Can you imagine a 27-year-old uncapped leg spinner hoisting the opening pacers of the West Indies and the Indian team for sixes? He dares to stand up and hit Shami over the square leg for a flat six and then almost equal Yuvi’s record. All this after everyone had written him off after wasting the first 18 deliveries. For me, if the term ‘game-changer’ has a meaning it is #RahulTewatia.
ASHOK’s FIVE is excited after the Match No 9 RR vs KXIP in the ongoing IPL 2020. Easily the most enjoyable match of the league so far, RR chased down what was the highest ever total posted by any team in the IPL history.
But before that, was it a bird or a plane? Was it superman? #NicholasPooran took fielding athleticism to the next level with that superlative flying catch, showing fitness, presence of mind, judgement and commitment of the highest order. As #SachinTendulkar tweeted, there is not better exhibition of fielding prowess in T20 than this. As for me, the fact that the ball has soared past the boundary in itself will never be construed as an automatic six. What is ABD or Pooran flies off the ground and brings is back?
And even before that, Sharjah promises to deliver a glorious Diwali every time. First Mayank and then Sanju. Just when I was shaking my head saying its all about the formula, RR finally broke the mould in style.
On a different note, I am enjoying the bling on the field – Malinga’s shock of dyed hair has given way to metal. There is Archer’s gold and Cottrell’s platinum. Isn’t it surprising that the batsmen are not objecting to the light reflecting all this metal-ware?
Watching Smith bat is guaranteed to give you a head-ache. And that has nothing to do with his scoring abilities. He is perhaps the ‘busiest’ man at the crease, almost like the nervous energy is endless. He is twitching his bat, walking around the crease, shuffling his feet and shaking his head all at the same time.
Match No 9 was clearly no less than any film or web series episode with all the standard fittings thrown in. If Mayank and Rahul were the good fellas, we had Sanju and Smith turning on the heat as the rival group. Enter Tewatia as the villain of the piece, Uthappa as sidekick and Pooran in the super-hero cameo. Clearly lethal mix of events to get the TRPs right up there!
The television advertisements unfolding on the IPL are getting better. The Phone Pe series has Aamir and Alia but the one who takes the cake is 'Shinde' the sidekick cop as he first guffaws at the prospect of payment via the app and quickly recovers to his sheepish avtaar as he puts up his hand.
The Dream XI TVCs are also getting better as the local fellas get the better of their superstars with galli cricket rules for sixes, one tip catches and fast bowling, In the latest edition, a cheeky girl throws out Bumrah for bowling too fast. "Kona Katt Le" she says in typical street lingo!
Meanwhile, CRED released the third edition of their campaign in this match with an ageing but adorable Bappi Lahiri crooning "Download CRED baby" in his inimitable style!
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