We have often heard of the phrase 'make your own luck’ and it holds true in sports more than anywhere else. Here, batsmen often make their own luck by backing their instincts or premeditating and outsmarting the bowler.
Shane Watson plays a shot during Chennai Super Kings match against Delhi Daredevils. AFP
The Chennai Super Kings’ opener, Shane Watson, had one such moment at Pune when he was rapped on the pads off the very first ball of the match from Trent Boult. The Australian is infamous for plodding forward his front foot and exposing himself to the LBW, and it seemed like Delhi had struck early, but the umpire ruled him not out.
The visitors reviewed the decision but the third umpire couldn't find enough evidence to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision. Watson might have managed to eke out a minuscule inside edge but replays couldn't quite show if it was bat first or pad. The early stroke of luck was seemingly all Watson needed to go bonkers as he bludgeoned his way to a 40-ball 78 that included seven maximums.
MS Dhoni wants to save his own back
When you can hit mighty sixes and win games from impossible positions, you are often left having to save your own back. So when Avesh Khan hit Dhoni on the thigh pad, the Chennai Super Kings skipper ran fast but was mindful of the young seamer rushing to the ball.
Dhoni ran straight across to avoid being run-out but was also scared of Avesh’s throw hitting his back. While running, Dhoni had one hand on his back to prevent the ball from hurting his back. The throw from Avesh Khan, though, eluded Dhoni by quite some distance. He had a sore back heading into the game and was perhaps looking to avoid from being hit by the ball too hard.
Four years hence, nothing has changed! Dhoni is Dhoni and Rayudu is Rayudu
As much as Dhoni was keen to save his own back, he seemed rather casual about letting Rayudu stay at the non-striker's end in the final few moments of the CSK innings. In the penultimate ball, Dhoni missed a pull shot off Trent Boult that the keeper somehow managed to get hold of. Watching Dhoni miss, Rayudu at the non-striker's end ran in to sneak a single but the skipper was least interested and never bothered to put one foot forward. Rayudu hurried back to the non-striker's end, where he eternally seems to belong when Dhoni is at the crease, but Boult had thrown down the stumps by then.
Jog back to 2014 and a cold Edgbaston evening when Dhoni and Rayudu were batting together in the final over of a T20 run chase. Dhoni consistently wanted strike and turned down three singles in the final seven balls while taking a near-suicidal second run to get back strike. He couldn't quite finish off the match then, but Rayudu has often found himself at the wrong end when Dhoni backs himself to finish off an innings.
That Rayudu was in good touch in England then and also now in the ongoing IPL suggests that he might have been a tad unlucky to not be trusted by his skipper on two separate occasions.
Rishab Pant's outrageous shots
When Rishabh Pant is in the mood, he barely let's any bowler go unscathed. He began his innings with a hoick off Shane Watson for six through cow corner and things kept getting weirder when he started pulling off unimaginable shots to send the ball to the fence.
When Harbhajan Singh landed one ball way outside his off-stump, Pant was ready on his knees to sweep the ball and although the line deceived him, the dashing wickek-keeper batsman went through with the shot and flat-batted the ball for six through long-on. It was hit so flat that at one point it felt like the ball would crash into the boundary boards directly.
https://youtu.be/v2Lp43W6G4c
When Vijay Shankar nearly did a Dinesh Karthik
We all know the hapless youngster who nearly spoiled India’s Nidahas Trophy final with his inability to get off strike. Vijay Shankar has endured some torrid times recently and has coped quite a lot of criticism for his batting. Why captains prefer to use him as a finisher in T20 when his skills clearly show something entirely different, remains an unknown.
While Dinesh Karthik saved him the blushes with a cracking six off the final ball in the Nidahas finals, Delhi Daredevils had no such strike force after the dismissal of Pant to take the team home on Monday. It seemed like CSK had sealed the contest until Vijay Shankar decided to have some fun of his own. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder slapped Dwyane Bravo for three sixes in four balls and completed a fourth in the final over from Lungi Ngidi. He threatened to do a Karthik in the final two overs and notched up a confidence-boosting half-century, but Delhi couldn't prevail over Chennai.
The lucky on-field call
We have often heard of the phrase 'make your own luck’ and it holds true in sports more than anywhere else. Here, batsmen often make their own luck by backing their instincts or premeditating and outsmarting the bowler.
Shane Watson plays a shot during Chennai Super Kings match against Delhi Daredevils. AFP
The Chennai Super Kings’ opener, Shane Watson, had one such moment at Pune when he was rapped on the pads off the very first ball of the match from Trent Boult. The Australian is infamous for plodding forward his front foot and exposing himself to the LBW, and it seemed like Delhi had struck early, but the umpire ruled him not out.
The visitors reviewed the decision but the third umpire couldn't find enough evidence to overturn the on-field umpire’s decision. Watson might have managed to eke out a minuscule inside edge but replays couldn't quite show if it was bat first or pad. The early stroke of luck was seemingly all Watson needed to go bonkers as he bludgeoned his way to a 40-ball 78 that included seven maximums.
MS Dhoni wants to save his own back
When you can hit mighty sixes and win games from impossible positions, you are often left having to save your own back. So when Avesh Khan hit Dhoni on the thigh pad, the Chennai Super Kings skipper ran fast but was mindful of the young seamer rushing to the ball.
Dhoni ran straight across to avoid being run-out but was also scared of Avesh’s throw hitting his back. While running, Dhoni had one hand on his back to prevent the ball from hurting his back. The throw from Avesh Khan, though, eluded Dhoni by quite some distance. He had a sore back heading into the game and was perhaps looking to avoid from being hit by the ball too hard.
Four years hence, nothing has changed! Dhoni is Dhoni and Rayudu is Rayudu
As much as Dhoni was keen to save his own back, he seemed rather casual about letting Rayudu stay at the non-striker's end in the final few moments of the CSK innings. In the penultimate ball, Dhoni missed a pull shot off Trent Boult that the keeper somehow managed to get hold of. Watching Dhoni miss, Rayudu at the non-striker's end ran in to sneak a single but the skipper was least interested and never bothered to put one foot forward. Rayudu hurried back to the non-striker's end, where he eternally seems to belong when Dhoni is at the crease, but Boult had thrown down the stumps by then.
Jog back to 2014 and a cold Edgbaston evening when Dhoni and Rayudu were batting together in the final over of a T20 run chase. Dhoni consistently wanted strike and turned down three singles in the final seven balls while taking a near-suicidal second run to get back strike. He couldn't quite finish off the match then, but Rayudu has often found himself at the wrong end when Dhoni backs himself to finish off an innings.
That Rayudu was in good touch in England then and also now in the ongoing IPL suggests that he might have been a tad unlucky to not be trusted by his skipper on two separate occasions.
Rishab Pant's outrageous shots
When Rishabh Pant is in the mood, he barely let's any bowler go unscathed. He began his innings with a hoick off Shane Watson for six through cow corner and things kept getting weirder when he started pulling off unimaginable shots to send the ball to the fence.
When Harbhajan Singh landed one ball way outside his off-stump, Pant was ready on his knees to sweep the ball and although the line deceived him, the dashing wickek-keeper batsman went through with the shot and flat-batted the ball for six through long-on. It was hit so flat that at one point it felt like the ball would crash into the boundary boards directly.
https://youtu.be/v2Lp43W6G4c
When Vijay Shankar nearly did a Dinesh Karthik
We all know the hapless youngster who nearly spoiled India’s Nidahas Trophy final with his inability to get off strike. Vijay Shankar has endured some torrid times recently and has coped quite a lot of criticism for his batting. Why captains prefer to use him as a finisher in T20 when his skills clearly show something entirely different, remains an unknown.
While Dinesh Karthik saved him the blushes with a cracking six off the final ball in the Nidahas finals, Delhi Daredevils had no such strike force after the dismissal of Pant to take the team home on Monday. It seemed like CSK had sealed the contest until Vijay Shankar decided to have some fun of his own. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder slapped Dwyane Bravo for three sixes in four balls and completed a fourth in the final over from Lungi Ngidi. He threatened to do a Karthik in the final two overs and notched up a confidence-boosting half-century, but Delhi couldn't prevail over Chennai.
Updated Date:May 01, 2018
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