IPL 2017: Young Turks hog limelight but what about big names like Kohli, Dhoni?
The Young Turks are on fire in the Indian Premier League and rightly hogging the attention. Lusty and bold hitting has been an integral part of the biggest domestic T20 cricket tournament at home. The IPL is now in its 10th year and there have been a number of knocks which have set the stands on fire across the country.
Yet, if there’s one knock which made everyone sit up and start singing paeans, it had to be the audacious 97 by young Rishabh Pant in the capital last week. From Sachin Tendulkar to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir to Sunil Gavaskar, Pant has been praised sky high.
The adjectives used for his batting display by the former super stars sums up everything. For those not present inside the Ferozeshah Kotla or unable to catch it on television, it’s a must to see it on YouTube.
Agreed, the Kotla is not one of the biggest stadiums in the country but to soak in the pressure and come out firing like Rambo was special. The way Delhi Daredevils get riled and ridiculed for poor performances in the IPL, Pant’s heavyweight knock was a true gem. To smash James Faulkner, a good bowler in death for 23 runs the other day, was an unusual sight.
At a time when the battle for entering the playoffs has gained pace, the top three teams are clear. The battle for the fourth spot is getting interesting. It’s in contests where “minnow” teams figure, there have been wild swings in results. On Saturday, Rising Supergiants Pune beat Sunrisers Hyderabad and all of a sudden the predictability factor comes into question.
Pant aside, Delhi Daredevils have been well served by Sanju Samson. A tried and tested performer, Samson lends weight to the Delhi batting even as a few more youngsters and uncapped players are having a wild party in the heat and dust sweeping the IPL.
Nitish Rana, who started brilliantly for Mumbai Indians, has shown that he can also soak in the pressure well. Add to it performances from Pune’s Rahul Tripathi and Gujarat Lions’ Ishan Kishan, the IPL has been a good hunting ground for the underdogs.
Obviously, the lesser known players who are doing the star turn are finding the IPL ambience exciting and with so many top coaches and mentors to guide them, they are learning well. Indeed, if the Young Turks have made people sit up and take notice, there are some well known names who have had a poor outing.
The failure of Virat Kohli in the IPL and his team Royal Challengers Bangalore was least expected. The Bangalore side’s batting, despite being loaded with big stars, came a cropper.
For those not familiar with pressure and how one player cannot keep performing day in and day out, there is nothing unusual about Kohli going through a bad patch. He had a bad run in the recently concluded Test series against Australia at home before the IPL and that’s been worrying for his fans.
And with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) still trying to find an auspicious date to announce the team for the Champions Trophy, some experts are asking if this would not be the best time to groom some players from the IPL who have been in terrific form.
First things first, the Champions Trophy is a 50-over format and to expect the selectors to effect wholesale changes is wishful thinking. Kohli has done badly but when he goes for such a big event, he will be in an altogether different zone and fired up. There can be no doubt about that.
MS Dhoni’s performance in this IPL has been mixed. He had a few good knocks but the consistency has been missing. Yet, if you are going to talk about his glovework, he continues to be in good form, though Rishabh Pant is also a wicketkeeper.
If there could be a comparison between Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in this IPL, the performances have been ordinary. These two are the big hitters and finishers, but there has been nothing spectacular from them this summer. Same goes for Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma, who is coming back from an injury.
Back to the Young Turks who have shone under the arc lights, they are going to go back with a wealth of experience. Yes, the IPL is a club tournament but the quality of cricket in it is so high, the uncapped players who have done well have picked up many fine points.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)