Tags:
Journalism of Courage
It was an interesting Sunday afternoon at the Ferozeshah Kotla,if not entirely entertaining for the spectators. Silence hung in the air for most part of the game,as the crowd witnessed Delhi Daredevils batting reputations shred to pieces on a rough and dry patch in the middle.
In a tournament that has seen hundreds of boundaries and sixes,the game added just 19 boundaries and two sixes. In the process,it shifted the focus from the bat to the ball and,the match being played at the Kotla,to the pitch as well. To knock off the numbers,Punjab chased down the target with 7 wickets to spare after Delhi were shot out for just 111 in 19.4 overs.
In a tournament dominated by batsmen,it were the bowlers especially the slower ones who called the shots in this match. With the sides boasting of some of the biggest hitters in the league,the only ones who made their mark were Kumar Sangakkara,Mahela Jayawardene and Yuvraj Singh,as they saw the team home with eight balls to spare. Other than that,it was a spinners show,and either team had a few specialists plying their trade,to good effect.
Slower bowlers rule
Ramesh Powar went for 25 in his four overs despite leaking eleven wides. Piyush Chawla picked two for 16,while Yuvraj was better,giving away 14 off his four. And,without meaning any disrespect to Irfan Pathan,the left-arm seamer,after being belted for 15 in his first over,turned to slower ones to return figures of 3.4-0-24-3. Brett Lee,who fractured a thumb,is now likely to miss the World T20.
For Delhi,Amit Mishra gave away 15 runs,Sehwag conceded three in his one over,and Collingwood picked two for 19. The Daredevils,however,couldnt get as many wickets as they would have wanted.
Pitch apart,Delhis game can be summed up in one sentence: two were caught short of their crease,and three other batsmen failed to hit the ground running. Gambhir flattered to deceive while Sehwag was deceived the first ball he faced. Warner ran himself out and Delhi at the half-way point were 63 for 5. The outcome thereafter was a formality,and despite the turn from the pitch,Punjab didnt allow any twist in the script.
The defeat has suddenly created panic in the Delhi camp,especially from the run-rate perspective. They face Mumbai and Chennai in away games,before hosting Deccan. Kings XI,though out of the hunt,continue their late resurgence to make the last-four race pulsating.
Gautam Gambhir later said: I prefer playing away rather than on such a wicket that is slow,gives nothing to the batsman or the bowler. T20 is all about slam bang,and pitches like this give nothing of that sort.
