FinCEN Files

Emotional Roller Coaster: Prithvi’s no-Shaw; Dhoni’s daggers to Curran; Dhawan’s oversized goggles

CSK fade out against DC: Hot heads, calm minds and everything in between at the game

Written by Express News Service | Updated: September 26, 2020 8:08:06 am
iplPrithvi Shaw nicked through to the 'keeper off the second ball of the match but CSK did not appeal. (Twitter/IPLT20)

Delhi Capitals won their match against Chennai Super Kings by 44 runs.

No emotion, then catching all at C

It’s the absence of emotion that stood out when Prithvi Shaw edged a ball and was caught by the ‘keeper in the first over of the match. There was no emotion from the fielding team as no one appealed; not Dhoni the catcher, not Deepak Chahar the bowler.

The only man who must have known that there was an edge was Shaw, who hung his head on the completion of the shot as if he had just failed to connect with the waft and stared silently down at the pitch at nothing in particular. With his face out of view, no one could tell what he was going through. He played his part well, not jerking back nervously as some batsmen are wont to do after edging. In fact, if not for some alert ears in the broadcasting network, no one would have known.

Delhi Capitals beat Chennai Super Kings by 44 runs | As it Happened

It’s a bit strange as in the absence of crowds, the theory was that edges would be better heard but as it turned out, it’s not always the case. What his face didn’t contort at, his hands made up for when fielding in the covers later. As he unsuccessfully juggled a catch that popped up after it punched his gut, his torso tangled as he splashed around in vain, all at sea trying to catch the hot potato.

Sriram Veera

Runs via throwing tantrums

Old habits die hard. Harder if you are a bowler. It’s normal for bowlers to pick the ball if it’s in their range and throw the ball back to the keeper or a fielder in longer formats. Less so in T20s, where bowlers, especially if they are bowling well, rush through the overs. They just grab the ball and walk back to their mark, even without trading a glance.

So Sam Curran picked the ball, after Rishabh Pant could only bunt it back to him, and seemed to walk back, before he U-turned and flung the ball to MS Dhoni. Rather, where he intended Dhoni was standing. He was miles away from where the ball eventually landed, and in the power of the throw, the ball blitzed to the boundary. Dhoni flung sideways, but his wingspan was not broad enough to be in the distant radar of the ball. Dhoni was least amused. He gave him a stink eye.

Poor Curran was genuinely petrified. He kept fiddling with his hair and rearranging his headband to hide from the blunder pangs. But he did come back and pick the wicket of Shreyas Iyer, besides returning as CSK’s most economical bowler (6.75) of the night.

Sandip G

For his eyes only

As the IPL has gone on, an integral part of the listening experience has been heightened with regards to the commentary, especially when the visuals and sounds of fans are a lot fewer. Whether by design or by necessity there is a lot more scrutiny on the words, actions and emotions of the commentary team.

One such instance happened during the Chennai Super Kings innings when one of the commentators chanced upon Shikhar Dhawan in a pair of sunglasses that suggested he was dealing with a lot more lighting than the rest of the folks on the field. Peals of laughter ensued as the man at first slip wore his comically large eyewear.

The laughter led to comparisons with Dinesh Karthik’s sunglasses and that general mood was met with some chuckles on the field by the man himself who clearly seemed to be enjoying all the attention he was getting for sporting that pair.

– Shashank Nair

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