Exactly batting first wasn't a wrong decision but constantly putting it that bat the innings should be the way to go under Kohli's leadership was the problem. Most of the people will call for a poor show of batting but the mindset that was instilled in this line-up was the exact reason for RCB's loss.It was a bat first wicket by all means.
To simply put it up Sunil Narine was just too good for them despite a good start by the RCB openers.
And to make matters worse he killed the bit of chase as well.
Then lose to CSK in the final.Key to beat RCB - take ABD wicket before he sets and the game is all yours!
Now, I literally want DC to beat KKR by as big margin as possible...
Also most losses as CaptainVirat Kohli as captain in the IPL:
- Most runs
- Most hundreds
- Most fifties
- Most runs in a single edition
Dhoni 82Also most losses as Captain
Ok so it might be since the time he took over.Dhoni 82
Kohli 69
Well said on Shardul! He came out with a clear mandate to go after it from ball one! And when you approach it like that, there are times when it won't click. It was another wide which he could've left alone, but hey, numerous times when batsmen go after wides and connect it very well. I think even DC's move to send Axar was a good one because their batting got lighter and they wanted to have Pant-Heytmer bat during the business end of their innings and it worked, even though the Axar experiment was called a failure.
I still think it was a very weird call to go for Curran over Rabada, but I see why they chose Curran. The guy got 2 wickets in an over off some good "change of pace" deliveries and it was that over which tilted things heavily in favor of Delhi. I guess Pant and the DC management would've thought maybe it was Curran's day and gave him that final over. But in that case, Rabada should've bowled the 19th over instead of Avesh, who was super expensive yesterday (his first two overs went for 27). Modern day T20 wisdom says you bowl your best bowler for the 19th. Avesh was the worst bowler for DC yesterday. It was overall some weird captaincy moves by Pant.
And on that - initially you couldn't rate Pant's captaincy at all because of the kind of side that DC stacked up. Thats why many of us didn't have an opinion about his captaincy. But from what we've seen in these two games, not filling me up with confidence at all. He looks like another KL Rahul, who needs to be left alone to focus on their main skill (batting). Pant even said during the toss that he was pretty nervous and then he sorta reworded it positively in a way that we all do in our job interviews
What I like about Pant is his honesty. Can't fault a bloke for dreaming to captain India and the IPL is the stepping stone for it. The real question should be put to the owners and management.
I think the biggest mistake was not keeping Nortje for the 19th. He's been for mine the best quick in the last two editions, Bumrah aside.
I was darn certain MS would win it for CSK and my friend and I who were watching live said I'm stupid and a blind fanboy. I can say with certainty that if MS had come in say in the 15th or 16th, he probably would have failed. Yesterday, MS the batsman didn't win the game, MS the mind won it. He just knew Curran was going to bowl to the longer side and he set himself up for it and then that's just batting. I've played enough cricket to know that if you pre-meditate correctly, the bowler is screwed but if you premeditate the shot you're going to play without picking up the line then you're screwed. It's just batting basics. The great players are those that can make the adjustment when they wrongly anticipate things ie Pollard and the legends are those that can make the adjustment and still smack you out of the park ala AB. The moment the game was won was the one where MS hit it through the off side mid air. He knew where Curran was going to bowl, set it up and after the execution the look he gave Curran is a look I recognise instantly. I don't care how cool you are as a human, in that moment you know you've got into someone's head and messed with their tendencies.
Great game today as well. I tried a new trick today by not tuning in and being a nervous wreck for 5 hours and the result was exactly as expected still. May god play games he can and see that superstar wearing 17 in red and black go to yellow. Even if he never wins a limited overs major, just seeing him and MS in the same camp and having a shot at the title will give me some happiness. There is no way in hell MS is batting him lower than 4.
Still feel Delhi missed a trick by not having Iyer lead. To me, of all the names doing the rounds for Future India Captain - Iyer seems to be the most steady, followed to an extent by Shaw.initially you couldn't rate Pant's captaincy at all because of the kind of side that DC stacked up. Thats why many of us didn't have an opinion about his captaincy. But from what we've seen in these two games, not filling me up with confidence at all. He looks like another KL Rahul, who needs to be left alone to focus on their main skill (batting). Pant even said during the toss that he was pretty nervous and then he sorta reworded it positively in a way that we all do in our job interviews