As I was climbing up the stairs of the third tier of the east stand to watch the game between the Caribbean and the Proteas this Thursday, I could clearly remember the scenes of what I saw in early January, when I almost accidentally got to get a glimpse of the ground while I was trying to get hold of the tickets I had bought online, a bit too much in advance-a dilipated, unprepared ground, which looked worse than what my college ground looked during the rains, and the damp, soggy pitch looked like a perfect venue for staging a long jump. But the moment I reached the top and looked down, I was stunned to see how a perfect combo of man force and human innovation could transform those dull, depressing memories to something that was nothing less than a beautiful scenery- a perfectly cultivated outfield, which looked lush green, a true, hard cricketing wicket, which was, of course, typical of the Kotla, but by no means similar to the long jump runway I saw earlier, and the slanting Kotla stands decorated beautifully, featuring the names of the previous World Cup winners, the big screens also working, and everything else in perfect shape. I was accompanied by a very knowledgeable crowd, who knew the name of most of the players and match officials, as they would come out for the practices, pitch inspection and national anthems, and though it was never going to be a full house, with majority of the crowd being Indian, and this being a neutral venue, and that too on a working day, the way all of us cheered along, never made it look that way.
Greame Smith's plans started working right from the world go, from the moment he won the toss and put the Windies in, and ask his deputy Botha to open the bowling, who would get rid of the dangerous Gayle-whose innings all of us were so desperate to see-in the very first over. There was a hiccup in between, when Darren Bravo, with a well mixed display of caution and aggression, stroked his way to a classy 73, with a flair, that was not as much, but quite similar to that of the great Lara, to whom his batting style is often compared. But the Windies hopes of getting to a dream score were short lived, as Botha struck again, and the introduction of the debutante Imran Tahir, who was, to me, the sensation of the day, left them reeling, loosing half their side around the half-way mark. Dwayne Bravo counter attacked with some success, but Chanderpaul's defensive game at the other end could not help his cause for long, and after the two of them departed, nothing was left realistically, thought the wicket-keeper Thomson tried to play an innings which looked promising, but at the end of the day, the Windies could not really get over either of the two-Steyn's pace, as well as the spinners. Another major fault in their batting strategy was the delaying of the batting powerplay to as late as the last five overs, with only one wicket left and the tailenders at the crease.
The double strike right at the start of the South African innings, set up the perfect stage for what was to a thrilling encounter, all the way to the wire. But all of that was rubbished by DeVilliers' almost flawless batting display, a footage of which can be used for the future, and titled as "How to play the perfect innings when the chips are down". Smith's support at the other end was good enough for a match winning partnership, though his wicket was just a wake up and dance moment for the crowd. Though both the sides fielded equally well, the better team on the day proved to be the winner. Just hope the Windies pull up their socks and regain their long lost form before it is too late.
Greame Smith's plans started working right from the world go, from the moment he won the toss and put the Windies in, and ask his deputy Botha to open the bowling, who would get rid of the dangerous Gayle-whose innings all of us were so desperate to see-in the very first over. There was a hiccup in between, when Darren Bravo, with a well mixed display of caution and aggression, stroked his way to a classy 73, with a flair, that was not as much, but quite similar to that of the great Lara, to whom his batting style is often compared. But the Windies hopes of getting to a dream score were short lived, as Botha struck again, and the introduction of the debutante Imran Tahir, who was, to me, the sensation of the day, left them reeling, loosing half their side around the half-way mark. Dwayne Bravo counter attacked with some success, but Chanderpaul's defensive game at the other end could not help his cause for long, and after the two of them departed, nothing was left realistically, thought the wicket-keeper Thomson tried to play an innings which looked promising, but at the end of the day, the Windies could not really get over either of the two-Steyn's pace, as well as the spinners. Another major fault in their batting strategy was the delaying of the batting powerplay to as late as the last five overs, with only one wicket left and the tailenders at the crease.
The double strike right at the start of the South African innings, set up the perfect stage for what was to a thrilling encounter, all the way to the wire. But all of that was rubbished by DeVilliers' almost flawless batting display, a footage of which can be used for the future, and titled as "How to play the perfect innings when the chips are down". Smith's support at the other end was good enough for a match winning partnership, though his wicket was just a wake up and dance moment for the crowd. Though both the sides fielded equally well, the better team on the day proved to be the winner. Just hope the Windies pull up their socks and regain their long lost form before it is too late.
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