Can you believe who dropped it?
Plays of the day from the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens
Abhishek Purohit
11-Apr-2015
The impossible unfolds • BCCI
Starting stutters
Royal Challengers Bangalore were the eighth and last franchise to begin their 2015 campaign, and for the opening over, their fielding was all over the place. Robin Uthappa began the match with a quiet steer to third man, and no more than a single was on as Abu Nechim bent to make a regulation stop. However, the ball slipped through Nechim's grasp to gift Uthappa a four. Two balls later, Harshal Patel slid awkwardly to his left at midwicket and failed to prevent a Gautam Gambhir clip from racing for four. Two balls later, Uthappa was gifted an overthrow to add to an easy single to mid-on.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were the eighth and last franchise to begin their 2015 campaign, and for the opening over, their fielding was all over the place. Robin Uthappa began the match with a quiet steer to third man, and no more than a single was on as Abu Nechim bent to make a regulation stop. However, the ball slipped through Nechim's grasp to gift Uthappa a four. Two balls later, Harshal Patel slid awkwardly to his left at midwicket and failed to prevent a Gautam Gambhir clip from racing for four. Two balls later, Uthappa was gifted an overthrow to add to an easy single to mid-on.
Look who dropped it
This one was remarkable not only for what happened but also for the reactions that followed. On 31, Gambhir pulled Nechim flat and straight to deep square leg for the most takrable of catches, even for someone without the reputation of the man stationed in the position: AB de Villiers. But the South African did the unthinkable: he grabbed at the ball a touch too much and it popped out of his grasp. The habitually intense captain Virat Kohli was stunned enough to smile in disbelief. The disbelief was greater in de Villiers' long, hard stare into blank spaces.
This one was remarkable not only for what happened but also for the reactions that followed. On 31, Gambhir pulled Nechim flat and straight to deep square leg for the most takrable of catches, even for someone without the reputation of the man stationed in the position: AB de Villiers. But the South African did the unthinkable: he grabbed at the ball a touch too much and it popped out of his grasp. The habitually intense captain Virat Kohli was stunned enough to smile in disbelief. The disbelief was greater in de Villiers' long, hard stare into blank spaces.
You or me?
Bursts of confusion continued to appear in Royal Challengers' fielding performance. In the 19th over, Andre Russell top-edged a slog off Harshal over cover. Sean Abbott and Varun Aaron ran after it from the inner circle. It stayed up in the air long enough for the men to have ideally decided who was to go for it. Abbott started to pull away as it came down, implying that Aaron was to be the man. Only, Aaron was nowhere near the ball as it plopped into the ground. He was closer to it than Abbott, though, and had to sheepishly pick it up.
Bursts of confusion continued to appear in Royal Challengers' fielding performance. In the 19th over, Andre Russell top-edged a slog off Harshal over cover. Sean Abbott and Varun Aaron ran after it from the inner circle. It stayed up in the air long enough for the men to have ideally decided who was to go for it. Abbott started to pull away as it came down, implying that Aaron was to be the man. Only, Aaron was nowhere near the ball as it plopped into the ground. He was closer to it than Abbott, though, and had to sheepishly pick it up.
Mystery strikes back
Knight Riders' latest mystery spinner, KC Cariappa, had already taken some punishment from Chris Gayle when de Villiers went after him. Cariappa was bowling a bit too full to make the batsman think about which way it was going to turn, and de Villiers hit him for a couple of fours and a six in the space of five deliveries. De Villiers jumped out to the last ball of the over, but this one was much flatter and zipped past the batsman. Uthappa did not deny his fellow Coorgi and pulled off a sharp stumping.
Knight Riders' latest mystery spinner, KC Cariappa, had already taken some punishment from Chris Gayle when de Villiers went after him. Cariappa was bowling a bit too full to make the batsman think about which way it was going to turn, and de Villiers hit him for a couple of fours and a six in the space of five deliveries. De Villiers jumped out to the last ball of the over, but this one was much flatter and zipped past the batsman. Uthappa did not deny his fellow Coorgi and pulled off a sharp stumping.
Abhishek Purohit is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo