The race for the trophy is coming to an end for our team, accompanied by our return to the Indian soil. The sad part is that the challenge ended a little too early for us and our hands are empty this time. Just like any other big event in a cricketer’s life, last 40 days or so were full of excitement, challenges, few victories and huge disappointment of not making it into the last four. We are still to play our last game and will try and win that one to restore some pride.

In my opinion, our position in the pool doesn’t reflect our true potential. We were considered to be one of the contenders for the trophy but we didn’t live up to the expectations and will soon be taking an unceremonious exit from the tournament.

We started on the right note and our every step was towards the right direction but then a one week break derailed our entire momentum. After that break, somehow we couldn’t grasp our slide and kept losing tight encounters. I have mentioned earlier as well that in a format like T-20, momentum is the key and once you lose that it’s hard to get back to the winning ways. Make no mistakes, we tried our best, trained ourselves in the best possible manner, planned ourselves for every little contingency but somehow couldn’t execute it.

Looking back at the tournament, I feel our batting lacked depth, especially in the middle overs. And most of the matches were lost in those overs only. Bowling wise, apart from one or two games, we did fairly well. Holistically, it was a learning curve for all of us and I am sure next year we will come better, hungrier for runs and full of zeal to set the record straight.

I would like to thank Mrs and Mr. Ambani for their constant support and encouragement. I don’t know much about the other franchises, but ours is really very supportive and is always there to help us in our thick and thins. I have never seen them interfering with our cricket related matters and have given us the freedom to take our own decisions. Yes, just like us they are disappointed with the result, but at the same time they believe that we have given our best and at times even your best is not enough.

Coming on to this year’s IPL, just because it was played in a foreign land, the entire experience and the feel of the tournament took a 360 degree turn. The tournament was very well planned and organized and the entire operation was seamless for all the people involved in it. It’s all the more commendable, as organizers got very little time to put up the entire show. Still, all through the tournament, Indian fans and their craze for the game was badly missed. Hopefully the tournament will be played in India next year and Mumbai Indians will do better to give their fans more reasons to celebrate.

Most of the teams reaching in the semi finals deserve their spot and from here on it’s very hard to figure out a favourite. In the knock out stages, it’s just a matter of two good days and the trophy could be in your hands. So best of luck to all the semi-finalist and I am sure the last weekend of the tournament will keep everyone on the edge.

I will be back in India soon and will take a few days off in Jallandhar before getting ready for the T20 world cup. All the boys are in great shape and are itching to defend their title. The time to wear the ‘Indian colours’ is round the corner and we know this time, as the defending champions, a lot will be expected from us.

It was an effort worth praising by our team to ensure that we remain in the contention for the trophy. From here onwards, every combat is equivalent to the finals and we need to win each one of them. Wining against Kings Eleven Punjab was all the more special as somehow they have managed to win all the games against us, and all of them had been close encounters.

Losing a toss proved to be a blessing in disguise as chasing on the Centurion is comparatively easy then defending. We were there at the ground as witnesses, when Ross Taylor was destroying the hopes of Kinght Riders. He was toying with the Kolkatta knight Riders bowling and even 174 were not enough. Even the local cricketers suggest that it’s advisable to chase the total on this ‘batting beauty’ wicket. Though Kings eleven got a perfect start (50 runs in less than 7 overs) and were going great with Sunny Sohal playing some big shots, still the outcome of the match was not the one they wanted.

Brilliant piece of fielding and superb catching bought us back into the game and then we never looked back. I am really happy with the way I bowled in this match and took Kumara Sangakkara’s wicket at the right time. I bowled much slower in the air to ensure that I could get some turn from the wicket. Pushing the ball quickly wasn’t a feasible option on this wicket. Bowling quick would have meant ball will nicely come onto the bat to score. I would like to mention here JP Duminy’s bowling, as he was able to remove Yuvraj Singh just when it was required. Once he was back in the pavilion, we knew that from here on we can dictate terms and we did just that. Wickets at regular intervals gave us that needed edge above our rivals.

People might say that the game has changed and modern theories have replaced the normal route of the Gentleman’s game, but few basics of the cricket will never change. Be it Test cricket, One Dayers or T20, taking wickets is the best and ultimate formula to stop the runs. Even if you have to bowl 4 overs in the T20 format, the tactfulness of bowling is required here all the more. You need to be ahead of the situation and plan accordingly. It’s like a game of chess, where both the batsmen and the bowler are trying to out-smart each other with every move. But if you keep your basics right, more often than not, things will move in the right direction. And our bowlers exemplified it.

Low scoring targets are always tricky but this time we didn’t let the momentum slip. Batsmen batted sensibly to chase down the total and thankfully this time there were no nervous moments. Dwayne Bravo had a great match as he is a key player of our side. He is a kind of cricketer who can win matches both with the bat and the ball. It was a smart move to send him up the order as he takes his own sweet time to settle, but once his eyes are focused, he can play some audacious strokes. This win has really given us the confidence to move ahead in the tournament. The idea is to stay focused, perform the basics right and never look too far ahead. Our next game is against the Rajasthan Royal and the defending champions will come hard at us. I got to know that Shane Warne may not be fit for the game against us which can be a big blow for them. He is the back bone of this side and a lot depends on him. Going with the saying of not underestimating the opposition, we need to take them very seriously, irrespective of the presence of Warne or no Warne as they have some obvious match winners in their ranks.

To begin with, I must admit that so far in this tournament we have
played a very average cricket. And today whatever consequences we are
facing are largely our own creation. A team with so much talent,
experience and so well prepared is reeling in the bottom half of the
point tables, is actually mind churning. Thursday’s game was another
one where we lost from the winning position. Full marks to Deccan
Chargers, as they never let their shoulders drop and kept coming hard
at us. Before the start of the match if anyone would have given us 146
to chase we would have happily accepted it. But loosing wickets of
Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar in quick succession was a big
blow to us as we rely a lot on them. Still, JP Duminy salvaged the
position and at one point our chase was very much in control. After
the strategy break we needed 75 runs in ten overs and that was very
much achievable. But Dwayne Bravo’s wicket altered the scene
altogether. Our lower middle order, including me, was not much of a
help to the cause either and we ended up on the losing side. After
scrutinizing the situation, I think batting in middle overs has been a
problem with us. It’s very important to have a strong foot-holding in
the middle overs, but somehow we haven’t got the grasp of it. By the
time slog overs come we have too much to chase, with very few wickets
in hand. In the nutshell, we are not playing smart cricket or to be
precise, calculative cricket in the middle overs.

I must tell you that while in the nets or in the team meetings we
discuss everything and give attention to every minute detail, but
somehow that execution is missing in the centre.

As a bowling unit I think we have done fairly well. To restrict a side
like Chargers below 150 was a very good effort. As far as my bowling
is concerned most of the times I am bowling in power play and in some
of the matches I didn’t get to bowl my full quota of four overs. But
as a senior bowler I am ready to take on all kind of challenges and
would try to deliver my best in whatever role team wants me to play.

But all is not lost for us at the moment as still we have six matches
left and out of that we need to win atleast four to stay in the
league. And that’s going to be a colossal task. But we, as a group,
look at it as a great opportunity to avail and I am sure if we keep
our focus and intent right we can make this happen. I would say, if
from here we reach the semis, we will end up winning the event. So the
idea is to be optimistic and take one game at a time.

 As a bowling unit we tried our best to defend the total but Jacque Kallis was in a murderous mood and played a gem of an innings. He has a unique array of strokes and most of them are proper cricketing shots. None of our bowlers could bother him and more importantly he didn’t let any bowler dominate, another veteran cricketer showing us that how class will stand out in all forms of the game. Along with Robin Uthappa runs were scored from both side of the wicket and every scoring opportunity was maximized. Uthappa also batted well and they reached the target with a lot of ease. In a nutshell we were outplayed in all departments of the game.

 One of the biggest set-back for us is that with this defeat we have come in the lower half of the point tables. I am sure this will really hurt our boys and they will come back hard to strengthen our position in the point table.

 We have learnt our lessons well. In the last game I think we lacked discipline in our line and length and in batting we need to have at-least one senior batsmen to be their till the end to guide the youngsters. So far in this tournament, we have lacked the consistency to win two or more matches in a row. We have played one good game followed by one defeat to deter our prospects. But now the time has come to change the trend. Looking around in this dressing room I can see lot of quality and experience and I am sure we will pull our socks up and will come better prepared in the coming ventures.

 By each passing day challenges are becoming stiffer and our coming two games are against two very good sides in the tournament. On Wednesday we will be playing against Deccan Chargers who has already beaten us once followed by Delhi Daredevils.  Both the matches are very crucial for us and hope this time we will set the trends right.