Match No 10.

Match No 10. Kokata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals

This was the best entertainment that you can get in the game of cricket. It because of matches like these that cricket becomes a religion and cricketers the demi-gods.

The people witnessed a blistering knock by Yusuf Pathan (42 off 21) early in the evening to help RR post a total of 150 on board for KKR to chase. The match was well poised after the first half and it was anybody’s game.
Any captain would give his best bowler the ball in the first over to put pressure on the opponent in order to defend a score like this. But the audience witnessed something strange. Shane Warne gave the ball to Yusuf Pathan (Right arm off spin) to open bowling for Rajasthan Royals. And Yusuf didn’t disappoint his captain either. He did exceptionally well to restrict a blaster like Gayle which bowlers of other teams couldn’t. But Gayle is a batsman of his own class, a little room a little width and he launches. And when Gayle launches, he launches big, real big. Gayle scored 41 off 33 balls. When Gayle departed the KKR score had reached 60 off 50 balls.
Hodge walked in but couldn’t deliver and the task was left for Prince of Kolkata Saurav Ganguly, person bruised with all the critics around him, declaring him in-efficient even before he goes to the park. The determination was clear in his eyes the moment he walked in, but Warne’s boys were no less.
Match was slipping out of the hands of KKR. Local boy Yashpal and Saurav had the responsibilities on their shoulders when they required 44 off 25 balls with Munaf Patel bowling his last ball of 3rd over. On strike was Dada. Munaf overran and bowled a no-ball, and Bengal Tiger was quick to pounce on the opportunity and sent the ball sailing over deep square leg for a six. The next ball was a ‘free-hit’ and Ganguly had nothing to fear, he launched into this one too and hit Munaf’s over pitched delivery to a mammoth six over mid off. The last ball of Munaf costed RR a huge deal, giving away 13 runs of 1 delivery. The required run rate drops from 10.71 to 7.75 and gives KKR fans a sigh of relief.
Now KKR required 31 off 24. Warne had only bowled 2 overs, so that means off the remaining 4, Warne can ball 2, he had the choices of Munaf and Kamran Khan each 1 over. Warne took 17th over and did well to beat Yashpal in the firs two deliveries, but Ganguly didn’t let the game slip and hit Warne for a 4 thus milking 8 runs out of his over.
18th over saw another twist, when Warne gave the ball to Ravindra Jadeja. Someone who didn’t ball in the entire game was bowling his first over of the match. A decision that only Warne can take. And Jadeja didn’t disappoint him either and gave just 7 runs off his over. 2 overs remain with 16 to score. Warne had an over and Kamran and Munaf 1 each. It was Shane Warne who bowled the penultimate over of the match, after 4 balls the match had shifted to KKR’s court and they needed just 8 runs off 8 balls when Ganguly walks up to his partner Yashpal and asks him to be extra cautious and not to throw away his wicket, because any new batsman will only increase the risk. And yes, Yashpal did just what he was asked not to, he went to fiddle with a ball way outside offstump and lost his wicket to Warne with easy catch being taken at deep extra cover. Agarkar walks in, luckily for KKR Ganguly had switched sides and he faced the last ball taking a single off it.
Last over 7 needed, Ganguly on strike and Warne gives the ball to the youngest player of his team Kamran Khan who had done pretty well till then, but only time was going to tell who was the real winner. He starts off with a wide way outside off stump. 6 needed off 6. Ganguly takes a single off the next ball and Agarkar does the same. 4 needed off 4 balls, a boundary can do it for KKR and Ganguly is on 46. Is this going on in his mind? 1 boundary and they win the match and he even registers a fifty for himself? A Hero he can become again in the eyes of his fans. Is this what he was thinking? May be. Lets wait and see. Kamran gives the ball in the block hole and Saurav misses it completely, all he could manage to do was hit his bat on the pitch. 4 required of 3 balls.
Kamran pitches the ball on Dada’s legs and Dada tries to flick it down for a boundary but misses it and the ball hits the pad and goes to midwicket, luckily though Ganguly and Agarkar run hard and take a double off leg-by. 2 needed off 2 balls, Ganguly again aims for a four in a ball pitched in his favorite zone outside off but snicks it and is out caught behind. Kamran does it for his captain, Ganguly is out even before he realizes. His thirst for 50 has costed KKR heavily. Ishant Sharma walks in with 2 required off the last ball, Ishant cracks at the full delivery from Kamran and the ball was on its way to the boundary when Shane Warne gives a full stretch dive to stop it. They try to run a 2 but in vain, Ishant gets run out in the attempt and they could only score a single off the last ball. Match is tied with the scores level and the decision would be made by the Super Over.

In super over any one bowler of each team bowls an over and 3 batsmen of the opposite team can bat. Whichever team scores the most off this over wins the match.


First were KKRs to bat. And the batsmen who came out to bat were Gayle to face, McCullum at the non striking end and Saurav in the dug out. Anyway any guesses who would be bowling for Rajasthan Royals? Shane Warne?
No my friends. Warny thought otherwise. According to one of the best bowlers, according to the legend himself, according to Shane Warne, it was Kamran Khan who was perfect for the job and not him. Kamran, the 18 year old, someone who is playing just his 2nd match of IPL is the perfect man to bowl the super over according to Shane Warne. Warne had shown so much trust on his bowler and there was no reason why he shouldn’t deliver. If Warne thinks Kamran can restrict Gayle, then may be he can. KKR’s could manage to score 15 with Gayle getting out in the last ball at sweeper cover.
Rajasthan needs 16 off the super over.
McCullum, KKR captain decides to toss the ball to Ajantha Mendis who according to him is a world class bowler and can restrict the RR batsmen from scoring the required runs, he doesn’t find Ishant Sharma reliable.
And guess whom does Warne sends when he has the likes of South African captain Graeme Smith, Quiney and Mascarenhas. He shows trust on the Indian batsmen, he decides to choose form over experience. The in-form Yusuf Pathan walks in along with Ravindra Jadeja and finishes the match in style by hitting the *world class bowler* Ajantha Mendis for sixes all over the park and the match is over and won by Rajasthan Royals in just 4 balls.

Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals two sides so closely matched yet so different in approach.
Warne not only defeated Kolkata Riders but also humiliated them by making the Indian players do the work for him.
Heavily paid Foreign players looked like kiddos in front of the locals of Warny. Warne showed immense trust on his new comers on his so called in-experienced players and never did they disappoint him.

When the match had started I was supporting KKR. But by the time it ended I became a fan Warne myself. No doubt why he is such a great player, retired yet he has lot of fire within.
And people who think that it’s the foreign players it’s the experience which hold the key have a lot to learn from Warne. Who after this match proved it, that it’s the choice of right man at the right time which will hold the key.

ALL HAIL SHANE WARNE!!