IPL 2019 | Team of Week 5 ft. Dinesh Karthik, Riyan Parag and Dale Steyn
This was a fascinating week of Indian Premier League, which not only transformed some young players into stars but also saw pacers ruling the roost. While Andre Russell remained silent, Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik made us sit up, and showed us what they have got as far as power-hitting goes.
Ajinkya Rahane: If you would’ve ever imagined Ajinkya Rahane going down on his knees and scoop it to the sky for a six, then go and buy yourself a lottery first. Under the sapping humidity of Jaipur sky, Rahane produced one of the finest T20 innings by just letting the convention go and used all the knowledge that he learnt from Jos Buttler by standing at the other end. While he failed in the other match of the week, the kind of brash chutzpah that he showed with the bat just made people realise the abundance of talent that he has, which, for me, is enough to have him in the squad ahead of Parthiv Patel and Shane Watson.
Chirs Gayle: There's something about a Chirs Gayle six that affects everyone and when he hit first six on Wednesday evening against Royal Challengers Bangalore, it was satisfying brutality that elicits an audible gasp from the crowd, who had called him as their own for the major part of the last eight years. While the Caribbean legend might’ve failed in his pursuit at the end, scoring only 23, his innings against Delhi Capitals was a validation of what Gayle’s innings could do a team.
Steve Smith: Never a white-ball natural, Steve Smith has carved a niche for himself thanks to his ability to dig in there and eventually making sure that he reaches a position of strength. Then he becomes unstoppable, or at least, a batsman that the bowlers fear. Smith’s innings against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals were special for the fact that it came under intense pressure while ensuring that there was a genuine grasp of hard work involved in it. The Aussie, who took over the captaincy last week from Ajinkya Rahane after the latter failed to inspire the team with his tactics, was on point and a couple of wins in the last three games made him the ideal choice for No.3 and the captain of the team.
Dinesh Karthik: The world might have been asking for Rishabh Pant’s inclusion in the World Cup squad, and of course, they have a reason to do so, but Dinesh Karthik just showed everyone that what he brings to the table - a composed head and the ability to soak in the pressure. Karthik, coming in after a top-order failure on the face of Varun Aaron hostility, made sure that there were no freebies and once he got into the zone, the ball was spending more time in the sky than it did on the ground. His 97 was as good as a century, and even though the team ended on the wrong side of the result, Karthik was a breath of fresh air and a validation of immense talent that he has it in him.
Rishabh Pant: After having Dinesh Karthik at No.4, it is only fair that Rishabh Pant finds a spot in the team for the way he single-handedly changed the course of the game against Rajasthan Royals. Pant walked in when Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer fell within eight balls and it was a delicate situation which could have gone either way. However, with Prithvi Shaw playing within himself to hold one end up, the Delhite opened up successfully, without attempting any extravagant shots at the start of his innings. Eventually, his 78-run innings was the difference as the Capitals romped to a victory despite Ajinkya Rahane century.
Riyan Parag: As the tagline of the IPL goes, “Game Banayega Name”, Riyan Parag just lived up to it. The 17-year-old Assamese player first played a stroke-filled 43-run innings against Mumbai Indians before unleashing another classy 47 against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night. More than the number of runs Parag scored, it was the maturity that was the major talking point. Even though the Royals were under pressure to deliver, Parag kept his cool and ensured that the team eventually won those games.
Ravichandran Ashwin: Well, a player out of national reckoning bringing his best day in and day out while trying his hand in various new things has a special charm attached to it. Ravichandran Ashwin is a consummate professional and every time, he came to the field, he ensured nobody could question his dedication and effort. In a ground like Chinnaswamy, where things start with sixes and end with some more sixes, Ashwin didn’t even concede a boundary and ended his spell with an economy rate of 4 rpo. This tells a story.
Mitchell Santner: In the CSK-MI clash last night, it was Mitchell Santner, who called the shots for CSK with his restricting lines and lengths and finished with 4-0-13-2. As per Cricinfo’s ball-tracking data, he pitched 14 on a length, six closer to the batsmen, three short of good-length and bowled just one full toss. Most of them were on or around off-stump and turned away beating the right-handers' edge beautifully, ensuring that Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma were kept silent during that time. Despite not being a regular in the team - due to the team’s dynamics more than the ability - Santner has probably ensured that Ravindra Jadeja may not claim an automatic selection anymore.
Varun Aaron: For most parts of India doesn’t have genuinely quick bowlers, but Varun Aaron has always been out there to destroy the appaling preconceptions. He goes for runs, hasn’t been accurate most of the times, but Aaron never trades anything with his pace. It has always been his pride and he keeps it close to his chest. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, the Jharkhand star unleashed them from ball No.1 and ended up having the proud holder of one of the most incredible pieces of pace bowling. The banana inswinger that got the better of Shubman Gill’s defence was probably the best that one would see in T20 cricket lately and that spell alone is sufficient to have Varun, an unlikely star, in this week’s best XI.
Khaleel Ahmed: One of the reasons a left-arm pacer is always revered in world cricket - of course, I am not talking about Jaydev Unadkat - is due to the natural angle they posses and the way they can change the dynamic angle as per the pre-conditions. Khaleel Ahmed wasn’t always successful in doing the same, but against KKR in the last game, he was. By nipping the ball back while ensuring that the seam presentation created pressure for the Kolkata batsmen, Khaleel picked three wickets to end as this week’s one of the most effective bowlers.
Dale Steyn: Nothing was going in RCB’s way, but they suddenly found Dale Steyn out of nowhere. The South African came to RCB as a late draft, but with swirling pace and the ability to move the ball both ways, he instantly showed to the world what they were missing this season so far. If a couple of wickets against Kolkata was not enough, he brought his best against CSK and showed that he was still the master of swing and movement off the seam. The one that got Suresh Raina out was probably the one any pacer would trade his five-for with.
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