Dubious pitch overshadows Kolkata Knight Riders’ victory
Kolkata Knight Riders recorded their second win in a row when they beat Hyderabad Deccan Chargers by five wickets in a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. But the victory was overshadowed by the dubious nature of the pitch, which was a total misfit for such an important occasion. Its behavior was so unpredictable that the batsmen often appeared more focused on avoiding injuries rather than scoring runs. As if the abysmal condition of the pitch was not enough, floodlight troubles also forced a 20-minute stoppage of play when the match was delicately poised.
Completely unaware of what was in store for them, VVS Laxman expectedly chose to bat after winning the toss. The dustbowl soon began to take its toll on batsmen, with Laxman himself going through a nightmare. He was painfully struck on the hand by a nasty Ishant Sharma delivery which prompted one of the umpires, Billy Bowden to report the condition to the match referee, former Indian wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer. Against all these odds, the Hyderabad team managed 110 runs in 18.4 overs. Adam Gilchrist showed flashes of his brilliance in his 23, while Andrew Symonds scored 32 in un-Symonds like fashion. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik was the most successful bowler claiming 3 for 17.
Even an apparently easy target of 111 was going to be a handful on such a pitch for the Kolkata team, and they too had to struggle to reach it. The match was wide open when skipper Sourav Ganguly (14) left reducing the total to 68 for 4. But it was the grit and tenacity of David Hussey (38 not out) which finally saw the Knight Riders through.
When the match resumed after the stoppage due to floodlight failure, Hussey turned the match in the home’s favor by hitting a six and a four in successive deliveries from Scot Styris. It was in the fitness of things that he clinched the victory with a six. The Hyderabad team should also blame themselves for conceding as many as 28 extras in such a low-scoring encounter.
However, no matter what the result of the match was, it proved to be a very bad advertisement for 20/20 cricket.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 112 for 5 (Hussey 38*; Vaas 2/9); Hyderabad Deccan Chargers 110 (Symonds 32, Gilchrist 23; Kartik 3-17). Kolkata Knight Riders won by five wickets.
