Published: May 18, 2011, 10:54 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 24, 2014, 02:57 PM (IST)
By Jamie Alter
If the sky provided all the rain during a damp evening in Dharamsala, Adam Gilchrist took care of the thunder and lighting. In a demonstration of power hitting that was a throwback to his barnstorming days with Australia, Gilchrist roared to life in the competition in another do-or-die situation for Kings XI Punjab, carrying them on his aging shoulders with an outstanding century.
Gilchrist had placed his team in a fantastic position to stay alive in the competition, and the personal frustration that he had been battling all season had finally sent the left-hander to his boiling point. The first sign that Gilchrist knew something different and special was needed was when he won the toss and opted to bat. His preference has always been to field, and he has opted to bat just twice all season.
Gilchrist has had a quiet tournament, getting off to starts but failing to carry on. His 12 innings preceding the blitz against Royal Challengers Bangalore read 1, 19, 61, 28, 42, 26, 0, 0, 3, 28, 9, and 9. The 61 against Deccan Chargers was a breezy affair that ended with Gilchrist picking out a fielder in the deep; the 42 against Delhi Daredevils promised much more. Each time he was dismissed, and especially when he fell cheaply, you could see Gilchrist with disappointment on his face because he knew that he hadn’t been purchased just for his shrewd Twenty20 captaincy.
Gilchrist’s strongest point is his willingness to attack in any situation. Today was no different. He wasn’t bogged down by a shaky start. This innings began as most of Gilchrist’s have all this season: a couple leg byes dripped off his pads after big heaves again connected poorly, and his timing on the off side remained unconvincing. Then, in the seventh over, he connected sweetly and sent the ball over square-leg for six, in a manner which fans of Gilchrist would have grown accustomed to during the 2000s. It was a typical pick-up shot off the pads, and there was only one place it was going. Gilchrist once said that the beauty of hitting sixes was that the batsman knows before anyone else in the ground that the ball isn’t coming back. That was one such shot; it also happened to be his 100th in Twenty20s.
A second six followed, as Gilchrist charged out to Sreenath Aravind, and the horse had bolted. Chris Gayle was hit for successive sixes, and then Charl Langevelt dumped over the leg side for three in a row as Gilchrist surged to his fifty off 25 balls. By this time there was a big, sloppy grin on his face and the enjoyment was palpable. Soon he began taking some risks, making room and shuffling across his stumps before employing a full and fast swing of his bat.
Gilchrist’s game has always been based on an ability to judge length quickly. He caused severe damage with his short-am jabs and swivelled pulls, and scored the majority of his runs between mid-on and square leg: six sixes and three fours flew through this area. Virat Kohli shuffled his pack – he made eight chances inside the first 10 overs – and moved about the fielders, but he has as well has just sat back and watched the demonstration unfolding before him. It didn’t matter to Gilchrist. In all, he collected eight fours and nine sixes and won his duels with every bowler.
With Shaun Marsh striking the ball ever so cleanly – there really was not one uncouth shot in his innings – Gilchrist kept at it and the Australian pair obliterated the previous highest partnership for any wicket in any edition of the IPL, and then the highest in all Twenty20s, the 186 between Justin Langer and Cameron White for Somerset vs Gloucestershire in 2006. Marsh was a happy spectator at the other end and said later that it was a “privilege” to watch Gilchrist do his thing.
Gilchrist wasn’t done, though. For good measure, he dived to his left to pluck the most important catch of the match – that of Gayle. The explosive opener was out for zero. It was apt that Gayle’s awesome run be halted by the man of the evening. There was also a smart stumping to get rid of AB de Villiers, as well as his 50th dismissal in the IPL – a record, no less. It needed something spectacular to beat a team which had racked up a record seven consecutive wins, and that’s exactly what Gilchrist produced.
“It was a bit of a surprise [that innings] but to come out and hit the ball like that was pretty pleasing,” said Gilchrist afterwards. “You’ve just got to keep trusting yourself and the shots you’ve been playing for years. Twenty20 is a funny game.”
The race for play-off spots has intensified even further, with two teams on 14 points and two on 16. RCB have already qualified for the next stage, but Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders have reasons to fear KXIP.
(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)
