Chris Gayle has the ability to cleverly manipulate his batting style to suit the situation © PTI
Tarot reader Shruti Chopra looks into her cards to give CricketCountry.com readers exclusive insights into what lies ahead in the IPL matches. In the below piece, she dwells into the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Pune Warriors game - the only IPL match on Friday.
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The Warriors have the Wheel of Fortune supporting their endeavour to regain their confidence, but is their nagging desire to succeed being supported by the other cards? They have such a mixture of cards, which shows their will, yet their application is not channelised. The Six of Swords does show their sincere efforts to find momentum in this game, but basics, such as their fielding will let them down. They will work hard to create the right balance and give the opposition a fight.
It’s not certain if Sourav Ganguly will play the remaining matches in this Indian Premier League. But should he play, he would have a good start with the bat, though he will try too hard to make this innings count. The Eight of Swords does warn that he should come with clearer plans and not let the opposition dominate him. As a captain he is looking stronger and in more control. He will motivate his team well.
Key players
Michael Clarke will try to play a balanced innings, but he won't be able to maintain this and like the Ten of Swords – he will find this to be a tougher challenge.
Steve Smith is like the High Priestess; he has a lot of potential, which he will look to extract out of himself by playing a mature and stable game.
Robin Uthappa will start off slowly. He will understand the importance of building a strong innings, yet he will experiment with too many ideas.
Mithun Manhas will have a confident start, but he will succumb to the pressures.
Ashok Dinda will be aggressive like the Five of Wands, but he will need to be careful of leaking unnecessary runs.
Murali Kartik will look to implement his own ideas, which will prove to be quite beneficial for the team. A strong day for him.
The Royal Challengers will have their fair share of problems during this game, which through some sensible actions and pro-active thinking won't be tough to overcome. The team management, being represented by the Nine of Cups shows their ability to provide the right support, allowing the team's Knight of Wand's aggression to be well channelised. The Challengers too will need to keep a watch on the quality of their fielding as it will come under pressure.
Virat Kohli is looking confident and wants to prove that he has the ability to be consistent. In fact, in today's game, he will be able to prove this, as he has the balance of the Chariot and the composure of the Knight of Pentacles. He will enjoy a good day with the bat as well. As a captain, he will mature further in this game, but not without having to deal with some minor issues.
Key players
Chris Gayle is happy and in a relaxed mood. The Magician, along with the Five of Wands shows his ability to cleverly manipulate his batting style to suit the situation. A good day for him.
AB de Villiers is strong and will play a commanding innings. His contribution as a wicket keeper will prove to be quite important.
Tillakaratne Dilshan will have a good start, but he won't be able to handle the responsibility and will lose out on the opportunity.
Zaheer Khan is going to be an important player. Like the Magician, he will have intelligent game plans, which he will implement with the right dosage of aggression.
Muttiah Muralitharan will have the opposition take to him, but he will fight back. A day of hard work for him.
Vinay Kumar is like the Knight of Cups - confident and calm. He will have better direction and will receive success for it.
Who holds advantage?
Royal Challengers Bangalore
(London-born Shruti Chopra was introduced to cricket by her two older brothers. She spent some of her childhood time in Delhi and became an Indian cricket fan. She has remained an unflinching and passionate Indian cricket fan even after moving back to London, setting 3.00 am alarms to watch India play Test matches. It was during the 2011 World Cup that she brought together her passion for cricket with her profession of Tarot Reading, looking at the cards in the hope of spotting an India win coming through - which it did! You can know more about Shruti via Facebook, Twitter and her website)
