As they say, getting success is easy but maintaining it is tough. Rajasthan Royals got a taste of that when they played bottom-dwellers Pune Warriors on Sunday. And, the experience would keep them cautious enough when they take on second-from-last Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday at the Sawai Man Singh stadium here.
Just like Warriors, who had no stake in the race anymore, Daredevils would also be taking the field with nothing to lose. Having collected a mere three wins from 11 matches, their IPl dreams are as good as over, giving them ample space to topple some other apple carts.
Royals, meanwhile, thanks to their unblemished run at home, are very much in contention for not only the playoffs but also for the top-spot finish in the league stage. Having played 11 matches and finished winners in seven of them, the Jaipur brigade would like nothing more than to collect two easy points from Daredevils before they embark on a tougher phase. With Kings XI Punjab up next after this one, they would be fighting it out with the biggies and the toppers: Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Moreover, away matches have been proving their Achilles heels so far. They have won just once outside Jaipur and the trip was to Delhi. Kevon Cooper’s last over at the Feroz Shah Kotla had helped the visitors steal a five-run win.
But at home, having chased down even a target of 179 against the Warriors, right now it seems that Rahul Dravid and his men can’t do anything wrong on this pitch that has given ample opportunities to the sides to battle it hard for points. What seems to be working well for Royals is the fact that even if one member of the team fails, the other is all too eager to stand up and take the responsibility on his shoulders. Exactly the point where Daredevils have been lacking throughout.
If a certain Mahela Jayawardene was leading from the front initially, he was hardly getting the required support. And, when he wasn’t able to shine no one else was willing enough to make a fight out of losing causes. Except David Warner, none of the Daredevils batsmen has been able to give many troubles to the rival attack.
After Super Kings registering the lowest total of the edition so far with their 79 against Mumbai Indians, Daredevils have made the effort twice to take that credit. Their 80 against Sunrisers recently and 83 versus Super Kings are the next two entries in the lowest totals’ list. It seems that the moment they saw their playoffs chances fading they decided to go on energy conservation mode. Else, what justifies this kind of failing of a team which despite the injury setbacks boasts of one-man army Virender Sehwag, Jayawardene himself and WarnerIJ
Royals, meanwhile, have been purely mechanical in their approach. They haven’t tried to be flashy and stuck completely to the Dravid-ian approach of — safe and steady is strong. Ajinkya Rahane has been following his idol Dravid to a hilt and that has helped the side a lot.
Even when it comes to bowling, Royals never had speedsters like Morne Morkel or Umesh Yadav to flaunt around. Neither they had recognised spinners like Johan Botha or Jeevan Mendis. But what they have been achieving with their medium-pace and mediocre spin in James Faulkner, Cooper, Siddharth Trivedi and Ajit Chandila, none of the other teams have been able to. Shane Watson’s all-round abilities surely add but they are a bit too unpredictable.
On paper, Daredevils or any other side might still look much stronger than Royals — the team with limited means and talent, but the way they have guarded their home, it looks as if it is never about names and huge talent. Perhaps, it is about the will alone.
Do Daredevils have any of that left anymoreIJ For, to beat Royals they would need loads of that.
Be smart and you will see results: Mushtaq
In fast-paced Twenty20, many believe the spinners have a little role to play. With batsmen firing from all cylinders, it hardly leaves much space for the slower artistes of the bowling trade to get enough time to leave a mark.
Mushtaq Ahmed, however, differs. The legendary Pakistan spinner, who is Delhi Daredevils’ bowling coach, believes the role of the spinners has evolved for good over the years in the shortest version of the game, the Indian Premier league in particular. “A lot of teams are winning the matches because of spinners,” he said on the eve of his side’s clash against Rajasthan Royals here.
“They have more variations like carom ball, doosra, googly and flipper. They are playing a huge role as they can take wickets in the middle at the crucial time.”
With hat-trick hero Amit Mishra and Sunil Narine among the top five bowlers so far, the former Pakistani leg-spinner and England’s bowling coach, said there were many others as well who had impressed him.
“There are plenty of them. Shahbaz Nadeem, Jeevan Mendis, Johan Botha from our team. Then from opposition, you have Amit Mishra, Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha. All these spinners have impressed me in this tournament,” he said, adding that spin bowling was all about temperament.
“Temperament is the key. Spin the ball as hard as you can. Not to worry about containing any batsman. Be smart with your field position and you will see the results,” said Mushtaq. “What I learnt as a player, never worry about the situation and always remember your strength. Not to worry about the opposition. If you give that much time to a player, they are able to cope up with the situation.”
Though he was more than honest in admitting that Daredevils performance had left much to desire in this edition, he was hopeful that they could still finish respectably. “We did not play good enough cricket,” he said. “But we still have five games left, we need to play hard cricket, we need to tell people that we are a good team but we did not play well. But we can still finish well.”
“They (Royals) know the ground and wicket condition,” Mushtaq said of the hosts’ impeccable home record. “Home crowd and home condition can both inspire you. We need to play proud cricket and respect the game as much as we can.”