Another Interesting Match

Going by the discussion on Whatsapp the match promised to be interesting to say the least, if not a nerve-wrecker like last time. This past Sunday IW were again pitted against their homegrown rivals CG. With the help of few of their friends the 'CG' faction was determined to settle the score once and for all and show the world which was the superior team. Not to be left behind , IW was all ready for whatever CH had in store for them. With this as the background players from both the teams slowly started gathering at the venue. The excitement was too much for Ram to stay at home and wait for the lock to tick to 7, who was the first one to arrive.

CG: Venki, Gour, Partha, Gautama, Vivek, Ram, Vijay, J (female player), Prateek and Dharmendra

IW: Abhijeet S, Rajesh, Chandru, Tharendhu (T), Abhijeet J, Pratik, Amit, Rishi, Senthil, Prithvi (new guy ) and Anand

IW won the toss and elected to bat. Prithvi and Rajesh opened the innings. CG looked quite confident. I think Venki opened the bowling attack and was quite effective. He did not let ghosts of last match affect his performance and appeared in quite lethal form. Prithvi was able to play couple of good shots and both the openers started well. Soon Gaur was brought into the attack and he shook things a bit. I think Prithvi was the first to depart. Abhi S went in as replacement. He appeared slightly intimidated and was not his usual self. After deflecting couple of deliveries, using his now trademark style, he decided to take some singles and keep the score board chugging. The running between the wickets at this point of time left a lot to be desired. Seeing their partner run, the other batsman started running as well not caring to see whether the ball had gone beyond the fielder and this lead to a mini collapse of the middle order. IW lost Rajesh, T and both the Abhis to this mindless running. They would have been in grave trouble and given the match to CG on a platter had Pratik G not shown some spine. He along with Chandru slowly started the task of rebuilding the innings. He played superbly, showing aggression and excellent presence of mind while hitting over mid wicket for a boundary and stealing that extra run in the cover region. The innings slowly began to find some firm footing. Later on Amit carried on the torch and played fabulously to add some valuable runs. In the final overs I was particularly impressed with Rishi's batting. As you know Venki can be quite tricky to face, with the batsman having unenvious task to figure whether the ball is going to be a fast one or a full toss on the leg or a leg spin. I know, I wasted couple of deliveries, but Rishi kept his calm , eyed the ball and middled the ball well. With his help IW was able to garner 5 runs in the final over. At the end of 15 overs, their score was a healthy 60. It was quite commendable given they were going at a rate of approximately 2.5-3 per over in the early overs. Pratik was the chief architect of their resurrection and was ably supported by Chandru, Amit and then Rishi in the final overs.

CG had to put their heads down and play sensibly if they wanted to win. They did not do this and lost their first wicket in the form of a run out. Before that Rishi opened the attack and displayed some excellent line and length. The batsmen were finding it difficult to dispatch and maybe that lead to Prateek's frustration when he dashed for that non-existent run. I think Pratik G followed Rishi and bowled another amazing over. He was followed by T, which you can argue was a very important over. Having lost an early wicket , CG didn't appear to be too concerned, as they knew their captain would be able to turn things around with help from other team members. T's first ball changed all that. Venki was totally deceived by his delivery. I guess, not having faced T before Venki tried to play it safe and went on his front foot to just play the ball. I guess he wanted to settle down a bit and then get down to business. Sadly for him and his team, he completely misread the ball, which breached his defense and knocked the stumps. There was a big hush followed by cries of jubilation. I don't have to tell you who had fingers in their mouth and who were busy hi -fiing. This was big blow to CG. They now more than ever had to bring their A game and this is exactly what Gaur and Vijay did. Later on while reading about Joe Root and Moeen Ali's partnership, I was reminded of Gaur-Vijay's partnership and how much it meant to their team and how if they had persisted they could have saved their team. They both displayed great restraint and resourcefulness while negotiating IW's bowlers. For a while there IW appeared worried and CG thought they might be able to pull it off. Their hopes dashed to ground when Vijay was run out while trying to run a cheeky single. This was a turning point in the game as after this CG folded like a pack of cards. They could not stand upto IWs onslaught and wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Rishi, Pratik, T, Abhi J bowled superbly to add to CG's woes and in the end they were left in tatters.

Overall it was a great game. IW outplayed CG in all the departments. IW appeared to be more organized and charged up on the field . From their side Abhi S and J, Pratik and Rishi incessantly kept the tempo on prodding the fielders and bowlers alike. This kept the fielders on their toes and their spirits alive. This proved especially helpful when Vijay and Gaur were staging a fight back and IW appeared to be slackening a bit. The team spirit helped them pull through. To be fair CG had IW on the mat in their first overs until Pratik showed up. Gaur and Venki were able to keep the batsmen under control who were just content with pushing the balls and saving their wickets. During batting (I think) had Venki stuck around, things would have been slightly different. When I say that I am not saying had he remained in the middle to play few more balls ( that would have definitely helped ), I am referring to his having to leave immediately after his wicket owing to some prior commitments. In his absence there didn't appear to be anybody to take over the reins and guide the team from the sidelines (which is something for them to think about).

In any case it was a great game. Owing a minor altercation it was decided that we may not have any more IW vs CG matches, which is quite sad given how much we've joyed these last couple of matches and helped us select the best of the best amongst us.

You guys have a nice rest of the week.

Bye.

Anand