Published: May 16, 2011, 09:42 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 24, 2014, 02:15 PM (IST)
By Jamie Alter
There hasn’t been a lot to smile about for Deccan Chargers (DC) in IPL 2011, but their captain Kumar Sangakkara believes the team can take some positives into the fifth season. DC’s struggles in the competition – they have been ruled out of the play-offs and currently sit second from last on the league table – were directly proportionate to the contributions of overseas players such as Cameron White, Daniel Christian and JP Duminy, but Sangakkara did not wish to lay blame on anyone.
“We struggled as a unit. It’s not fair to point fingers,” he says. “It takes time for players to gel and we didn’t get as much out of a few as we should have. I myself only managed one half-century. It takes time to build a winning unit, and I am certain we will do much better in the next season. The talent is there. We’re a class outfit.”
DC only managed four wins out of 12 matches so far, and the repeated feeling of play even after being knocked is tough for Sangakkara to swallow. “Definitely, it is frustrating for us to end up where we have. Nobody comes into a tournament like the IPL ending up where we are. We take a lot of pride with the way we play our cricket and to lose as many games as we have done, it really hurts,” he says.
“It’s important not to get frustrated in Twenty20. That’s when the game starts dipping away. For all of us, this season has been a very steep learning curve. We’ve had great opportunities to win games after we put ourselves in very strong positions, but through a few mistakes … especially in the field … have lost far too many games.
“The positives are that that we have played good cricket to reach places from where we could have won games, but it hurts to have lost so much. It’s after we beat a team like Mumbai Indians that we know how good we really are.”
While with Kings XI Punjab, Sangakkara had singled out leg-spinner Piyush Chawla for his temperament and skill in the Twenty20 format. It was Sangakkara’s prominent backing in the media that had brought Chawla back into the forefront of discussions centring on the future of Indian spin, and Chawla had subsequently been included in India’s ODI squad for the Asia Cup in Pakistan.
With a new franchise, Sangakkara has been impressed with the Indian contingent; the pick of which he felt was Amit Mishra who has been recalled to the Indian ODI squad for the tour of the West Indies. Mishra is DC’s leading wicket-taker with 13 at an economy rate of 7.12.
“Amit Mishra has been outstanding. This is the first time I’ve really seen Amit up close, keeping to him. He’s got all the tricks that a leg-spinner should have but at the same time he has a big heart, and that’s very important for a leggie. He’s also a very strong character, and that came through yesterday (Saturday) even with his batting. Amit is someone who will grab every opportunity that comes his way.”
“Shikhar Dhawan is a top-class batsman, very technically correct. Even in Twenty20 he’s shaped up well. He doesn’t really slog but bats very well. Bharat Chipli is also talented. I think he will find more success as he plays and we will look to bat around him in the future. Then there’s Anand Rajan, who in his first game [against MI] really held his nerve.”
Rajan, on his IPL debut, had a match to remember. In one over he dismissed Tirumalasett Suman and Sachin Tendulkar, and was then given the ball for the final over, ahead of Daniel Christian, with MI chasing 26.
The first ball of the 20th over was a length ball, which Kieron Pollard swung away for six, the second a wide, and the fourth clipped off the toes by Pollard for four. Sangakkara was seen constantly gesturing and calling out to Rajan after each delivery, and a couple times even ran the length of the pitch to converse with his bowler. “I was trying to make him relax,” says Sangakkara, “and make sure he wasn’t confused as to what he was going to bowl. For a young kid, it’s very important. It was a case of trying to get the ball in the right areas. Full credit to him to come back so well after being hit for six off the first ball and bowling a couple wides. He showed a lot of character and he’s got a lot of potential for us.”
While praising Ishant Sharma’s five-wicket burst against Kochi Tuskers Kerala earlier in the tournament, Sangakkara also lauded the two wickets that Ishant took against MI. “Ishant is a very good bowler, we’ve seen that at the international level from time to time,” says Sangakkara. “I think he always bowls well when he has confidence and intent behind him. We knew what he is capable of and were willing to give him all the time he needed. Bowling with the new ball, we want you to go out and run in hard and hit the deck. When he’s got that confidence he seems to be able to perform and raise his game a level. Yesterday (Saturday) was a case in point when we were defending a low total, and Ishant showed a lot of intent when he charged in.”
Ishant, too, has been recalled to India’s ODI side, and Sangakkara feels they should use the platform to aim higher. “If you are selecting a Twenty20 team, then you can look at a player’s form in the IPL. Maybe to a degree for ODIs, but not so for Test cricket. In the case of Ishant and Amit, if they do consistently well, it means they have a lot to offer. Those two have done really well and having played for India, they know what they had. They should look at getting back into the Test side too.”
(Jamie Alter is a freelance cricket writer, having worked at ESPNcricinfo and All Sports Magazine. He is the author of two books, The History of World Cup Cricket and Field of Dreams: The Story of the Dr. DY Patil Sports Stadium. His twitter feed is @jamie_alter)
