The Chris Gayle factor looms large. One batsman against 11 opponent players appears a clear mismatch, does it not? Yes, it does and leaves the 11 men hopelessly helpless when Gayle gets into his act. He has demonstrated his batting fury on different cricket fields for more than a decade and now comes to this vibrant city to entertain cricket lovers.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) play the last match of IPL-IV at this venue. The drubbing on Monday night at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has dented the home team's confidence. Too much emphasis on the pitch meant the focus was divided and CSK made the most of the opportunity.
RCB looks equally well-equipped. In fact it becomes far more dangerous when a 31-year-old Jamaican tears into the bowling. This IPL has been a “fantastic” experience for this highly gifted batsman, who is known to set his own standards. He has a triple century in Tests scored at a pace in keeping with a T20 contest.
Not crude
Gayle is not crude to watch. He hits hard, and hits through the line. He can pick the unmanned areas with disdain, with a deft flick, a crafty placement, or simply, a whack that breaks the heart of the bowler.
Often the left-hander punishes even the good deliveries, and very often leaves the bowlers scratching their heads as to where to bowl. For, Gayle can play all the shots and play them well too.
So, this match will boil down to RR versus Gayle. If the tall West Indian gets going, it would mean unbridled entertainment.
Harbhajan Singh once remarked, “Gayle's batting is like a highlights package.” True. One can't afford to leave the seat when Gayle is on strike. It is either the bowler or him.
In a mere five innings, Gayle has smashed 328 runs with two centuries. Even in other forms of cricket, he does not accumulate runs, he plunders them.
His teammate Virat Kohli has 20 runs more than Gayle but also four innings more. RCB looks up to this classy player to come good every time he takes guard and may not be any different on Wednesday.
RR (11 points from 11 matches) was ragged against CSK on Monday night and can't afford a repeat. Shane Warne spoke of an improved performance against RCB (13 points from 10 matches) to keep the team in the hunt.
He refused to blame the pitch for the big defeat and gracefully accepted: “We were outplayed.”
RR and Warne can look forward to changing the fortunes of the team. But it would mostly depend on one man's ability to whip the ball and bowlers.
If Gayle can be tamed, RR can hope to curb RCB too at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here.
