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Showing posts with label Hardik Pandya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hardik Pandya. Show all posts
Inside CSK and GT camps before the IPL final
What makes the tournament special, yet over the top
After Gujarat Titans’ stunning win against a much-fancied Mumbai Indians, planning has been taken on a whole new level at CSK. While the IPL final, in all probability, could be MS Dhoni’s last IPL match, the captain wants to focus on the process – “I don’t want players to be distracted, they can be distracted eight months later when I take the decision. Right now, if you ask me, I want them to focus on the process that has got us here.”
Asked what this process was, MSD said, “that is not for me to tell, if you can guess, guess, otherwise you will publish it and GT will know all about it, so I’d rather keep quiet.”
At the GT camp, they were anything but quiet. Rahul Tewatia was all charged up, thumping his chest as he often does after miraculous death-over chases. He could be seen urging Shubman Gill to do the same. Gill was seen smiling to no one and everyone in particular. His mates were still lining up to kiss him. It had been learnt that die-hard GT fans had been queuing outside the stadium to kiss him.
Gill, nonchalant as ever, echoed Dhoni’s sentiment when he said, “I don’t want to be distracted. I just want to focus on my process that has got me here.”
GT skipper Hardik Pandya was more forthcoming when he said, “We all know what Shubman can do, you know and we have come to expect this of him. I know he says the process is important but even before the process we have to look at if everyone is following the process and why is he only showing such results.” At this point, coach Ashish Nehra walked past Pandya, mumbling something inaudible to him.
As Pandya continued to ramble, Nehra returned and said something within earshot, “Talk to him later, or don’t talk to him, let’s discuss how Mumbai made so many runs, they should have lost by more than 100 runs, that Shami over nearly cost us.” As for Shami, he could be seen laughing, imitating the sitter that went through his hands.
Mentor Gary Kirsten looked quite unaffected by all this. Almost mirroring this was CSK coach, Stephen Fleming. While Ruturaj Gaikwad, who some are pipping as Dhoni’s successor, came forward to say a few words, “We don’t need to look at GT. We need to look at ourselves. Our strengths. Everywhere there are photos of Gill’s six-pack. Why are there no photos of my six-pack? Few know I have a six-pack. At CSK, it is not our style to be demonstrative. More so after Bravo retired. But everyone here knows I have a six-pack. I even mentioned it in a post-match IPL interview.”
At this point, everyone cracked up, but what stunned everyone was a power-point presentation that did a comparison of Gill and Gaikwad’s six-packs. While everyone continued to laugh, Gaikwad remained poker-faced.
At GT, preps for their second IPL final in a row were on in earnest. Everyone had been given copies of Oscar Wilde’s 'The importance of being earnest'. It was Nehra’s idea – “I have not read the book, and you don’t have to also, what is important is the title. And we are after the title. Once we have the title, you can read the book. Or Not.” He continued to talk briskly in Hindi, saying the focus on the title was all that matters.
Pandya echoed Nehra’s sentiment, “What Ashu pa is saying is correct, if I had been reading books then I would’ve been some modest cricket writer and not this flashy captain of an IPL winning team. We have to wear our attitude on our sleeve, you must have heard that saying. I believe, you have to wear it on both sleeves.”
In the CSK war-room, there was a secret visitor. It was GT bowler, Mohit Sharma. Sharma was ex-CSK and was seen animatedly talking to Dhoni after the first Eliminator. He had popped in to thank Dhoni, talking straight as he did after his 5 for 10 against MI. He was asking Dhoni what he thought of his speech. When Dhoni said he didn’t watch speeches, he only made them, Sharma repeated it verbatim.
After Sharma left, Pandya appeared. He too wanted to spend time with his ‘elder brother’, Dhoni. He was quite emotional and MS had to calm him down. Pandya was seen ruffling Dhoni’s hair.
Gradually, other GT members entered to speak with Dhoni and his CSK team-mates. The broadcasting crew appeared and started filming this. Ex-CSK player and broadcaster, Mathew Hayden, piped in, “It’s only in the IPL that you will see something like this. No doubt this is the greatest league in the world.”
Harbhajan Singh, by his side, agreed, “I have to agree with you, even you and I are now friends all thanks to the IPL.” Sunil Gavaskar could be seen taking out shirts from a bag, having them autographed by Dhoni. When reminded that he already had his shirt autographed by MS on Live TV, he quipped, “In India, the moment you have something precious, your family, friends and neighbours want it.”
Ashish Nehra hovered past mumbling to himself.
(However plausible this may sound, this is a work of fiction)
First published on cricket.com
A note to Rahul Tewatia
Thank you for challenging perceptions, for re-opening the selection debate, for making us look at the role of a finisher
Dear Rahul,
You may not ever play for India. If you had to, you should have in the previous T20 World Cup. But then that night happened. Again. You’re a repeat offender, offending the sensibilities of these written scripts, that proclaim repeatedly who are the chosen ones.
You are not the chosen one. Yet you choose to be. Perhaps you know what they refuse to know. Perhaps you know, you play with freedom - with a middle finger to everything that is stacked up against you.
That in itself is beautiful. To play with freedom. Very few do. The great Indian stars, once they become great or on the threshold of greatness, cannot.
You are an Indian star. But you are not great. You may never be great. That is a blessing. Great Indian stars are Virat, Rohit, Rishabh, Jasprit, Hardik and Mahi.
Just as they have their highs, they have their lows. Their lows are often far more terrific than their highs.
But you, Rahul, you achieve great things. You take the uncertainty and shove it somewhere deeply painful in the opposition’s unmentionables.
It’s great to see, that you will be mentioned throughout this IPL again. Not just as a memory of what you did in Sharjah, but what you did in Brabourne.
What did you do? What. Did. You. Do. It’s beyond how and to whom. It’s 12 off the last 2 is what you did.
There will be jokes. Jokes in awe of you. That Tewatia pulled off a Tewatia. Again.
Do you realise what that is? Tomorrow if one of those bigger names pull off something similar, they will be pulling off a Tewatia. It will be spoken as such on air. And not just by Graeme Swann.
Secretly, they are in awe of you. As they shepherd their flock, without the freedom to let loose their own batting.
***
There are two designated Indian greats in your team, Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill, who opens the batting, and your skip, Hardik Pandya, who opens the bowling and bats at four. Both have played for India. And when they don’t play for India, India waits for them to turn up. To turn a corner. To regain form. To rehabilitate.
The wait can be tricky, much as it can be a carrot. Prior to this season, Gill’s T20 striking wasn’t even compelling enough for his franchise to retain him. Pandya’s fitness and lack of form, meant his erstwhile team, Mumbai Indians let him go.
You found yourself at Gujarat with them. While Gill is going through a T20 renaissance in his last two innings, his IPL career strike rate is 126.15
As for Pandya, (mostly a lower middle-order batter and finisher as yourself) strikes a shade over 150. However, in his last season, his strike dipped to 113, his batting average to a mere 14. Your batting numbers weren’t any better. Subsequently, your franchise didn’t retain you either.
While Pandya didn’t bowl in either of the last two seasons, he has now, bending his back, not just opening, but closing too.
Though you didn’t bowl in GT’s first outing, you won it with the bat 40* (24). Meanwhile, Pandya had already settled into a sustaining role, looking to bat out the innings, with his 33 (28). Pandya continued with his approach in the second game, as you blazed on 15(8) in the death overs. This match, you bowled.
By the third match, Pandya got a move on 27(18), but your batting exploded: 13(3). You sealed the deal.
While India is on the lookout for a lower order finisher who can bowl, Pandya is bang in the middle, more top order than finisher, looking to be the glue in a relatively thin batting line-up.
Previously: Pandya made the T20 World Cup. After a couple of uneventful outings against New Zealand and Pakistan, where he bowled a sum total of 2 overs. In all likelihood, he will be back in the reckoning. As too will most of India’s alleged T20 mainstay.
This may even be at the cost of outstanding performances by yourself and many other lesser names.
Already written in stone are the following: Rohit, Rahul, Kohli, Pant, Ishan, SKY, and who knows, Pandya. Or are they? Out of these, only Pandya may bowl. All these are top-order batters for their franchise.
What performances such as yours do is open the debate again – that there is an alternative. And even if you may not be the answer, there is someone else. That India can, and should move beyond the greats first, in the shortest format, as they did in 2007.
***
What makes the debate confusing is that players tend to adopt roles for their franchise which contradict what is expected of them if and when they play for India. A case in point is Rishabh Pant. Who faces a similar predicament as Pandya. Bats at four, and tends to restrain himself and look to bat through the innings.
Pant has over the last three seasons been striking at much less than 130. Compare that with the promise of the three seasons before that, which were in excess of 160. Captaincy, senior player tag, restraint, responsibility, it’s terribly confusing, and not easy to undo, as Indian stars try to change their approach from the IPL to internationals.
Sanju Samson may not yet be the chosen one, but he is an alternative to Pant. He captains his franchise, also bats at four, is flexible to move up to three; and significantly, has been striking at well above 130 for the last six years. He also goes big from ball one.
But then, against KKR, Pant rushed himself up to three, striking at nearly 200; scoring 27(14).
***
Team India tends to zero in on all-format players. While Pant has been exceptional in Tests, his white-ball performances haven’t quite cut it yet – his overall strike rate in T20Is for India is 125. In his fledgling career, Pant has already been over-scrutinised, called-out, dropped repeatedly. His comebacks have been nothing short of stunning. But mostly in Test cricket.
India waits on him, in the hope that he will transplant his Test form into the shorter format.
Just as well, the white ball auditions are on. This month, and the next one.
Go for it, Rahul. And all of you who dare to dream and defy the status quo. There is no door to knock at. It’s just the ball you have to knock the stuffing out of. India is watching.
Best to you, and all those who want to pull off a Tewatia,
Sincerely,
Gaurav Sethi
PS: Last night, Stoinis nearly pulled off a Tewatia.
First published here
Is it too early to write about Krunal Pandya?
Or to write
him off?
To know Krunal
better, perhaps we could attempt to know India’s Twenty20 cricket better –
Krunal made his T20 international debut a few months back, in November 2018.
He’s played nine games so far.
Dinesh
Karthik, now considered to be India’s T20 finisher has played 30 games. Over 12
years back, he played in India’s first T20 game. That was then the 10th
T20 international being played.
The third
T20 of the New Zealand series on February 10, 2019 was the 738th
game.
Rohit
Sharma, the top T20 run getter, has played 93 games. Rohit did not play in
India’s first T20 game. Tendulkar, Sehwag and Raina did. That’s how long ago it
was.
Dhoni was
the captain then. He would go on to lead India to victory in the first ICC World
Twenty20 in 2007. Neither Tendulkar, Sehwag nor Raina featured in that final.
The
evolution of a T20 team calls for brutal selections.
From that
glorious Indian team of 2007, only Dhoni and Rohit remain.
It’s only
in the last few years that India has balanced its significant ODI diet with
more T20s. In doing this, it has grappled with acknowledging how ODI and T20
cricket are vastly different – and require
different skills and possibly different selections. While the transformation to
picking lean IPL squads has been far swifter, India’s T20 unit has taken long
to shed its excess ODI weight.
Where
patience and building an innings are a virtue in ODIs, they are a luxury few
can ill afford in T20s.
Where in
the longer formats, bits and pieces players are exposed, a few overs of glory,
make headlines and careers out of players.
It is still
early days in Krunal Pandya’s international career. Yet it’s likely, he will
continue to be a T20 selection – as much for his own skills, as for the lack of
overall T20 skills of other candidates.
So, who are
these other candidates?
Ravindra
Jadeja – last played a T20 for India in 2017. In his 40 games, he batted only
18 times. Mostly at 7 and 8, with a strike rate less than 100, an average less
than 10. The sample size is small and it’s possibly Jadeja’s lack of impact as
a bowler as much as Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal’s ascent, that saw him
lose out.
Jadeja’s
economy is just a shade over 7, but it’s his 31 wickets off 40 games at a much higher
strike rate that go against him – 26 to Kuldeep’s 11 and Chahal’s 15.
Kuldeep
Yadav already has 35 wickets from 18 games at an economy of 6.72. Chahal has 45
wickets from 29 (economy 7.9) – while neither Yadav nor Chahal have any batting
skills of note, it’s as much the attacking bowling option as their ODI rise that
has nudged out both Jadeja and Ashwin.
R Ashwin’s
52 wickets from 46 games (economy 6.97) meant he too last played in 2017.
Incidentally, both Ashwin and Jadeja last turned up in a T20I on July 9, 2017 –
both ended wicketless, one went for 39 off his 4, the other 41 off 3.3 overs.
West Indies
chased down 190 with nine wickets and two Indian spinners in hand.
There has
been the brief flirtation with Axar Patel, but he mostly played against
Zimbabwe when the mainstay was rested. 11 games, 9 wickets; batting mostly at 7
and 8, his numbers saw him last turn up for India close to a year ago.
Once upon a
time, there was the Yusuf Pathan option – he too batted lower down, mostly at
6, 7 and 8 and was at best a part-time bowling option – bowling his full quota
in seven of the 17 innings he turned his arm over. Yusuf opened the innings
with Gambhir in that first World T20 Final. That was also his first T20I match.
The last
time he turned up, the rain impacted both the match and his career. He did not
bat, India lost to Duckworth Lewis in 7.1 overs, close to seven years ago.
Which
brings us to Krunal Pandya. Elder brother of chat-show Pandya.
And
significantly, part of a champion IPL team, the Mumbai Indians. (with so many
coaches going, he can only hone his all-round skills)
Krunal
turns 28 next month. He’s played just three First Class games so far. However,
he’s heaved it in 71 T20s. He made his T20 debut six years back.
In the Hamilton
decider, Krunal’s bowling was mauled for 53 runs. It seemed to be predictable
hit-me bowling – but then, whenever any bowling is slaughtered, you don’t ask
if it halal or jhatka. Either way, it’s slaughtered. And appears clueless,
bereft of thought, variations, guile.
Krunal has
a bowling economy of 8.72 rpo (almost identical to Yusuf’s). It’s a small
sample size, but on evidence, his bowling (not unlike Jadeja’s in T20s and
ODIs) does lack imagination – there is a sameness in speed, trajectories,
lengths. Once a batsman has his measure, expect an all-out attack.
Which is
where the wicket-gifts can happen. Just the other day, his 3/28 gifted him the
Man of the match.
Such is the
nature of the format that Krunal will have the occasional good days with the
ball. To expect him to be the 5th bowler though is a bridge too far.
It’s better if he starts as the sixth bowler and splits those four overs with
another part-timer.
India was
145/6 after 15.2 overs when Dhoni fell. Kartik and Krunal, the last of the
hitting ammunition dump. Krunal added 26(13).
Had India
played a bowler instead of Krunal, India’s chase would’ve stopped after Dhoni’s
wicket. Question is, would India’s target have been far less?
While
Krunal has batted in only four innings for India (strike rate 156.81), it’s his
batting numbers in domestic cricket that have pushed him to where he is – here
too, his batting average of 27 and strike rate of 147 is uncannily similar to
that of Yusuf Pathan’s. There are eight years between the two, but both play
for Baroda.
Both are brothers
of more illustrious fast bowling all-rounders; both pegged to be the next Kapil
Dev.
***
Numbers
aside, it’s Krunal Pandya’s obvious hitting ability. It appears to run in the
Pandya blood. As too the cricketing smarts.
Only last
year in Australia, after being walloped for 55 in Brisbane, he plugged it to
just 26 two days later in Melbourne, and helped India square the series with a Man
of the match haul in Sydney.
For now, it
might be best not to underestimate Krunal. If there’s a single to be taken,
take it. The tail starts after him, not with him.
Then again,
this could be a duel best viewed in a KKR vs MI match.
You can bet
it will be hyped no end. Expect Krunal to add little to the hype though. He’s
not much for a chat.
First published here
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