Chennai Suer Kings Whistle Poudieee

The man with the Midas touch. He led India to glory in the inaugural World Twenty20, raised a toast to the nation by winning the cricket world cup, lead the most consistent franchise - Chennai Super Kings to title twice and also won the champions league - all in a span of 3 years.

An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Dhoni’s incredible rise through the ranks was triggered by a match winning 148 against Pakistan and later in the year, he smashed 183 against Sri Lanka. Just 2 years after his record breaking innings, he was made the captain of the Indian team that was going through major transitions. In the years to follow, his ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of game.

Off the field, his fondness for fast bikes marked him as Mr.Cool, and with a haircut that made news across the country, the cool quotient never waived. In tune with the name, he was hardly seen flustered on the field either. For a cricket frenzy nation, Dhoni will forever be the man who led from the front and fulfilled a billion dreams of seeing the cup return after 28 long years.

Great to hit winning six off Gayle: David Miller

KXIP hero now looking forward to away clash with RCB

David Miller’s 101* off just 38 balls is bound to go down in cricket annals as one of the best Twenty20 knocks. Given that this innings – which unlike most other dominating 20-over tons – came during what was by all accounts a failing run-chase, very few words can conjure up a compliment suitable enough to describe the Kings XI Punjab batter’s heroics.

Phrases like ‘Miller Time,’ ‘Miller the Killer,’ ‘Millerific,’ and the like seem all but vapid. However, a simple “You remind me of my young days” by Chris Gayle comes closest when it comes to making sense of what one saw at Mohali on Monday. Gayle, who happened to pass Miller by during his exclusive chat with IPLT20.com, followed up this compliment with an appreciative fist bump.

The respect is, of course, mutual. And even a clean hitter like Miller rates Gayle above the rest in Twenty20 cricket. “Gayle is by far the biggest hitter ever and a great batsman as well. He is good to watch,” he said. “We have got another game in Bangalore and that should be interesting.”
However, the 23-year-old batter did say that hitting the winning six off Gayle was special. “It was really enjoyable for me. It was a great feeling to hit that six,” Miller said.

This “great feeling” was shared by thousands of KXIP supporters at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium. At one point their beloved Lions were tottering at 64 for four, and the 191-run target seemed improbable. It was then that Miller took complete charge of proceedings and produced a gem of an innings.

“Nothing much was really going through my mind when I came in to bat,” said Miller. “We still needed 12 runs an over, and it was quite a lot of runs to get. And I suppose it allowed me the freedom to do what I did, which is just clear the ropes and not have too much pressure. So, it was really enjoyable.”

Miller, who currently averages an astounding 117.33 in IPL 2013, has come a long way in sealing his reputation as a clutch player since his tournament debut last season. Back in 2012, he featured in a handful of matches and sported a modest average of 32.66 while scoring a total of 98 runs.

However, he insists that while the statistics have changed, his batting approach has remained constant. But getting more playing time this season has certainly worked for the South African.

“Nothing much really has changed with my batting (compared to last IPL). In 2012, I came in for only six games and then was off. I think now getting the freedom of playing a few more games is really nice to know, mentally. And it is just one of those things where I am actually loving my cricket at the moment,” he said.

Miller is certainly making the most of the increased opportunities he has got this year. He has been KXIP’s go-to guy in clutch situations – especially during herculean chases. Prior to the RCB game, Miller played similar knocks against powerhouses like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. But the innings in Mohali was admittedly different, given that it came in a winning cause.

“Probably, it is the best innings I have played. It is the fastest I have ever played, and definitely the most enjoyable one.” He added, “There wasn’t a different approach in today’s innings. The pitch was a little bit different in Chennai. But I think we left ourselves a little bit too much to get in the Chennai game. Basically, nothing has really changed. I have stuck to what I have been doing and my game plan; and it is just consistent throughout.”

With Miller firing on all cylinders, KXIP are now well and truly back in the hunt for a playoffs spot. “We have got to win, I think, four out of five games. So, there is obviously still a lot of games to play. We have just got to try and win it all,” he said.

CSK bring out the best in us: Rohit

MI captain says leading has its positive impact on his batting

Add caption

The IPL has always brought out the best in Rohit Sharma the batsman – he is the second most prolific run-scorer in the tournament after Suresh Raina. In IPL 2013, we are getting to see a different aspect of Rohit’s game – his leadership.

Leading the high-profile and most passionately followed IPL team, Mumbai Indians, Rohit has displayed tremendous calmness and maturity. It’s a tricky job to captain a team with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh, among an array of experienced overseas players. It’s even trickier to take over from one of the most successful international captains of all times – Ricky Ponting.

But the 26-year-old Indian batsman has not disappointed. In what Rohit rates as one of his more satisfying wins as captain, the Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by a whopping 60 runs in front of their adoring home crowd. After the match a pleased Rohit spoke to iplt20.com about the magnitude of the win, experience of captaining the team and its effect on his batting.

How big is this win, breaking CSK’s seven-match winning streak?

This was a big game for us and we really wanted to win it. But before the game we discussed that we need to be relaxed and not think of it as a big game. We knew that if we stayed cool, expressed ourselves and played to our potential, we would win easily. That’s what happened.

Do you think MI vs CSK is turning out to be the biggest rivalry of IPL?

It’s good for the spectators to watch. Chennai Super Kings have been playing extremely consistent cricket since the first season and it’s always a challenge to play them. They do bring out the best in us and it’s always very sweet to beat them.

Captaincy is doing wonders to you in this IPL, isn’t it?

Yes, it actually is. It’s a very good start that I have got. Out of five games I have won four and lost one. I would take that result as a captain. But I am not going to relax. We still need to play good cricket for the next five games and get to the Play-Offs comfortably.

What kind of a captain would you say you are?

I try not to over-think and keep it simple. I’ve realised that you’ve got to be calm on the field, to be able to take the right decisions. As a captain you don’t get much time in this format. You have to be quick in shuffling your plans and rotating your bowlers, at the same time, give your players the space they want.

This maturity and calmness that you require in captaining the team in such a fast-paced format, is it helping you as a batsman in any way?

It is. As captain I have an additional responsibility to lead from the front with the bat and I have to be calm. Having said that, I try not to put pressure on myself thinking I have too much on my plate. I just want to keep enjoying myself in both aspects of my responsibility and ensure that Mumbai Indians do well.

How do you approach a T20 innings as a batsman?

I understand one very important thing that in this format you have a lot more time as a batsman than you think you do. People say it’s a short format but if you think deeply and look at it closely, you will realise that you still have a lot of time as a batsman. So, I take my time and when I am required to go after the bowlers, I do that. In a T20 game it’s very important to analyse the match situation.

IPL T20 What Does Bowlers feel while Bowling To Gayle (Gayle Strom)

Johnson prefers Mike Hussey over Gayle

Reveals the sorting out of Gayle; enjoys bowling to Hussey

 

into his first season of the IPL and Mitchell Johnson has quietly made his mark. Although not rampaging into sides and storming into the competition for the Purple Cap, Johnson has been the most effective pacer for the Mumbai Indians – a big achievement when your fellow fast bowler is one named Lasith Malinga.

The Australian left-arm pacer has shown his class and control consistently in the tournament, not least when bowling to Chris Gayle immediately after the West Indian had blasted 175 against PWI. Johnson bowled 11 balls to him for 16 runs. The pressure led to Gayle’s cheap dismissal and MI’s win over RCB.

We, at iplt20.com caught up with Johnson to find answers that bowlers over the world are looking for – how to get Gayle out. Johnson also spoke about the technicalities that have helped him succeed this IPL.

This is your first IPL and you seemed to have adapted quite smoothly?

This being my first IPL season, the excitement and enjoyment that I am getting out of it has been great. Shane Watson always talked it up and I often chat with him about how it is like to play in the IPL. Now to get the opportunity and that too in Mumbai, which has the best of conditions for a pacer, has been brilliant.

Technically, what has been the key for you to bowl here?

I like to use the cutters but I also use the short ball quite often. Using the short ball on wickets like this (the Wankhede Stadium) at a quicker pace is very important and so are the change-ups. But in saying that, you have to vary the ploy depending on each batsman.

Are you also bowling with a slightly higher arm than normal?

Yes, probably a little bit. I’m always going to be a slingy bowler; I’m never going to be quite as tall as a Glenn McGrath. I had seven months away from the game and I just missed out coming to the IPL in the last season because of my toe injury. Post injury, I was able to work a bit on the technical things. I’ve had a bit of time in India during the Test series as well. The arm has been slightly higher but in the end my action will always be a bit slingy, which is the way I like it.

Is one of the perks of playing for MI the fact that in most games you bowl on a wicket that offers a bit of swing early on and bounce?

Yes, there has been a bit of swing around for me in most games here. That definitely helps in creating doubt in the batsman’s mind. Anyone who can swing the ball at 140-kph mark is difficult to deal with. It’s nice to get bowling friendly conditions. I know it’s not always going to be like that but at home it’s been very good.

That spell you bowled to Chris Gayle in the home game against RCB was one of the better contests we’ve seen this season. What was the plan bowling to him?

He was coming after a top score (175 against Pune Warriors India). We planned on bowling short to him, especially on a nice, quick wicket like this one. We wanted to unsettle him and it seemed to work. We got him moving around in the crease which he doesn’t like to do. You never know if a ploy would work on a day in T20 cricket but it worked at that time. We did it as a team. (Lasith) Malinga bowled very well to him as well and we tied him up early on.

Who would you rather bowl to – Gayle or Mike Hussey?

That’s a very tough question. Mike Hussey plays very classical and correct cricket shots whereas Chris goes for power and hits it a very long way. I’d rather not bowl to any of them at their best. But it’s always good bowling to old team mates. Having played with Mike, it was a little bit strange playing against him in Chennai but I really enjoyed bowling to him. He’s such a world-class player in every format and just for the challenge of bowling to a former team mate, I’d love to bowl to him again, and hopefully get his wicket too.

What do you think is a more effective tool in the death overs – a yorker or a wide full-toss?

It depends on individual batsmen. You’ve really got to do your homework on players. I think if you can bowl a very good yorker, it’s pretty hard to hit. On our Mumbai ground, the square is quite long and so it’s quite hard to hit a good short ball there. It really does come down to the conditions, grounds and players. But if you can bowl the Malinga yorkers, you’ll do pretty well to stick to them.

How’s it been bowling with Malinga?

I first bowled with him at the 2012 CLT20 but we didn’t get much time together then. So, bowling with him in this IPL has been really exciting for me. He’s one of the best T20 bowlers going around, using his yorkers and slower ones. It’s actually been very good playing with him and not worrying about him bowling to me. We have been able to learn from each other and give advice to each other. I was excited at the prospect of bowling with him when I got signed up by MI. We have been bowling really well as a pair and hopefully we can continue throughout the tournament.