The start of the tournament was quiet a nightmare, as they lost 4 games in a row, which no Sachin in them. Then came the Sreeshanth-Harbajan incident, when the later game the former a kiss on his cheek. The start of the league meant, the MI were in the news all for wrong reasons. At this instance, nobody felt MI have got the killer instinct in them to challenge the big guns in the tournament.
Then came the amazing turn around, that no one expected. Harbajan's ban came as a blessing in disguise for the Indians, as Pollock lead the team to 2 consecutive victories. Then as they say, the legend Sachin Tendulkar took over as the captain, gave a calming influence on many of the players. Jayasuriya just shoot up from no where. His golden touch of the 1996 was back. It was as if we were seeing vintage Jayasuriya!!
Sachin Tendulkar just took MI to this magic run of 6 consecutive victories in a row. He surely wove his magic thread, to take MI to a commanding position, where they had to win 2 out of their 4 games, to get to the semis. That is where the luck seemed to run away from Sachin and his boys. The game with Punjab XI was lost by mere 2 runs, ending MI's six consecutive winning streak. Yuvraj Singh had the last say!!
Then the loss against Delhi, Mumbai almost took it away, but on their way came Dinesh Karthik. Came out of know where and took the game away from MIs. Then the Do-or-Die game versus, Rajasthan Royals. When Shane Watson was spectacularly caught by Sachin, everything seemed according to a script. An adrenaline pumping Sachin will always be etched on everybody's mind. I have never seen Ashish Nehra field so well as he did in this game. Sloppy bowling and fielding, ensured that they gave the game away to RR.
This whole IPL experience has been a nail biting one. Just an over of 25 runs can change the whole scenario of the game, like a hat-trick in an over can. There has been 3 hat-trick's in this IPL. The orange cap and purple cap is also a feather on IPL's cap. Throughly flabbergasting experience. My favourite team Chennai super kings, has finally made it to the semis, but I guess Rajasthan, Punjab and Delhi are the hot favorites to take away the glory of the first IPL.
1 comment:
It is even disheartening to write about those three games. Victory we thought as just ours and in a matter of few seconds, it just purred away like a Merc passing by. We couldnt even realise what has happened, we were so sure about.
Now It will be unwise to rewind every run we gave away by a mistake in fielding , by a lil swayed away yorkers, swings and by stupendeous efforts by the third umpires to judge a run outs which proved them a stupid more.
I am deliberatley mentioning here, the third umpires. These decisions caused even the God - Sachin to display his deep anger : unusual to his usual silence. Although it was confined into the dressing room walls by the rules of the game but the rules and 'They' themselves should have feel the heat.
I still dont feel Mumbai went down as the blog title suggest...
General:
Cricket is treated like a religion in India. Many of us are fanatic.
One who has learn the game, has also experience that they also teach you the sportsmanship of the higher level; I mean its really a gentlemens game. YOu nuture the modesty, desciplied behaviour, much of the efforts goes into team work that eventually implements game strategies well.
IPL and other efforts have pushed players to put these marvellous things aside and show excess agression. Money and now these enthusiastic team owners who have no idea of the game are limiting game upto ROI equation. We must not shelter such thoughts anymore. IPL can have its own original identity, they must not follow the pattern of football leagues where players , coaches are hired and fired. We got to spread cricketing world in its original format , a game of gentlemen. MOre efforts should be put on putting across the strategies in the game, styles/grace of the players.
Many of you may not agree , but I would still say excess aggressions , egoistic behaviour , greed for money will not take game too far...
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