The wide, wider and widest
ESPNcricinfo presents the Plays of the Day from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore
Firdose Moonda
22-Apr-2011
Virat Kohli: Sheepish boundary, and solid defence • AFP
The wide, wider and widest
Zaheer Khan was having an unpleasant start to proceedings at Eden Gardens. His first ball was flicked for four by Jacques Kallis, but instead of trying a different line, Zaheer sent another one down the leg side. It moved even further, AB de Villiers had no chance behind the stumps and it ran away for four. Zaheer decided to change direction but it made no difference as he bowled another wide down the leg side from round the stumps. His fourth ball was uncontrolled too, pitched short and took off. You guessed it, wide again, this time on the off side. There were seven wides in his first over, which was nine deliveries long.
Zaheer Khan was having an unpleasant start to proceedings at Eden Gardens. His first ball was flicked for four by Jacques Kallis, but instead of trying a different line, Zaheer sent another one down the leg side. It moved even further, AB de Villiers had no chance behind the stumps and it ran away for four. Zaheer decided to change direction but it made no difference as he bowled another wide down the leg side from round the stumps. His fourth ball was uncontrolled too, pitched short and took off. You guessed it, wide again, this time on the off side. There were seven wides in his first over, which was nine deliveries long.
The wonder catch
Chris Gayle's other name may as well be King Midas, because everything he touched did turn to gold in this match. Jacques Kallis had found his rhythm and was looking on course for a big innings when Gayle snatched his good time at the crease out of the air, literally. Kallis leaned on his back foot to slap a short ball through the covers, went aerial and found Gayle at short extra cover. The big Jamaican leaned over to his left and plucked the ball with both hands.
Chris Gayle's other name may as well be King Midas, because everything he touched did turn to gold in this match. Jacques Kallis had found his rhythm and was looking on course for a big innings when Gayle snatched his good time at the crease out of the air, literally. Kallis leaned on his back foot to slap a short ball through the covers, went aerial and found Gayle at short extra cover. The big Jamaican leaned over to his left and plucked the ball with both hands.
The Yusuf punishment
Yusuf Pathan has made a name for himself for being able to subject a ball to nothing more than brute force. Sometimes even if there is very little wrong with the way it is delivered, he will punish it anyway, as he did to one of Syed Mohammad's deliveries. The left-arm spinner tossed it up a touch on a good length. Yusuf was merciless; he waited a little, got under it and smashed it. That was that and the ball sailed over long-on with the fielders powerless to stop it.
Yusuf Pathan has made a name for himself for being able to subject a ball to nothing more than brute force. Sometimes even if there is very little wrong with the way it is delivered, he will punish it anyway, as he did to one of Syed Mohammad's deliveries. The left-arm spinner tossed it up a touch on a good length. Yusuf was merciless; he waited a little, got under it and smashed it. That was that and the ball sailed over long-on with the fielders powerless to stop it.
The calm before the Gayle force
Very little went right for Kolkata's bowlers but L Balaji's first five balls did. With movement on offer and Zaheer and S Aravind showing that there was no way to control it, Balaji did well to show off his range. He started full, then moved to good length and also banged in a bouncer. He got fantastic seam positions and angled the ball in magnificently, giving away just one run off his first five deliveries. That was as good as it got though for Kolkata, with the rest of the innings a blur of boundaries.
Very little went right for Kolkata's bowlers but L Balaji's first five balls did. With movement on offer and Zaheer and S Aravind showing that there was no way to control it, Balaji did well to show off his range. He started full, then moved to good length and also banged in a bouncer. He got fantastic seam positions and angled the ball in magnificently, giving away just one run off his first five deliveries. That was as good as it got though for Kolkata, with the rest of the innings a blur of boundaries.
The almost-mistake
With Gayle on 98 and only six runs needed for victory, Virat Kohli had one instruction: defend. The very first ball he faced in the 18th over, he forgot that. Iqbal Abdulla gave him a ball to hit and he had no hesitation in pummelling it to the long-on boundary. As soon as the ball crossed the rope and Kohli realised what he had done, he pulled a face, stuck out his tongue apologetically and made puppy-dog eyes. He went on defend for the rest of the over, even when Abdulla tossed it up. When the bowler sent one wide down the leg side, Kohli looked as angry as Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir should have. He gave the last ball of the over the standard forward defence. The stage was Gayle's and Kohli wasn't going to take it away.
With Gayle on 98 and only six runs needed for victory, Virat Kohli had one instruction: defend. The very first ball he faced in the 18th over, he forgot that. Iqbal Abdulla gave him a ball to hit and he had no hesitation in pummelling it to the long-on boundary. As soon as the ball crossed the rope and Kohli realised what he had done, he pulled a face, stuck out his tongue apologetically and made puppy-dog eyes. He went on defend for the rest of the over, even when Abdulla tossed it up. When the bowler sent one wide down the leg side, Kohli looked as angry as Kolkata captain Gautam Gambhir should have. He gave the last ball of the over the standard forward defence. The stage was Gayle's and Kohli wasn't going to take it away.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent