It came home to me in the Super Over. Not the one that resulted from the Kings XI Punjab effectively drowning in a sea of misadventures against the Delhi Capitals, but the one that Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers had to make eight runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the Bombay Indians of Jasprit Bumrah. Eight races, pah!
These are three exceptional cricketers; in the case of the two RCB hitters, among the best that ever existed. Bumrah is somewhere near the height of his powers: young and fast enough to be a genuine threat, old enough to know what to do with him. That it’s not orthodox is a boon for the game that needs a lot of interpretation.
ALSO READ: Bumrah vs de Villiers, an IPL battle for all ages
Bumrah slipped two decidedly slippery gorillas into De Villiers’ Super Over, one that went over his nose and another that flew from the waving edge of his bat to the edge of his long leg. It was four of the eight right there, good luck. Kohli drew a ball from the back of a length that would have punched a hole in an advertising board, but chose the fielder in the deep back squad. It was a shot that, if not exactly heard around the world, changed his IPL. Later in the finale, he kicked off his toes from a yorker attempt and the match was ready and dusted. Virat and ABD were never going to stop driving eight races, but Jasprit made them think and fight tooth and nail. This drama lasted five minutes, that’s all, but it was five minutes on another level. It came after Kieron Pollard’s attack, 60 of 24 balls, gave Mumbai another opportunity for even money in a game they had long lost. It was a little crazy but immensely funny, everyone on the edge of their seats in awe. Only the five minutes of the Super Over crystallized what this is all about.
The IPL is amazing, exhilarating, and fast. Most of the elite are here, and when they attack each other, they do so as if they were in the ring, exchanging blows on behalf of franchises that have become an integral part of Indian life. Yes, their bank balances are improving to levels often unimaginable, but the majority take the vote and follow through. What’s not to like?
Kohli gets her rhythm back
Kohli said the shot was a relief, given that he had barely located half of his bat since the tournament began. He had pushed himself too hard, he added, the corollary of which was that he was tight and desperate just trying too hard to influence every moment of every match. One more, to be thrown by a serious rival and in which he only faced three deliveries, reminded him to let go and look at the ball, just the ball. He hit the shot so well it turned into a eureka moment. He hasn’t looked back since.
ALSO READ: Virat Kohli after finishing his routine: ‘I love this game and I hate it too’
On Saturday, Kohli played one of those innings he’s famous for: slow build and fast hit. His path is that of the hunter and his prey knows the odds all too well. On his first 30 balls on a slow, two-beat pitch, he had 34 runs; Over the next 22 he smashed 56. He never blocked and never pushed himself, he just did what he does: he outscored his opponent.
It’s funny how even the great ones have doubts, even fears. There is something of Novak Djokovic in Kohli: in abhorrence of anything less than the ticking of every square. Having done that, they see themselves as preeminent and delight in asking their opponent what he has and how long. In these pages, four years ago, Ed Smith wrote a brilliant article on the development of modern hitting. It’s a must-read if you want to fully appreciate the link between art and science, body and mind in the act of athletic performance. “Kohli’s investment in success is total and self-reinforcing: hard work, desire, and self-confidence intertwine,” Smith wrote. “Like Djokovic, Kohli has turned his body into an agent of that self-confidence – a body dedicated to a game dedicated to success.” Smith could well have added “mind” to “body.” He wrote that each man “combines fierce and literal determination with hints of mysticism: if you want something enough and commit enough, good things will happen.”
At the beginning of the tournament, it was clear that during the long days of lockdown, Kohli had overstepped, but he had forgotten how to set aside the expectations that arose from it. To hit well again, he had to let go. In other words, he had to be free. Bumrah’s jerk was the key to the door of freedom.
Nicholas Pooran’s Miraculous Salvation
It may not have been completed in the old days because the boundary was often a picket fence, an iron railing, a billboard, or a rope with spectators sitting on the grass beyond. I watched the 1967 Gillette Cup Final at Lord’s from behind that rope and in front of the Tavern. The Somerset and Kent players signed autographs, but they definitely did not go in and out of the crowd to land the double hit on a limit catch. Why? Because no one had thought about it, simple. Alan Knott surely would have played ramp and backhand if they had been invented. Colin Cowdrey might not have.
Pooran’s effort was more than brilliant. It was magical, actually, causing a general drop in the jaw and deep breaths, followed by “We have to see that again!” And again and again. Pooran is a wonderful athlete, or a contortionist we should say in this case, and he has a charming flair for cricket, as if the game is in his blood. By the way, keep an eye on him with the bat, there’s a rare talent in this guy.
Rahul Tewatia …
… I was at it once again on Sunday, and by that, I mean pulling the most famous hitters of the Rajasthan Royals out of the mud. Steve Smith looks strangely rudderless in the fold, as if his strong mind needed a break and had come in the form of carefree swings toward the ball that might or might not come out. This is high fee cricket, it is not usually your thing. One imagines that he’ll figure it out pretty soon and one of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes will sprinkle some stardust over the Royals in the days and weeks to come.
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In the meantime, say hi to Tewatia, the man who surely saw the other side during the excruciating first part of his innings against the Kings XI in Sharjah. As you looked, you felt the world shake with you; in fact, someone said you should step past one and avoid humiliation, but oh, men of little faith.
The rest is history. Tewatia played the innings of his life, which probably saved him from a fate worse than death. He played another little gem on Sunday afternoon, easing the Royals over the line with his rather charming style of offside elegance and side-leg wipes.
Tewatia is the wellness factor of the tournament – an unlikely hero, but a hero nonetheless. He gave us all hope that day in Sharjah, reminding cricketers around the world that the game is our gift and that giving it away is never an option.
On the subject of feeling good …
Young Indian hitters with good technique and enviable style: Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, Sanju Samson, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. Suitable fast bowlers who aren’t afraid to let the cue ball fly: Jofra Archer, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortjie, and of course the kid Bumrah. Wristspinners do well on pitches that make life less easy than they are used to when under the pump. Oh, and David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, an Australian and an Englishman in the field together and in cahoots.
The yorker, or its absence
You’d think coaches would work their bowlers to the brim in search of a consistent yorker when the work is underway. Maybe that’s harder said than done in these days of invention. On Sunday, Sandeep Sharma took a good shot at Riyan Parag, who threw it over Bairstow’s head to the limit. I mean please. Having said that, I am convinced that the yorker should be a predetermined position.
Even more to feel good
The president and co-owner of Delhi Capitals surprised the team by calling an impromptu meeting and said he wanted to show them a video about the rather unsuccessful last week.
Instead, the video was a collage of messages familiar to each of the players from their homes around the world: wives, girlfriends, kids, moms, more kids, dads, and dogs. Even Ricky Ponting shows emotion (insert laughing emoji). He then makes a nice speech about the sacrifices that three months in the IPL bubble take. It confirmed the feeling that I have had that the IPL is less mercenary than it seems from afar and that the players buy mainly from the “family” who have paid the selling price.
Delhi, Dubai or anywhere in the world, we always aim to keep players closer to their families.
Our president and co-owner, @ ParthJindal11The heartwarming surprise thrilled the DC stars and surely brought them joy.
Not just a team, a family far from home #YehHaiNayiDilli pic.twitter.com/Uz1ma9Vw9h
– Delhi Capitals (tweeting from) (@DelhiCapitals) October 11, 2020
As if to emphasize this, yesterday there were a couple of takes on television that told the story well. With eight needed from the final, the camera caught Shane Warne on a balcony above the Royals dugout. The Covid mask had slid down his face and we saw him close his eyes and mouth to himself something like “Come on please, this time please.” It was a kind of prayer. Warne is a mentor to the Royals, somewhat low-level after the glory days of leading the team to the title in the first year of the IPL.
Just a couple of hours later, Harshal Patel threw too direct at Suryakumar Yadav, who knocked him out of the middle and leg towards the square boundary. Ponting looked like daggers. Harshal had missed his mark by three inches. But Ponting cares. Also Warne. And your bar is very high.
Finally
Give credit to those who dressed the gardens, selected the audio, and created an atmosphere out of nowhere. It really felt like it was real, albeit in a different space.
Finally finally
The absence of spectators means that cricket has taken center stage. Confirming the quality of that cricket is not a bad thing. As much as we love bling, cricket is the best.
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