Analysis: Reasons for Williamson’s pace battery in tatters and Delhi Capitals’ success show
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00:00First, I would like to talk about Sun Risers, that they have not learned from what happened in the last game against Chennai.
00:05They leaked 200 and the way they went about the chase.
00:18Hello and good evening. Welcome to yet another show of Straight Bat with Mr Cricket UAE and Gulf News.
00:25Here we are for our late evening segment after the match between Delhi Capitals and Sun Risers Hyderabad.
00:33Delhi Capitals eventually winning by 21 runs. They are now in the fifth spot in the table.
00:40I'm sorry, Delhi Capitals have moved to sixth while Sun Risers are now in the fifth
00:45after today's result. With me, I've got the man himself, Aneesh Sajan aka Satish,
00:52the sports editor of Gulf News, and a special guest in Samrudh Raikar. He is the SRH fan.
00:58Hello, Samruddh. Welcome to the show. Well, I'll come to Aneeshbhai first. Aneeshbhai, your take
01:04on the game amid Delhi coming back quite strongly. That innings from David Warner setting the tone,
01:11then Raghavan Powell gradually proving his utility. We were wondering that this guy has
01:17a fair bit of reputation preceding him. But as the tournament has gone on, he has gained in
01:22confidence. How do you sum up the game on his mind? Hello, Gautam. Hello, Satish. Hello, Samruddh.
01:27And hello to all the lovely people of Gulf News. You see, first I would like to talk about Sun
01:32Risers, that they have not learned from what happened in the last game against Chennai,
01:36where they leaked 200 and the way they went about the chase. When you're chasing 200,
01:41you cannot be 40 or 36 in your six overs. You need to go a little hard. I'm afraid Kane's poor
01:48form has been hurting them a lot. And that in the end, the margin of defeat might look 20-18.
01:54But it's a big defeat. They've been chasing the game a long way. And like you mentioned,
01:59Powell, yes, he's proving us all right, that he's a dangerous player, and he's making it count.
02:04I'll come to Samruddh as an SRH fan. Samruddh, for two games on a trot,
02:11we have seen Umran Malik, today also he's bowled, he's clocked 157 clicks, which is amazing.
02:20But at the end of the day, if you go for 52 runs for four overs, then you need to rethink
02:27about your approach. You know, should be there, you know, like, instead of trying to just
02:36intimidate the batsman, because the odds are stacked against him in this T20 situation.
02:42What do you think should be Del Sten's advice to him?
02:46Well, first of all, I think, well, first of all, today, I think it was a learning
02:51lesson for Umran Malik, that just pace cannot survive you in T20 cricket. It might
02:55help you out in Test cricket, but in T20 cricket, you need those variations.
03:00We've seen Lockie Ferguson as well use the slow balls to good effect in the last days IPL,
03:04and he gets a few wickets with that. I think Del Sten's main aim as a coach should be,
03:09you know, to try and teach him some slow balls, some slow ball bounces as well, you know,
03:14creating different angles and using the cross-in deliveries. I think that should be the main aim
03:19for Del Sten. I hope that Umran Malik will learn from this and come back as a better
03:24bowler in the upcoming matches.
03:26I'll come to Satish. See, we face this dilemma, Satish, and we hear the commentators also
03:31talking about it, that somebody who's coming in with genuine raw pace, I mean, first up,
03:37should we ask him to teach how to bowl cross-in, you know, those slow bounces, etc., etc.,
03:45or we shouldn't ask him to compromise on these qualities. So, what's the right way to go about
03:51it? Because if he's getting some assistance, he can be really fiery. But these two games
03:57have been a learning curve for him. What do you think? What should be the right approach?
04:02I think, Gautam, without bowling his slower ones, he can vary the length much better than
04:08get the wickets that he was getting. There was not a single yorker I could see. Yeah,
04:12one yorker he bowled in that four-over spell, which is 24 balls. And what has happened is,
04:18the faster he is bowling and the wickets slowing, they are not trying to hit him through the square
04:23wickets. Now, the batter, especially last match, Rituraj taught them how to hit him.
04:29They are putting their foot in front and they are trying to hit him straight. So, what happens is,
04:35he needs to push them on the back foot. So, for that, he needs to bowl the quicker deliveries
04:40on the shorter side to the body than bowl up front. But what has happened is, he has now become
04:46one-dimensional, yes, as you say. He needs to, more than the crossing, he can try to swing the
04:51ball, which he is not doing it. The ball is going straighter. The more it goes straighter,
04:55it becomes easier to play through the line. Bumnesh Kumar is half the pace, probably.
05:00He is bowling at 125, 128, 130. But he is troubling the batsman more. Because
05:05you need to keep the batsman guessing how the ball is going to come. If it's going to come
05:10straight like an arrow, then they hit it back like an arrow. So, he has that quality.
05:19Yes, one odd ball, bowling a slower one or reducing the pace a bit than what it is.
05:26He needs to think differently. But yes, it's a brilliant learning curve. And I think he needs to
05:33outthink the batsman now because they have now sorted him out. They know how to play.
05:38Right. I have been hearing that this evening, David Warner's innings, of course, we know what
05:44he is capable of. But this was quite a talking point throughout the evening. So, I'll come to
05:48Anisbhai on that note. Anisbhai, just one or two matches before, there had been a major talk about
05:56how we can track Umran Malik into the Indian squad, be it for the T20 World Cup or for Test
06:03squad where he gets a better opportunity to attack with the field and in Red Block, of course.
06:08Now, how do you think we should deal with him? Should we deal him with kid gloves or we
06:16straightaway throw him in the deep end of the tunnel?
06:20In the last World Cup, he was already a net bowler. So, I'm sure he must have gained a little
06:25bit of experience, even though he was a net bowler. But playing an international match is going to
06:30really test him as a player, his temperament. I wouldn't be surprised if India take him to Australia
06:37and just throw him in the pool and ask him to bowl fast. It's not going to learn
06:45to bowl slow balls or the cutters or vary his length. If he has to play, he has to bowl fast.
06:51The problem I see in the last two matches is that Williamson has used him in the power play.
06:57In the earlier matches, he was not bowling in the power play. And when you are bowling with
07:01two fielders restrictions, there's a lot of pressure on the bowler because he's bowling
07:04quick and the moment you edge or try to swing the ball, it goes. And today's first ball which
07:09he bowled was a weird wide ball, which the keeper had collected, it would have saved four runs. But
07:14such things happen. But having said that, Umran Malik can be groomed well. Whether he'll be
07:22successful in the longer format in test cricket depends on his fitness. But in the shorter format,
07:28he will be definitely successful, provided he's taken care well and when used well. Otherwise,
07:34he will leak runs. But there will be days when he will win you the match. He's like,
07:39let's take the example of a batsman, a hard hitter batsman like a poor run or a polar.
07:44One day, they will win you a match with a quick 550. The other day, they'll get out for a block.
07:49So, you have to accept both.
07:51And again, adding to Anisbhai's point, Gautam, the World Cup is going to be in Australia,
07:57where the wickets are favourable to the bowlers like him. If you bowl quick, if you hit the deck
08:01hard, it will help you. Whereas here, the wickets are slowing down. That's why his success rate is
08:06coming down. Because the ball is coming lower and it's not bouncing as much. So, he will be
08:12more successful in World Cup, especially the shorter format than what he is right now.
08:20We'll see. Once again, Anisbhai, another question before I move on to
08:26Samruth. You see, in Delhi, in today's performance, do you think that they're
08:33getting a few things right now that David Warner is among the runs? In the upper middle order,
08:42you've got Ravman Powell delivering. And you've got today, of course, SRH were
08:52very much up against it, chasing 200. The power play, they were looking like that old SRH in the
08:57power play, as you yourself said. So, Khalil Ahmed could finally come back with three wickets.
09:02But have they got all their problems sorted? How are you looking at Delhi? How far do you think
09:07they can go from here? Well, Gautam, this team seems to surprise me one day with a very good
09:13performance. And the other day, they come up with a very flat performance. And today, again,
09:18even though the margin is 20 runs, but sometimes strange things have happened in this IPL. And
09:23mind you, if Powell's that ball would have been, or rather, Puran's that ball would have been a
09:28no ball, who knows what would have happened. But anyway, leaving that aside about SRH innings,
09:32I want to come to Delhi's thing. Like you mentioned, Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Mitchell Marsh,
09:39and then you're talking about Powell with the bat. And of course, Pant has to contribute with
09:43the bat as he did with a little bit of cameo today. And with the ball, Nocchio has to play,
09:48because you saw he's quick, he's not easy to just take him apart. And then we are talking about
09:52Shardul and Khalil Ahmed. But today, they did four changes, which was a bit surprising. Aksar
09:58Patil, I know, is injured. And there was another injury too. Prithvi Shaw was not well.
10:04This is a team which is again blowing hot and cold. They have all the talent to go the distance
10:10because they are at number five, not at number six, Gautam. And they still have four games to go.
10:14So if they make it to the playoff, they are a dangerous team. But there are no its and buts.
10:18They have to click as a unit. And for them to click as a unit,
10:22the captain has to put his hand up and score a big innings.
10:24Well, I'll come to Samruth. Samruth, there had been this upward curve with those five wins.
10:36And then again, we noticed a bit of slide. But in that, the silver lining is,
10:43if you look at the batting lineup, which was initially looking thin, which was,
10:48the team was overtly reliant on bowling. That is not quite the case. But when they're chasing a big
10:54target, they've got a problem because that lack of that explosive nature to take the attack,
11:00to take the benefit of the field restrictions, that is resting on Abhishek Sharma. It's not that
11:06he didn't try, but he failed today. So, do you see a solution or it's too late in the day for
11:12Ken Williamson to change his batting order? What do you feel, Samruth, about it as a fan?
11:18I think today was the best day to try out a new opening combination because
11:22they had to chase such a big score. They should have sent in Rahul Tripathi, who can take the
11:28game on right from the start, which would have allowed Ken Williamson to bat at 3.
11:33You know, Ken Williamson, the successful Sunrisers players, his successful runs have
11:38come at no. 4 or no. 3. So, it was a bit surprising when Ken Williamson actually
11:43thought of opening in this particular IPL. Because, last year, we had David Warner and
11:48Johnny Besto. Even Manish Pandey batted ahead of Ken Williamson. So, Ken Williamson going ahead
11:52and opening in this particular tournament was a bit of a surprise. Abhishek Sharma's form has
11:56been brilliant. But I think, if they wanted to change things up, I think, today was the best
12:01opportunity to try out Rahul Tripathi. But unfortunately, that didn't happen. That ultimately
12:05hurt us. I think, if we would have had a powerplay of, say, around 50 runs with just one or two
12:11wickets, I think, we would have been in the game. But unfortunately, I don't think, next match,
12:16you can try out that. I think, that will be too late in the tournament. We will be just praying
12:20that, you know, Ken Williamson comes back to his original form and he will be back amongst the
12:24runs for us in the next game.
12:29Right. Yes. Before we move on to tomorrow's game, I will come to Anisbhai. And of course, if we have
12:36got any other opinions to throw on the table. Anisbhai, just a quick word on the competition
12:41as we are, you know, entering the home stretch now.
12:44Well, yes. Today was the 50th game. Every day, you need to predict the winner, which is very
12:49difficult in this IPL. And if you are bang on in getting the winner right, you might be the lucky
12:54one to get the apparel kit, which is a track t-shirt and a cap, as well as one year's digital
13:01subscription from Golf News.
13:04Right. And I'll come to you also tomorrow. I mean, tomorrow, we've got, you know, Gujarat
13:11Titans versus Mumbai Indians. For Mumbai Indians, certainly only pride at stake. Today,
13:17when Mahela Jayawardene spoke, he was talking about, you know, Kartikeya and how do you think
13:23they were coming about. So certainly, they're looking beyond this edition. But, you know,
13:28when you meet a team with, you know, they can also act as party poopers. We saw it in the last game.
13:35So what do you feel? What are your expectations from this game? And who do you think will win?
13:41As much as, you know, we want Mumbai Indians to do well, I would probably want Pandya and
13:48Shubman Gill to, you know, get his side across the line. Because, okay, they have won good games,
13:54and they are almost assured of a playoff. But going into the playoff with wins would better,
13:59will help their confidence. Because the last game, okay, they wanted to try out batting first,
14:03which they failed. They seem to be a side which seems to be chasing well. But it might not happen
14:08in a playoff. They might have to probably bat first if the opposition puts in. That's what
14:12you want to try. But tomorrow, if Mumbai, as they say, they might play for pride and be party
14:17spoilers. For Gujarat, they might not be the party spoilers, unless they beat them so comprehensively
14:23that their confidence is dented. But in a way, I feel it's a good chance for Gujarat to show that
14:28why they are the best and beat Mumbai Indians at their home ground. Exactly. Shubman Gill,
14:35the thing is, in fact, you even wrote about it in the start, the kind of consistency that we saw,
14:42or the amount of, you know, there was a certain shift about not allowing the dot balls.
14:51The going hasn't been good in the last three, four matches. I mean, I cannot,
14:55the sequence of scores, I don't remember. But there is a certain degree of
15:00lapsing into that, you know, old malaise of Shubman. What do you think about it?
15:08Well, once again, flattering to deceive, you know, easier said than done. He's got all the talent,
15:14all the class, all the shots. Sometimes he tries to be funky, what we've seen now in Virat Kohli.
15:20Virat Kohli has proved himself as a player. Shubman Gill has got age on his side. He doesn't
15:26have to be in a hurry when you have Saha on the side, who's tonking the ball. You get your eye in
15:31and make sure that you set the tone for the team by being the anchor and ensuring that you hold
15:38on to one end. Like we've seen with many players who at the end of the 15 overs they've batted or
15:44whatever overs they've batted, the strike rate has improved. Shubman Gill is in a hurry. Last
15:48match he got out, run out and he blamed the bowler instead of blaming himself. And he's
15:53finding different ways. So, apart from two performances, flattering to deceive. And I hope
15:58he can improve so that Gujarat can get better.
16:07I'll come to Satish. Your take on tomorrow's game?
16:14I think Gujarat will again try to… If they win the toss, they will try to bat first. Because I
16:19think the one good thing Pantya is trying to do is make sure that when they reach the playoffs,
16:24they are in a much better position and they are more rounded and they have got
16:29themselves exposed to various challenges. I think if they bat first, I'm sure they will not do the
16:35same mistakes as they've done last game. Because what has happened in the last game, you had
16:40somebody like Rabada who can come and… Once he gets a wicket, he can come and be
16:45very dangerous bowler. And in that sense, I don't think Mumbai has got such a…
16:54Bumrah is there. But it's not that they have such a potent attack. They can still try that out.
17:00And I would bank Gujarat to come good, even if they set the target.
17:07Samruth, what's your take on tomorrow's game?
17:10I am also backing Gujarat. I think they have a very strong bowling line-up against a fragile
17:16batting order of Mumbai Indians. I think apart from Suryakumar, I don't think there is any
17:20player who is batting in really good form. So, I am also backing the Gujarat Titans.
17:25My only worry for Gujarat Titans is, most of their wins have come chasing. So,
17:30I do believe that Harbik Pandey will bat first and try to change things up a bit.
17:34But I do think that Gujarat Titans will have to bat well and get a score around 170-180 on the
17:40board. And then try and defend it with their strong bowling line-up. Also, I wanted to ask
17:44a question over here. We also saw Karthik Tyagi bowling 150 today. And also, Umran Malik has been
17:52bowling fast each and every game. So, do you guys think Dale Steyn has a role to play in that?
17:58Do bowling coaches have a role to play in a bowler bowling fast?
18:02Gautam, you can answer this.
18:05See, I think in the space that a fast bowling coach gets to work in the IPL,
18:14if you look at the way the coach, or before the inning starts, it's all about which side of the
18:21field that they're going, how to bowl to the field and the smaller tricks. The fast bowling,
18:29you know, the ability to bowl fast or how to develop your muscles to increase your speed
18:35for that IPL time limit is short. I think what we're getting here is a reflection of
18:42the bigger picture that there is a kind of pace revolution, if I may use the word, with
18:48more and more youngsters, you know, trying to bowl quick. So, that's the result that we are
18:53seeing. I mean, it's not, we're talking about Umran, but we're not talking about Kuldeep
18:57Sen, we're not talking about a few other guys. So, that is coming very organically.
19:02What the fast bowling coach is trying to do is trying to teach you the finer points. Like Satish
19:08was speaking about Umran not bowling enough Yorkers. There was one deadly Yorker who got,
19:15I'm forgetting which match it was, and the way Dale Steyn reacted, it kind of showed that,
19:22his tips have paid off. So, possibly, I think it's the finer points while your urge to bowl
19:28fast comes from within yourself. Samrat, again, it's not a one-day effort. As Gautam would say,
19:37it's a time frame you need to get your muscles in order and your rhythm should be in order. More
19:43than your muscles, you need to run in properly. And the delivery strike, your finishing point,
19:48it's a multiple combination of a lot of things. I think that way, there are many coaches in India
19:54who are working on the pace and they're doing a lot of things very scientifically and
20:01systematically. So, that's the reason why you see so many bowlers bowling quick. But the flip side
20:06is they need to be handled well so that they don't get injured. I'll just ask one concluding
20:15question to Anisbhai. I think you'll also have to give the due to the curators
20:24of these wickets in Mumbai, which has held so well. Now, two-thirds of the games have taken
20:30place also in Pune. I mean, this is a different kind of IPL that we are seeing where spinners
20:36have played their role fine. So, Anisbhai, what do you think? I mean, don't you think this is
20:39kind of encouraging the bowlers to run in hard and do their job?
20:44In fact, it's one of the best IPLs, not because there are just 10 teams, but there have been heavy
20:49scoring games. The spinners have done their job. There's movement for the fast bowlers.
20:53If you've seen in the first six overs, there have been wickets falling to swing and seam.
20:57So, there's everything there. If you bend your back and if you have the talent like Butler,
21:01you can score runs. So, this is one of the finest wickets been prepared. And mind you,
21:06this has been held only in four grounds. So, hats off to all the curators.
21:10And I believe Sahrao Gangbani and team would be happy that they held this
21:14IPL in back and home and in these four centres and prevented the COVID to hit them.
21:24Yes, of course, there's still some way to go. There's still lots to play for. So, on that note,
21:34thank you for joining us. And tomorrow again,
21:35we'll be back after the game for a post-match discussion. Thank you and good night.