Aug 23 2009
Ten Sparkling Diamonds in the Rough
When a well established player scores another milestone on the international scene, heaps of praise are showered on him and reams of pages dedicated to his class act. But every single feat always borders on expectation before it is achieved. There is a sense of anticipation every time he takes the field and in that, perhaps the slight degree of expectation that precedes him takes away the element of surprise.
But there is something equally special when a relative unknown bursts onto the scene, creates a sensation and enraptures the audiences. There was entertainment in the form exhilarating talent utilizing the platform for expression, creating a brand new league of rising stars. In fact, expect the unexpected, became the mantra of last year’s IPL.
Take a look at some of the names that impacted both, IPL and cricket, in the ascending order of their impact (in keeping with the building suspense that they continued to provide through the tournament) in this enthralling Twenty20 extravaganza!
Jewel 1: The name’s Gony, not Dhoni
The similarity of his name with the Indian skipper amused many. But the only on field trait that the duo shared was their calm, cool demeanour in the face of a sandstorm. It made a lot of sense, in hindsight, that two of the coolest heads were operating in the Chennai Super Kings’ dressing room.
Admittedly Punjab’s Manpreet Gony was not the Chennai team’s first choice. However, once Sudeep Tyagi was rendered unavailable through injury, Gony was brought into the team’s scheme of things and suffice it to say, they had no regrets. A tall, well built fast medium bowler, he caught more than one batsman by surprise with his ability to bowl bouncers, to do so with accuracy and to lead as the strike bowler in the side contrary to the relative lack of experience he has had in the game.
No mug with the bat, he averaged 35 though he batted in only five innings of the tournament. But he showed his ability as someone who could really hit the ball hard (enhancing that skill further will make him another in the mould of perhaps an Irfan Pathan for India). That he picked up seventeen wickets, equalling Albie Morkel’s tally for Chennai, meant that he has surpassed the likes of Makhaya Ntini and Muttiah Muralitharan who picked up seven and eleven wickets respectively. To outshine his more esteemed colleagues would have been immensely satisfying but so was his 26.05 average, again way ahead of the established men in his team.
Batting personal issues or exploding batsman, Manpreet Gony was shown an unruffled intensity about his game that belies the depth of the fight in him and clearly marks him as one of the most tenacious competitors on the field.
Jewel 2: Swapnil Asnodkar – God’s gift to Goa
Swapnil Asnodkar. Not many even in cricketing circles would have heard of him. That is a shame because Asnodkar is breaking barriers, coming from a traditionally football oriented land called Goa, and he is doing it with numbers that would make most first class batsmen proud. But while his name has eluded the ears of the selectors, the roll call of the Rajasthan Royals beckoned the diminutive dynamite and he responded with resplendent strokes.
Asnodkar played only nine games in the IPL but it was a deliberate ploy on the part of the Royals skipper Shane Warne. Unleashing him on unsuspecting opponents, Warne got out of Asnodkar exactly what he wanted – an unexpected bomb that exploded to destructive effect. His whirlwind knock of sixty in the game against Kolkata Knight Riders showed what talent in a conducive environment can do, even when not picked regularly in the team.
Asnodkar proved to be one of the most well known names of the tournament and that is credit to his performances in the opening position alongside the South African powerhouse Graeme Smith who was also dwarfed by Asnodkar’s feats. With 311 runs in just nine matches at an average of 34.55 and a strike rate that is simply phenomenal, he will be earmarked for more features in forthcoming years. He is no longer the stock weapon; he is the well established pint sized arsenal in the Royals camp.
Jewel 3: Dhawal Kulkarni – waiting to be discovered
An understated gentleman would perhaps describe Mumbai’s Dhawal Kulkarni best. But only a fool would equate his demeanor with his talent. As a medium fast bowler, he is no small sensation. He may not have had his share of the limelight yet. But it does not, in any way, undermine the potential, which the Mumbai Indians were also shrewd to spot.
It was always a great opportunity for such a young and upcoming bowler to share the dressing room with a stalwart like Shaun Pollock and that is perhaps one of the biggest attributes that Mumbai has benefitted from. Kulkarni’s opportunity to refine his bowling, perhaps only polish it, reaped rewards majestically in an unfortunate scenario where his team did not really make the impression for him to truly stand out. But the medium pacer, who like Pollock likes to hit the right areas with regular consistency, grew in stature in the eyes of the spectators as the tournament wore on.
Where his team failed, Kulkarni pursued on and was rewarded for it. With eleven wickets from ten matches, just one wicket less than Ashish Nehra but a far better average of 21.45, Kulkarni’s maturity far outweighs the opportunity presented to him. Holding his own in the midst of a slog is also something he is capable of as he showed in the league game when the Rajasthan Royals suffered a shock defeat and in no small measure, to Dhawal Kulkarni who came back well in the match with two wickets. Certainly an understated talent, but one worthy of pursuit.
Jewel 4: Ravindra Jadeja – Graduation to the big league
His seemingly lack of runs can be deceptive as also the lack of wickets in his IPL wickets column. But there are no statistics that would measure determination on a scale. Ravindra Jadeja, at just twenty years of age, finds himself in the cynosure of eyes as he makes the team in the national colours, a dream he shared with his late mother.
But as an all rounder, he has shown a spark, and it refuses to dwindle or fade despite the fact that enormous expectations rest on his young shoulders and tender mind. But Jadeja is not new to pressure. He showed he could take it in his stride, whether it was as an teenager in the historic under-19 World Cup that India won or in the IPL where Shane Warne marked him for greatness.
Not inexperienced with the bat and not a novice with the ball, Jadeja presented his skipper with all rounder’s options, one of the facets that made Rajasthan Royals team distinct as Warne’s discerning eye kept his faith in the young man for the entire duration of the tournament. Groomed for the future, Jadeja’s first steps of lingering success could continue to the IPL.
Jewel 5: Albie Morkel – Zulu’s back?
South Africa lost Lance Klusener somewhere in the chaos of the 2003 World Cup. The manner in which Lance “Zulu” Klusener took the 1999 World Cup by storm, there was little doubt that the need of the hour for other teams was not just an all rounder, but one that doubled up as a terrific finisher of the game. South Africa’s yearning for a Zulu-like character in the side put massive pressure on Justin Kemp.
A big hitter and valuable all rounder, Kemp somehow did not bring to the fore the depth of his talent. But the search need not be exhaustive anymore because the IPL was a showcase for Albie Morkel not only to announce himself to the cause of the South Africans in a stronger vein after three years of struggling to establish himself but also, send a warning to the rest of the cricket world.
Morkel, the older of the Morkel brothers, has been preferred to play in the one day version of the game while young brother Morne, who features prominently in the Test arena, is being called South Africa’s next ‘White Lightning’ by none other than Allan Donald himself. Morkel is an all rounder with cool, level headed batting under pressure that can convert probable losing positions into match winning ones and whose bowling contributions give captains an additional option to fall back on to contain as well as pick up wickets.
Morkel’s figures in the IPL include 241 runs at an average of 34.42 that do not mention his penchant for lusty, unflappable batting in the face in seemingly insurmountable odds. His range of shots, his depth of tenacity, the sheer distance that the ball covers after caressing Albie’s bat, makes one of the world’s most dangerous batsmen lower down the order. It is a tall resume for a cricketer whose real mark came from last year’s IPL. The fact that he took seventeen wickets, the same number as Chennai Super Kings’ other highest wicket taker – Manpreet Gony, at a better average of 23.47 makes him one for the future, and an indubitable star of the IPL, overshadowed only by others that shone a bit brighter than him.
Jewel 6: Yusuf Pathan – Another One of a Clan
India is fortunate not to have one but rather two Pathans in the line up. That the Pathan brothers are both capable of decently holding their own in all departments of the game is a huge advantage. While Irfan Pathan has established himself as a bowling all rounder years ago, elder brother Yusuf took a while to break out of the shell that shielded his talent. But he could not have asked for a better platform than the IPL to showcase the destructive talent he poses potently as another one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. There was little wonder thereafter why he has found a place in the one day squad for team India.
One of the cleanest hitters of the ball in the game, Yusuf displayed remarkable calm and confidence and certainly took the IPL by storm. If he ever needed an opportunity to come into his own without the preordained talent of his younger brother lurking in the shadows, he could not have timed it better. A tall striking batsman, Yusuf showed an ability to pick a bowler early and send the ball sailing high and over the boundary ropes whether over midwicket or over the covers. That added to his pesky off spinners, proved valuable traits in a team that was short on star power.
Yusuf flourished and the Rajasthan Royals did too by having him in the side. He notched up the tournament’s fastest fifty against the Deccan Chargers in only twenty-one balls and showed an amazing nonchalance when setting the ball sailing for maximum. For someone coming from a family where there was already an international player, it appears that the need to prove himself almost did not matter to him. Self assured and tailor made for the game, Yusuf Pathan set his career off to a rollicking start and that he is now a regular in the Indian team is only vindication of the fact.
With 435 runs to his name at an average of 31.07, not to mention his tally of eight wickets in the tournament with a best of three for twenty-two in the final of the IPL when he had the Chennai Super Kings in a tail spin, makes him a dangerous and crucial player for the Rajasthan Royals and his Man of the Match award in the final was only testimony to it. The Pathan has truly arrived.
Jewel 7: Gautam Gambhir – Catching the Spirit
He lost the orange cap (bestowed on the batsman who makes the most runs in an IPL season) narrowly to Shaun Marsh. But that did not diminish in any way the value and significance of Gautam Gambhir’s performance and its impact not only on the IPL but also, on his own career in international cricket.
For the rather short lived memories, when Gambhir was first considered for the opener’s slot in the Indian Test line up, the perception of him came across as someone who was a slow accumulator of runs and the perfect foil as anchor for the more explosive Virender Sehwag. Gambhir, by that measure, was a surprise choice for the World Twenty20.
He showed the first glimpse of his capabilities in the inaugural World Twenty20. And while his name is a slightly strange sight in this list of large unknowns, his untapped talent until the IPL makes his name relevant amongst his peers who, like him, grabbed the opportunity and made it count. What’s more, in Gambhir’s case, he has been able to translate his success in the IPL to a fortified role for team India in a form and manner that it is hard to imagine that it was the same Gambhir before and after the IPL.
His consistent partnerships with Delhi, ONGC and team India opening partner, Sehwag, were one of the scintillating highlights of the IPL. With an average of 41.07 and 534 runs, Gambhir’s may have missed becoming the leading runs scorer in the IPL, but with a mammoth number of sixty-four boundaries to his name, he remains unsurpassed in the first edition and an established crowd puller in his own right now.
Jewel 8: Hail, Sohail Tanvir
Pakistan perhaps did not even know Sohail Tanvir’s worth. Although his name has floated around prior to the IPL, his talent was only prominently evident when the first season of the IPL eventually concluded. That he was a clear league ahead of the rest of the bowlers and a more than useful batsman was a matter known prior perhaps only to Shane Warne and Tanvir himself!
Tanvir picked up a colossal twenty-two wickets from just eleven games at average of just 12.01. His impressive strike rate of 11.2 and a decent economy rate of 6.46 made him the catch of the IPL from the sub continent. His stand out performance was clearly the league match between his team, the Rajasthan Royals, and the Chennai Super Kings where he returned with figures of six wickets for just twenty runs in his allotted four overs, a record by any stretch of the imagination in a Twenty20 match! His exploits with the bat in a pinch hitter’s role were not overlooked either. The man with the Purple Cap (awarded to the bowler who takes the most wickets in the IPL) had clearly set the benchmark amongst bowlers, vying for recognition and glory in the IPL.
Jewel 9: Shane Watson – Sherlock’s Find!
Indeed it would have to take someone with the keen eye, acuteness of mind and accuracy in belief to back this young man. Shane Warne did and he managed to convince his franchisee, the Rajasthan Royals, that Shane Watson was the man to snare. It was a gamble, a calculated one but one that paid off marvelously for the Royals cause.
Watson, who battled for five years to establish himself in the Australia team with a spate of injuries and inconsistency of form, found a believer in Warne and the relationship of faith was vindicated. The first man in the IPL to win two Man of the Match awards, Watson steered his team with a solid seventy-six against Mohali to follow it up with sixty-one in the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Priced at a modest USD 125,000, Watson emerged as one of a handful of brightest stars to have grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
In addition to his batting, making 472 runs at a strike of 151.76 with a valuable average of 47.20, Watson’s ability as an all rounder proved to be the distinct advantage of the Rajasthan Royals team. With seventeen wickets in his IPL stint, it is little wonder then that Watson was soon competing with Andrew Symonds for the all rounder’s spot in the Australian team soon after. With stress fractures affecting him this year, he has sought the resources of Dennis Lillee and will once again look to recapture the magic of the IPL ahead of the all important Ashes.
Crowning glory: Shaun Marsh – turning marshes into gold spots
Very few people get to impact the international scene even before their international debut for their country. At 30,000 dollars, his price was clearly understated as was his talent. Yet every muscle movement on the crease was worth its weight in gold. Even the franchisee owners of the Kings XI Punjab would fail to win the argument that they knew the exact worth of having him in the team. His unbeaten knock of eighty-four against the Deccan Chargers was only the taste of things to come as he went onto make five astounding half centuries and a terrific century to cap off his performances. It is hard to imagine that the Mohali team would have had the kind of success they had without this young charmer with the bat.
Sublime dominance would perhaps best describe his style. Shaun Marsh brought new energy to the team with his consistency batting at the top of the order. The fluency of his strokes, the effortless ease with which he provided the anchor as well as the impetus was breathlessly spectacular, his technique impeccable, and his aura, one of supreme dominance. It was hard to imagine that the Australian team had waited so long before making him an integral part of the one day line up.
With 616 runs to show in the tournament at an extraordinarily incredible average of 68.44 in the course of a Twenty20 tournament and a handy strike rate of 139.68, the Mohali team certainly found a diamond in the rough. Son of the former Australian wicket keeper Geoff Marsh, this son surely did make his papa proud!
Men of unpolished brilliance like these make the journey all worthwhile. There is little doubt that they would have required big boots after their stint in the IPL because the expectations on them have only become enormous! One could only ask in wonderment, has talent finally found its match?
