The BULL RUN

It’s a deal! Indian Premier League (IPL) once again has the world riveted with its deal-making panache. Cricket is just the icing. Booted from home and hooted out of the next choice, England and Wales, IPL Commissioner Lalit Kumar Modi has managed to rent South Africa for an undisclosed sum for the sequel to his blockbuster maiden show last year.

 59 days later however all the above was blown away. What stood out was the grim determination of 2 thirty plus individuals, determined to avenge the deepest of lows their teams had sunk last time. The finals wasn’t Bangalore vs Deccan, it was about Gilchrist and Kumble, it was about who had the more burning desire to win the match.

 Seems that I am overly praiseful ?? well then picturise this –

 

1. Kumble running wild after bowling Gilchrist. Surely that wasn’t as such a magic ball. A simple googly was all it was. So he bowls Gilly and as ever gracious as he is doesn’t rush as Gilly instead points out to the Challengers den – his motion telling it all.
2. last ball of the match Uthapa as useless as ever swats the ball to long leg and wild celebrations break free. But who is leading the pack – a man who has won 3 world cups, test championships surely he has had better moments than this. I personally have not seem Gilchrist so charged up over the last decade.

 

The IPL now has a aussie connection. Last year it was warne this time gilchrist.  The chargers were almost out of the game when Gilly invoked the bull in their emblem to successfully defend a modest total, beat Royal Challengers Bangalore and win a tournament they had ended up last in the previous season. They bowled with fire, fielded aggressively and sledged and hustled - almost literally - to victory in a final that twisted and turned and lived up to the occasion.

 As I watched Hayden, Warne and Gilly play in this years IPL it was quite easy to see why Australia was such a good team. Talent is something but there is a factor called desire. That is what the above 3 evoked this time especially warne last time around. The best examples of useless talent this time was Robin Utthapa. His trademark walk down and hit over mid on might work at cariappa grounds but not elsewhere.

 Hayden's contribution to Chennai Super Kings has been huge. He was both fluent as well as a bully on crease this time, that was the Hayden we knew. But it was his maturity that won the CSK fans which he showed even when he wasn’t timing the ball,

 Warney's brand of magic was seen in the game against Mumbai, which he said he played only because of his old rivalry with the Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar. Given his nickname of Hollywood, it came as no surprise that there was a happy ending to the story with the great leggie bamboozling the master with his wiles and trapping him in front. (I am an ardent Sachin fan – please do not get me wrong)

 

Many thought Gilly would be bogged down by the weight of captaincy this time. But he struck the ball with the same felicity as he did during his three world cup finals. There is still a lot of cheer left in him. This was clearly seen in his response to the way he lead Deccan’s charge.

 So what makes these Aussies click, I guess a lot of it has to do with the desire to win. Many cricket lovers would walk barefoot to see Sachin bat,.There is no better shot in world cricket than Sachins straight drive.

 But who would you call to save a match. The popular choice would be “The Iceman” Steve Waugh.

 Amidst all however, spare a thought for Anil Kumble. The image of the night came after the last delivery of the game.  Kumble slowly trudged away from Deccan's celebrations with his head bowed and crashed his bat against the ground. Once again, he took upon himself the tough job of bowling to Gilchrist and bowled him with a two-fingered googly. He managed his resources skillfully to restrict Deccan to a score he would have expected his batsmen to chase. Someone unfortunately had to lose.