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Haydos, Mongoose and Super Sunday
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20 Mar 2010, 07:28:02 PM
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| Posted by VB Chandrasekar |
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I am writing this on the flight back home after shutting out the Devils in Delhi. The win was satisfying for the Super Kings sans Dhoni. Raina didn’t have to make a major decision at the toss as it was obvious DD would bat considering their huge loss to Mumbai Indians. The surface looked good and so it didn’t leave the team speculating about their chances while chasing.
It was clear even from the practice sessions that the group was motivated to fight hard. The bowlers had their own separate meeting to work out strategies against different batsmen. Sieving through this wealth of information, I realised that Indian cricket has a lot to gain from the IPL.
However, it was not all business as there were the usual pranksters too. I saw the two Sri Lankans, Thushara and Perera, looking busy and I presumed they were jotting down key points. In the end, I discovered that Thushara was busy doing a caricature of Auro, the lead character in the Bollywood film Paa with a footnote “Paa is Ashvin like”. The beauty of the IPL and its wonderful vision of getting various cultures to merge are remarkable.
Back to cricket and Viru set the platform for his mates by sending us on a leather hunt. Murali was clear in his approach that getting his wicket was better than trying to contain. The stunning catch by Kemp, clutching the ball like the last straw, inches from the ropes, turned the game around.
The bowlers, despite the placid deck, believed in their ability. The early pounding from Viru didn’t leave them dumbstruck. Restricting DD to fewer than 200 was a crucial phase in the pursuit of a win.
Hopes were pinned on Haydos magic in the absence of Dhoni. The fans have been waiting for the Mongoose to be released. He unleashed trade mark Haydos punches with the conventional willow. The dugout seemed a happy bunch with nothing to jolt it besides Parthiv’s unfortunate run out.
Tradition was unplugged when Haydos switched to the Mongoose, leaving the dugout buzzing in non-approval over its timing. Despite the sheer faith in the man’s ability, it still left everyone curious about its effectiveness.
I have avoided describing the Mongoose thus far. Raina seemed happy with it at the nets and was quick to change his mind in a match, preferring to stay conservative. Haydos was convinced about the Mongoose. In fact, during a practice session, my question on its effectiveness against the slower bowlers elicited a prompt response: “All I know is it goes miles.”
The younger generation that has the flexibility in mind and body, will ask for the Mongoose to replace the snakes and ladders. Already, the boys from the Academy have queried me if it’s the man or the equipment. The simple answer is, both.
Just when the sceptics thought Haydos was spiralling downhill, the Mongoose has driven away the snakes in the mind and the cricket ball to extreme corners. It was indeed a privilege to see the success of the Mongoose and the entertainment that had a jaw dropping effect on entire stadium and millions watching on TV.
I would say that we might yet see more innovations in the equipment over a period of time. Thinking out of the box was Haydos and jumping out of the box was the Mongoose! It’s come to stay, albeit early days. A fully grown Mongoose will be sheer entertainment for spectators when it goes ballistic.
My attempts to probe his reason for using it and its timing found the desired results. Off the field, Haydos is the easiest to pick a conversation with and he is never one to hold back information of any kind.
That might need a separate column and I promise it will all be yours in a blog wholly dedicated to this champion. As a matter of fact, this win and Raina’s wonderful contribution have put us in better frame of mind. With the Mongoose factor leaving the opposition bowlers in a state of shock, the fielding looking good and the self-belief of our bowlers, I feel it will only get better in the future.
The Sunday night game is the clash of the Kings. Winning home games is crucial. Kings XI will play desperate cricket to put points on the table. They are a dangerous unit unfortunately hit by injuries. The support of our fans and the need to carry the winning momentum is a strong motivation to push ahead. Come tomorrow, the Super Kings will want it to be a Super Sunday.
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