RCB halted by Jaddu Magic

In a long and grueling tournament like the IPL, momentum matters a lot. Both RCB and CSK were on a roll with one winning 4 matches In a row and the other winning 3. When both these teams met each other at the Wankhede yesterday one of them had to lose but what was important was the manner of the loss. A close encounter doesn’t matter that much when you are on a winning momentum but a big defeat can change the entire perspective! On paper, RCB looked a much better team but they tinkered with their lineup comprising their batting! It was not a very good idea but the false promise that their top order is in good form led to such a decision. Sometimes such decisions can hurt you and unfortunately for RCB that’s how it turned out to be. But to be fair to them it was a one-man show yesterday. Ravindra Jadeja could do no wrong yesterday and the once-in-a-generation cricketer demolished RCB single-handedly. 

His performance yesterday was such that you don’t have much to write about the players! So what were the hits and misses from yesterday’s match?

Let’s have a look.

The Hits:

At 154/4 at the end of the 19th over with Jadeja on 26 runs off 21 balls it looked like an average score at the Wankhede. Harshal Patel had the ball who till that time had figures of 3/14 in his 3 overs. In a space of 6 balls (7 due to the No Ball) the momentum shifted completely with Jadeja hitting 37 runs including 5 sixes to power CSK to 191 runs. An average score became a winning score and the great bowling figures of Harshal Patel lay in tatters. RCB had earmarked Harshal as death over specialist and till yesterday he had been a revelation. But yesterday he missed the length and Jadeja got the balls on his zone, was able to free his arms, and connected marvellously to hit those towering sixes.

That one over turned the match on its head but Jadeja was not done for the day. There is a reason why he is considered one of the world’s top all-rounders and he was almost unplayable with the ball in hand. Maxwell and AB DeVilliers were left flummoxed by the turn and bounce and he ended with figures of 3/13 in 4 overs. In the post-match press conference, Virat Kohli couldn’t suppress his excitement on this magical performance because he knows how vital Jadeja is for Team India if he has to hold the T20 World Cup in his hands.

If there is an example of a three-dimensional cricketer then you don’t need to look beyond Jadeja. He was terrific in the field too, affecting a direct hit to see the back of Daniel Christian. What a day for Daniel Christian because it was he who dropped Jadeja when he was on zero. In hindsight that drop cost RCB the match.

Moeen Ali was injured yesterday and hence CSK had to do some adjustments to their lineup. They brought in Dwayne Bravo in place of Moeen Ali and got Imran Tahir replacing Ngidi. Ngidi had a good match against KKR picking up 3 wickets but yesterday being a day match, CSK smartly got an extra spinner to make use of the dry conditions. I thought that Tahir should be a permanent fixture in the CSK playing XI because he is a wicket-taking option for them. Though he only took the wickets of the tailenders yesterday he kept his end tight even in his first spell. 2/16 in 4 overs should see him getting a few more matches. The Jadeja effect brushed on to him too as he ran out Kyle Jamieson with a direct hit.

Faf Du Plessis was Mr. Consistent for CSK last season. The team was losing matches but Faf kept scoring runs. The habit of scoring runs has continued unabated this year too and looking at him bat I sometimes wonder why did he retire from international cricket. I believe both he and AB still has a couple of years of international cricket left in them and I hope to see them in the T20 World Cup later this year. Another day and another half-century for Faf Du Plessis.

The Misses

Navdeep Saini has lost his place in the team with the rise of MD. Siraj. With Harshal Patel getting wickets consistently it’s getting even more difficult for him to get into the XI. Yesterday RCB replaced Shahbaz Ahmed with Navdeep Saini but it backfired. Saini had no control over his line and length and it was he who allowed the CSK batsmen to keep up with the run rate when the others squeezed from the other end. It was a very disappointing performance from him and could see him back to the benches in the next match.

RCB is having a problem with its spinners. Yuzvendra Chahal is nowhere close to where he was a couple of years back. From being the go-to man for Virat Kohli he now doesn’t even complete his quota of 4 overs. Washington Sundar seems to be struggling too and his struggle is in the mind because his fielding and batting both have been a letdown this season. It won’t be a bad idea to rest him for a few matches. Probably fatigue has set in after a long international season. These bio-bubbles are not helping too. From the outside, we might think that these cricketers are very secured inside these bio-bubbles but the fact is it can cause tremendous damage to mental sanity. And young players can suffer from mental fatigue. I am not sure what’s the case with Sundar but he seems to be struggling.

Virat Kohli has not been in big run-scoring form for more than a year now. A man known for scoring centuries and for being consistent has lost that magical touch. In the last match when after getting in he started playing those lovely off drives, I felt our captain is back but he was once again out for a low score yesterday. It was Devdutt Padikkal who kept the scoreboard moving as Virat struggled. I hope we get the old Virat back before IPL ends this season.

What to look forward to?

RCB lost their first match of the season. It must not bother them much because it was a one-man demolition show but they need to make sure that they get their combination right and don’t allow the loss to play too much on their minds. It’s not a bad idea to play Finn Allen in place of Daniel Christian who has been struggling. They have many bowling options so this change won’t hurt them much.

For CSK they are looking like the old champion team which was a synonym to IPL. They have wonderful balance in the team and most of their players seem to be in decent form. CSK will be in the playoffs surely. When the tournament started I didn’t think it would happen and now if it doesn’t happen then I will be surprised!

Will this loss hurt RCB too much? Will it affect them mentally? Or will they treat it as an aberration and move on? Let’s wait and watch as the scene moves to Ahmedabad from today where Punjab Kings take on the struggling Knight Riders!

PS. Positivity attracts positivity! So keep spreading love and happiness! Together we will beat this pandemic. Keep wearing the mask at all times and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

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