An evening of altercations in Bangalore
Plays from the IPL game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore
Siddhartha Talya
11-Apr-2013
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli: No love lost • BCCI
The collision
Gautam Gambhir has had a few altercations with bowlers in his career, some really unpleasant such as the one with Shahid Afridi a few years ago in an ODI. His latest run-in was with Moises Henriques in the first over of the day, as the two collided while Gambhir was trying to steal a quick single while running to the striker's end and Henriques was trying to pick the ball. There was a verbal exchange, followed by an intervention by the umpire. Henriques seemed to have got over it, but Gambhir was still firing away from his mouth after striking him for four his next over.
Gautam Gambhir has had a few altercations with bowlers in his career, some really unpleasant such as the one with Shahid Afridi a few years ago in an ODI. His latest run-in was with Moises Henriques in the first over of the day, as the two collided while Gambhir was trying to steal a quick single while running to the striker's end and Henriques was trying to pick the ball. There was a verbal exchange, followed by an intervention by the umpire. Henriques seemed to have got over it, but Gambhir was still firing away from his mouth after striking him for four his next over.
The spat
What happened between Gambhir and Henriques could be described as cordial, if one saw how Kohli and Gambhir had a go at each other. Kohli sliced a catch to deep point, and there may have been something said when Gambhir ran across to celebrate with his team-mates. The next thing we know, both Kohli and Gambhir, team-mates with India and Delhi, are charging at each other, only to be prevented from doing something worse by another Delhi team-mate Rajat Bhatia, who separated the two.
What happened between Gambhir and Henriques could be described as cordial, if one saw how Kohli and Gambhir had a go at each other. Kohli sliced a catch to deep point, and there may have been something said when Gambhir ran across to celebrate with his team-mates. The next thing we know, both Kohli and Gambhir, team-mates with India and Delhi, are charging at each other, only to be prevented from doing something worse by another Delhi team-mate Rajat Bhatia, who separated the two.
The missed opportunity
Gambhir and Jacques Kallis have had their share of misunderstandings as a pair when it comes to running between wickets, and one today could easily have resulted in a run out. Gambhir knocked one into the off side in the second over and set off, watching the ball and not his partner, and was sent back belatedly. Virat Kohli pulled off an excellent one-handed stop at point but had to throw off-balanced and missed the stumps at the striker's end by a mile, allowing Gambhir to make it back in time.
Gambhir and Jacques Kallis have had their share of misunderstandings as a pair when it comes to running between wickets, and one today could easily have resulted in a run out. Gambhir knocked one into the off side in the second over and set off, watching the ball and not his partner, and was sent back belatedly. Virat Kohli pulled off an excellent one-handed stop at point but had to throw off-balanced and missed the stumps at the striker's end by a mile, allowing Gambhir to make it back in time.
The lapse
The IPL season so far has thrown up some excellent catches but the ground-fielding still has much room for improvement. Ten runs were conceded in overthrows in the Kolkata Knight Riders innings, both off needless attempts to aim at the stumps. Kohli was the culprit once, and RP Singh the second time when he fired a throw at the striker's end in the 17th over from short fine leg with no-one backing up.
The IPL season so far has thrown up some excellent catches but the ground-fielding still has much room for improvement. Ten runs were conceded in overthrows in the Kolkata Knight Riders innings, both off needless attempts to aim at the stumps. Kohli was the culprit once, and RP Singh the second time when he fired a throw at the striker's end in the 17th over from short fine leg with no-one backing up.
The silent phase
Maiden overs are a rarity in Twenty20 cricket, and surprisingly it was Virat Kohli who played one out this time. Still very early into his innings, he swung hard at Jacques Kallis but missed, both players exchanging big smiles after the delivery. Soon, Kallis doled out a generous full toss on middle stump that Kohli, usually, would have dispatched even in his sleep. But he ended up working it gently to midwicket, and then smiled again, to himself this time at an opportunity missed. He made up for it well later in the innings.
Maiden overs are a rarity in Twenty20 cricket, and surprisingly it was Virat Kohli who played one out this time. Still very early into his innings, he swung hard at Jacques Kallis but missed, both players exchanging big smiles after the delivery. Soon, Kallis doled out a generous full toss on middle stump that Kohli, usually, would have dispatched even in his sleep. But he ended up working it gently to midwicket, and then smiled again, to himself this time at an opportunity missed. He made up for it well later in the innings.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo