Chennai’s collapse may have been unexpected, but it was Richard Levi, T20 cricket’s latest sensation, who rose to the occasion and lived up to his billing. The burly batsman from South Africa bludgeoned the ball to all parts of the ground and took no time in making an impression on the passionate Indian fans.
Published: Apr 05, 2012, 10:21 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 23, 2014, 12:20 PM (IST)
Richard Levi’s real test would be when he has to bat on some of the lower and slower pitches © AFP
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
An uncharacteristic Chennai wicket produced a relatively quiet opener for the Indian Premier League (IPL), 2012. The reputed spinner’s haven was unusually two-paced with a hint of bounce which that astonished both teams. Chennai’s collapse may have been unexpected, but it was Richard Levi, T20 cricket’s latest sensation, who rose to the occasion and lived up to his billing. The burly batsman from South Africa bludgeoned the ball to all parts of the ground and took no time in making an impression on the passionate Indian fans.
Levi’s success on his IPL debut can be attributed to the bounce in the Chennai pitch. Early in the innings, the ball was coming on to the bat and it took off from most areas. It was easier to face the new ball – something Levi capitalised on thoroughly. He managed to play quite a few deliveries through the line and was comfortable sweeping the spinners. In fact, the grass on the wicket would have encouraged the fast bowlers and some of them did extract some good bounce.
The fastest T20 international hundred brought him the limelight and his latest knock would gladden the Mumbai Indians team management. However, one would have to wait and see how he adjusts to some other wickets in the country. The one on Mumbai’s home ground – Wankhede – may have tennis ball bounce. That surface may be to Levi’s liking as he comes fromSouth Africa. His real test would be when he has to bat on some of the lower and slower pitches. Going by his exploits, there is only one way he would approach it – swing and swing hard.
The Mumbai bowling was splendid. It wasn’t just a Lasith Malinga show; the other chipped in to make it a team effort. One of the biggest surprises was their decision to play Abu Nechim Ahmed ahead of Munaf Patel and Rudra Pratap Singh. Considering Munaf’s success during the last season and RP Singh’s good track record in the competition, they should have been front-runners to partner Malinga. Probably Mumbai want to give the youngster a chance at the start of the season to see how he goes and then consider possible alterations.
Pragyan Ojha’s inclusion has certainly taken a lot of the pressure off Harbhajan Singh. During the 2011 edition, Harbhajan had a lot to do in the middle overs and didn’t have a strong bowler at the other end unless Munaf or Malinga bowled an over or two. With Ojha coming in, Mumbai can strangle the opposition from both ends with their spin and dent them with wickets in the middle. Kieron Pollard, too, was accurate and caused quite a few worries to the Chennai batsmen.
Through all that, Sachin Tendulkar’s injury may send jitters in the Mumbai camp. The six he carved over mid-off gave one the impression that he was positive and had an uncluttered mind. The freedom in his approach would have had a lot to do with the burden of captaincy taken off his shoulders. Traditionally, Tendulkar has played some of his best cricket after giving up captaincy – the 1998 season being the case in point. It is for this reason Mumbai needs him in their eleven as a free-flowing Tendulkar can make their campaign a highly successful one.
The defeat of the Chennai Super Kings in their fortress would have taken quite a few by surprise. To be very fair, the surroundings were similar, but the nature of the battleground had changed. The batsmen were puzzled by the wicket. With the exception of Suresh Raina, none of them got going. At one stage, they looked good for 150-160, but just fell apart in the face of disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding.
Nevertheless, if the wicket continues to maintain its shape, Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have to rethink a few strategies. As one of the commentators mentioned, such a surface may prevent Chennai from playing to its strength – the spinners. Three spinners in the line-up wouldn’t help their cause and the inclusion of an extra fast bowler may be a better option. They can take a cue from Mumbai’s strategy of playing two spinners and four pacers. Pollard’s military medium did well and Chennai must look at that performance and take a call on a third seamer.
Ringing the alarm bells on the basis of this performance would be premature. In fact, one can expect to come back very strongly.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a club-level cricketer with an analytic mind and a sharp eye. It was this sharpness which spotted a wrong replay in IPL4 resulting in Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal. Some of his analytical pieces have come in for high praise from cerebral former cricketers. Nishad can also be followed on Twitter)
