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Faltering first steps
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While Royal Challengers Bangalore has lost all its three IPL matches on its home ground, skipper Rahul Dravid believes that his men have it in them to turn it around
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Photo: BhagyA Prakash K.
Disappointng Loyal fans who have turned up in great numbers have nothing much to cheer about
As you drive towards the Chinnaswamy Stadium, a huge hoarding strikes the eye. It features the Royal Challengers Bangalore team members with the tagline that goes “Born in Bangalore, to thrill the Nation.”
But four matches down the line that includes three losses at home, forget about thrilling the nation, the team has failed to even cheer its fans who throng the stadium. “I don’t know why but yes we have been losing at home. I believe in my team and the tournament still has a long way to go and I am sure with the ability we have, we should do well,” Dravid said in a recent press conference.
In the opening match, the Royal Challengers were often staring at the sky, watching Kolkata Knight Riders’ Brendon McCullum threaten the stratosphere with his big hits. McCullum’s 158 grounded the home side and Dravid admitted, “when the ball keeps flying over your head, you can look a bit silly.” In their next outing, the Bangalore team salvaged pride and self-belief after defeating Mumbai Indians at Mumbai and when they returned to their hometown for their matches against Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, expectation was great.
However Dravid’s men lost both the matches. Against Rajasthan Royals, the batsmen found the fielders’ palms rather than the fence and against Chennai Super Kings, a usually sedate Wasim Jaffer donned an aggressive veneer,
Ross Taylor had his big hits and yet Royal Challengers made a mess of the chase and fell short by 13 runs. “We emerged second best,” said a visibly-hurt Dravid later.
Two points from four matches does not reflect the true merit of the squad. The team needs to find its bearings quickly as the next set of matches are just around the corner.
The team has an air of solidity rather than flamboyance in its batting with Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Wasim Jaffer more prone to the classical school of batsmanship. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ross Taylor and Cameron White have to play for their countries and their departure will cause a dent.
However, more than its batting, that has failed to cast away its diffidence, the team was primed to deliver the killer punch through its bowling.
Featuring Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan, Nathan Bracken, Anil Kumble, Sunil Joshi and Praveen Kumar, the attack was a good mix of fire and fangs.
However a complex set of circumstances meant that Dravid never had his full quota of strike bowlers to chip away at rival batsmen.
Kumble has just recovered from an injury while Bracken is still nursing one, Steyn had to play domestic matches in South Africa before flying in for the match against Chennai Super Kings and all this meant that the bowling ace Dravid was to have up his sleeve, never materialised. Steyn’s incisive spell against Mathew Hayden here on Monday did hint at things to come as the tournament progresses.
Strangely Misbah Ul Haq, known for his match-finishing skills as a batsman is still warming the benches and it also hurts the team that Kallis is yet to fire all cylinders as a full-fledged all rounder. And to expect State players like B. Akhil and Vinay Kumar to step up right away would only burden them more.
The team does have a good think-tank in chief cricket officer Martin Crowe, and coach Venkatesh Prasad, and in Dravid and Kumble, it has two individuals who can perhaps be counted among the toughest players in world cricket at the moment.
The Twenty20 format is one which can upset set patterns and Dravid is hoping that his team’s form and fortune changes for the better sooner rather than later.
K.C. VIJAYA KUMAR
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