanu and I opened the innings in pursuit of 167 which was a gettable target. I was totally out of sorts and could not time my shots. I was hitting AIR whenever I tried to hit the ball.  Dhanu was at his attacking best and belted his trade mark shots. The lofted cover drive, lofted on drive and the pull were timed sweetly and we were off to good start. If only I could get some runs, the pressure would have been complete on the opponent. After struggling for 6 overs I finally got out. I had two lives in between all this agony. Cricket is such a funny game, when you don’t need or deserve the luck you get it and when you badly need it you don’t find it. Hari replaced me and was not able to get the run rate ticking. He too fell without getting in double figures. 

Dhanu mean time was batting really well. He was joined by Naga who settled in with a calm approach. All this while Franklyn was tightening the screws and they had two very seasoned and cool heads on their side. Pradeep and Bharat bowled brilliantly and well within their limits. Bowlers in general, not necessarily from our team, can learn a lot from Bharat in particular and Pradeep too. The idea it to have a game plan and then attempt to implement it. Moment Bharat noticed Dhanu was in full flow, he focused on an off stump and good length line. This was defensive bowling at its best. But in defense lies the platform for attack. Thanks to Bharat I became frustrated and to an extent that curtailed Dhanu. Dhanu fell to Pradeep and this was a huge turning point. Any time Dhanu gets out the match tilts a bit, that is how critical a player he is for us.  

Sid joined Naga and started to build a partnership. Pradeep got Sid to drive a bit early and spoon a catch. With wickets falling the pressure was building. Runs were coming only in singles and doubles. Boundaries were scarce given the tight bowling. Chinmay joined Naga and gave us some confidence of a re build. Naga was solid and rotating the strike. Chinmay looked very good till Pradeep got the better of him. Flight is always a teaser and makes you commit mistakes. Flight with control is a deadly combination. Pradeep excels at this combination. He was making our batsmen commit errors. Avi joined the battle and hit some lusty blows, just as we thought we will pull one from chest nut out of the fire, Avi mistimed a pull to be caught. Naga was his cool self and kept us in the hunt. 

Vijay reminds me of a Rajanikanth movie, it’s all ACTION with him at the batting crease. There is never a dull moment. He took some unbelievable singles and converted non-existent singles to doubles due to panic by fielders who could not believe what Vijay was doing. One who lives by the word dies by the same. That’s what happened to Vijay, he took off on a miracle which dint materialize, though but for the direct hit he would have made it. Naga meantime got out caught mistiming a pull. Y’ster was there and we had hope till he was at the wicket. However he too perished pulling to mid wicket. Murali remained not out and without support.

All in all a good game played in Great Spirit. We should have won this game, as we could not close the deal while bowling and also slipped while batting. The positives are our new ball bowlers continue to be a huge threat, Murali has settled down into a new role of support and play to situation, Dhanu is the back bone which is solid as always, much like Dilip,  Chinmay was very impressive with field placements and bowling changes, the batting unit has done well but for this game. We must use this wakeup call to good effect and ensure we get back to winning ways. A downhill can be very steep and we need to guard ourselves and ensure we don’t head towards the downhill.

Have a great long week end all. Look forward to catching up soon.

Cheers

Ravi