Gulf News looks back at this week's action of the T20 cricket showpiece now underway in the UAE. Chirag Suri, UAE’s opening batsman who was a part of IPL 2017, chats with our cricket pundits.
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#cricket #IPL #sport
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
#cricket #IPL #sport
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Too late to try out new resources now. You know, especially with a couple of games to go, I think you have to back your players.
00:14Hello, good day everybody. We are back again with our weekly episode of our chat with Chirag. Along
00:20with me, I've got my colleague Shyam Krishna. A bit of top sitter in the table, Chirag. I mean,
00:26Delhi Capitals, who had been looking, you know, kind of invincible in the first part of the
00:32league. I mean, suddenly we find them in the third position. So, what has been going wrong?
00:37Over the weeks, we've seen Delhi Capitals and we spoke about how strong their bowling attack was,
00:42how strong their, you know, Indian batsmen were, how strong, you know, how good their
00:48overseas players were performing. So, they look like an invincible team. But, you know,
00:52at the same time, they're still an inexperienced squad. This group of players hasn't played
00:56together a lot of times. When you compare them to Mumbai Indians, who have played together,
01:02like the core of the team has played together for many, many years now. So, I just feel that
01:08the Capitals are still a fresh squad, who are just knowing exactly how to deal with pressure
01:14situations. Now, as we get to the business end of the tournament, I feel the pressure, the stakes
01:19are higher. With the Capitals, they'll have to, you know, somebody has to take the extra
01:22responsibility. You know, of course, we've seen Shoaib Sahyar captain the side superbly well.
01:27But, like you said, there are a few areas of concern. Prithvi Shaw going out, couple of bad
01:33games for him. Najin Ki Rahane coming in. Not quite delivering to expectations. Like we know,
01:38bulk of the scoring is done by the openers. You know, if you look at the orange cap holders in
01:44all the seasons, it's always, I think, 90 percent of the time, you've seen an opener
01:48win the orange cap. So, you know that in T20, IPL cricket, the openers do the bulk of the scoring.
01:53They set the tone for the game. I mean, Shikhar Dhawan coming to the party. But we still need
01:58to see like, you know, a complete Delhi performance. And that's what we've missed in the last
02:02few games. They've been good in bits and pieces. But I guess, you know, they haven't played like,
02:08you know, finished the game. So, I feel they need to start, you know, putting the pieces together
02:14and try to finish these games. If they hold their nerves better, they'll be able to do it.
02:18What does Shreyas need to do? Because you see, when the going is good, you can say that, you know,
02:24somebody is in control of things, taking good decisions. What do you expect him to do at this
02:28point? Or does he have any other resources whom he can try out?
02:32Too late to try out new resources now. You know, especially with a couple of games to go,
02:36I think you have to back your players. You tell Prithvi, buddy, you know, we're backing you.
02:40Just go out there and enjoy yourself. There was a couple of technical things which, you know,
02:44the commentators and we heard the experts talk about. With Prithvi, you know, especially with
02:48the new ball. The ball is swinging in. So, he got done by Trent Boult. Then he got done in another
02:53game. Then he got done, you know, three ducks in a row or something like that. So, you know,
02:58definitely there's something. He's trying to play too many shots maybe up front. So, somebody needs
03:02to tell him that, you know, take your time in the top, you know, take the five, six extra balls.
03:06And then, you know, start playing your shots. So, we'll have to wait and see, you know,
03:10how Shreyas tackles this. I think it's a good learning curve for him as well. In the IPL,
03:15we've seen, you know, team eight beat team number one. So, it's not like, you know,
03:21anybody is very, very comfortable at the top. So, you know, you just need to see maybe they're just,
03:26you know, lying on their laurels a little bit. You know, they're just taking it easy. I think
03:30you need to know that every game is a tough game in the IPL. There is no such thing as an easy game.
03:35Maybe Delhi Capitals just need to step up their game and make sure the intensities don't drop.
03:39Because they've had a great season so far. They don't want to, you know, they want to have the
03:44momentum going into the play-offs. So, maybe even a couple of good games to get into the top two,
03:48you know, get two bites of the cherry. I think that's what they would like to do.
03:52Sham, you see, you'll have to say that the most improved team or the team which is, you know,
03:58which seemed like playing a team in the second half of the tournament had been Kings XI.
04:03And the result, of course, has shown with five, you know, wins on the trot.
04:08What do you think, Sham, they had been getting right?
04:11I think the main difference was Chris Gayle. Before I elaborate on Chris Gayle, Kings and
04:16Punjab, when they were even losing, they were losing it by a very narrow margin. It was just
04:21a matter of getting a few minor things right, which I think happened with the arrival of Chris Gayle.
04:27So, if you look at KL Rahul scoring before and after Chris Gayle's arrival, you could see the
04:34difference. Because Rahul was always criticized for scoring at a very low strike rate, trying to
04:42anchor the innings. He also knows that the batting down the order is brittle. So, he needs to bat
04:48deep. So, in the process, he was slowing down the scoring rate. But when Chris Gayle came,
04:53it changed that. Chris Gayle just comes in and knocks the ball around and takes the attack to
04:59the opposition. That means the scoring rate goes up and KL Rahul can continue to do what he was doing.
05:05So, this is perhaps the most major difference that's happened to Punjab. And that's what you
05:11can see in the results. A number of, you know, additions here and there. Like this young
05:16Harsh Dikh. This seems to have given a kind of balance, which was kind of missing in the lineup.
05:22And it's again a reflection of the depth of, you know, the under-19 talent, which we had.
05:27Would you like to say anything on that?
05:28The under-19 talent has been phenomenal. It's not just for Punjab. If you look at all around,
05:34even in Punjab, for that matter, you still have Ravi Bishnoi there. You look at Rajasthan Royals,
05:38you have Karthik Tyagi. You look at Calcutta, you have Nagapurthi and Shivam Mali. Then you have
05:45Prem Girdh there. Then you have Abhishek Sharma there. Then you have Rian Parag there. They have
05:50performed incredibly well. And especially against, you know, world-class players. They play in their
05:56company and against them. So, they are testing their mettle against the best in the world. And
06:02they have come off very well. So, that augurs very well for Indian future, really.
06:06Chirag, this Kolkata Nitride, it's a perfect example of a bit of both. Blowing hot, blowing cold. Today
06:12they have got a game against, you know, they have become a kind of must-win games for them as well
06:16against Chennai. So, do you think Chennai, you know, on a bit of high after that last win and
06:22with nothing to lose. I mean, they are basically now looking ahead at the next season. Do you think
06:26Chennai can, you know, spoil their party today? When there's nothing to lose, you know, you go out
06:32there with no pressure. Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's difficult to play those sides, you know,
06:37especially because it's such a high-stakes game, you know, for AKR. They have struggled to find
06:43consistency this tournament, I think, with their players, with their team, with their captain.
06:48If they don't do it this game, you know, I think they're looking towards an exit. I don't think
06:53they're going to make the top of the spot. Because this is a very, very crucial game. If they are to
06:57overturn Chennai. Chennai, like you said, nothing to lose. But at the same time, we don't know how
07:02motivated the players are, you know, what are the energy levels and stuff like that. So, you know,
07:06for KKR, if they get a few things right, I really feel that KKR can overturn Chennai Super King
07:13line-up today. With the IPL on, we have got a very crucial team selection for Australia a few days
07:19back. And, you know, that has opened up a bit of a controversy again over who else but Rohit Sharma.
07:26I mean, because he is Rohit Sharma. I will come to you about the conundrum over Rohit.
07:31From a player's point of view, what do you feel? I mean, what would have been the reason of him
07:35not being there? The fact that he's missed out in the IPL games right now, it's just… I think
07:40that the Mumbai Indians would do anything to have him on the park, right? The fact that he has not
07:44been playing for the Mumbai Indians, you know, we know what a team Mumbai Indians is, and you know
07:49what power they have. So, they would have done anything in their hand to put Rohit Sharma on the
07:56park. The fact that they haven't been able to, it really means he is struggling with something.
07:59The Indian team, you know, they know the value of Rohit Sharma. So, it's not like they are trying
08:05to go around something or something like that. I really don't feel that's the case. I feel if
08:10Rohit Sharma is fit, you will see him, you know, get announced in the squad. I feel definitely
08:15if Rohit Sharma is to get fit, he will get involved in the squad. It's nothing too much to worry about.
08:20Yes, it's alarming. It's surprising that he's not there in the provisional team.
08:26Shyam, what was the hurry in naming KL Rahul as the vice-captain? I mean,
08:31do you think they are looking beyond Rohit?
08:34I wouldn't read too much into it. Because even if Rohit comes into the side, Virat Kohli can
08:41always seek his counsel. So, there's no worries there. Maybe the only reason why they could
08:48look at KL Rahul is to groom him, to take over from Kohli in the distant future.
08:53BCCI selections have never been without controversy. But that is part of the puzzle
08:58of the Indian cricket selection. There's controversy about KL Rahul making the test squad as well.
09:03After people are saying that because of his IPL performances, he might get a call-up in the test squad.
09:10A quick take from you. I feel this is very, very clear. They're looking at the future.
09:15They are seeing KL Rahul maybe leading the team in the future. He's still young.
09:21Very well. He's done well. And obviously, he's in form. So, it's just about also
09:28having the trust in certain players.
09:30Before we wrap up, the thing is, by the time we meet next, the playoffs will be well and truly underway.
09:35So, I would like to know your final four.
09:38I'm still going with Mumbai, Delhi, RCB. And the toss-off between Kings XI and KKR,
09:49for me, I would want Kings XI in that. Why not? I'm Punjabi as well. So, I would love a Kings XI Punjabi.
09:58Let's have a Delhi Punjab, RCB, Kohli Factor, and of course, Mumbai Indians, man.
10:06We haven't spoken about them today. But they're playing some really good cricket.
10:11They have made it a habit. Yes.
10:12They're one team, Gautam, that they don't want to have the mega auction.
10:19Because they have players who have gelled together for many years.
10:23When they have to just retain a couple and let go of this core squad, which they have for many years now.
10:28They've really done well to make such a squad over the years.
10:30I think, yes, certain or some of the players are Mumbai Indians' talent.
10:36You can say, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, maybe Rahul Chahar.
10:42All these guys, they're Mumbai Indians' talent. They've groomed these players over the years.
10:47So, I think, kudos to them. They are reaping the rewards now.
10:51And I think, this is what you want to see teams do.
10:53At the end of the day, we want to see Indian cricketers being produced for India.
11:00And who go on to serve the country and do well for India.
11:03This is what you want to see. And I think, Mumbai Indians has been that beautifully.
11:08So, good luck to a couple of teams now, on 5th, 6th, 4th, 5th support.
11:17And let's see who handles the nerve better.
11:19When we come back next week, when we can talk with a sense of finality and look at,
11:23you know, what's going to happen and who's going to be the winner.
11:27So, thank you so much, Chirag. Thank you, Shyam, for joining us.
11:31Thank you. Pleasure. Thank you, guys. Thank you very much.