When you chase a mammoth total of 254, how can you bat like that at any stage of the game?
On Sunday evening in the Indian Premier League (IPL) game between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at New Chandigarh, that’s precisely what happened. And there were no ordinary batsmen at the crease. One was Aussie Mitchell Marsh, nicknamed Bison for his muscular physique, and at the other end was LSG skipper Rishabh Pant.
It was, anyway, going to be a tall order, but that partnership ensured LSG wouldn’t even get close to the target. Out of those 31 deliveries, Yuzvendra Chahal bowled 13, Vijaykumar Vyshak bowled 12 and South African beanpole Marco Jansen bowled 6.
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At the end of six overs, LSG were 61/1, and things were still under control, but a few overs later, thanks to Marsh and Pant’s strange approach, they were totally out of the contest.
The thing that was particularly baffling was that they didn’t try to hit big shots at all. Yes, those bowlers bowled really well, but when you are chasing 255 to win, you can’t afford to give any bowler too much respect.
Especially against Chahal, both Marsh and Pant were overly circumspect, and the worst part was that despite showing that kind of reverence for the leg spinner, the Aussie big-hitter was eventually out off the first ball of the 12th over as fellow Aussie Xavier Bartlett took an easy catch at long-on.
The match was effectively done and dusted there. Chahal gave away just 13 and 5 runs in the 8th and 10th overs. Even medium pacer Vyshak was given a lot of respect, and he gave away just 8 and 7 runs in the 9th and 11th overs. Neither batsman showed any serious intention to get going, and that was really surprising. Frankly, if one were an LSG fan, it would be hard to keep one’s emotions in check and not utter any expletives.
Totally different approach by Priyansh Arya and Cooper Connolly!
PBKS, on the other hand, made merry post the powerplay period with Priyansh Arya (93 off 37 balls) and Cooper Connolly (87 off 46 balls) taking the LSG bowlers to the cleaners. During the same period, from 6 overs to 11.1 overs, the hosts piled up a massive 72 runs. The big gap there sums it all up.
Anyway, shortly after Marsh’s departure, in the same over Pant hit Chahal for back-to-back sixes, but, if truth be told, they came too late in the day. The writing on the wall was as clear as day that LSG will go on to taste their fourth defeat in six matches and remain 8th on the points table. They eventually lost the game by a massive 54 runs.
LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka recently said he had no issues with Pant. He also insisted that he doesn’t interfere in cricketing matters at the franchise at all. That everything one sees on social media is, more often than not, a fabrication.
One wonders if LSG’s display against PBKS, who strengthened their position at the top of the table with their fifth win in six games, may not force him to take matters into his own hands now. He is an emotional man who cares deeply about how his team performs, and if he comes out cracking the whip tomorrow (metaphorically, of course), can you really blame him? Probably not.