From the iSport Cricket Paddock: The Kolkata Knight Riders have been in the news again. This time either for owner SRK's claim of taking the onus of their loss or the team itself that failed to perform yet again. iSporter Hirok Banerjee strongly feels that 'Dada' alone cannot be blamed.
It might be true that Ganguly's captaincy left a lot to be desired. It may be also true that his choice of the team after they had won the first two games for the next three was partially responsible for the decline of the Knights. It is surely true that he did take some time to get into the batting groove. But surely and this definitely holds that he cannot be blamed entirely for the debacle called Kolkata Knight Riders.
The term KKR has come to signify or symbolize under-achievement and mediocrity. No wonder, Ganguly had enough and gave vent to what he felt exactly about some of his team-mates. For a man, who had an uncanny ability to spot talent and inspire youth that outburst was surprising yet supportable.
In terms of potential, the team can rank as one of the most lethal. With McCullum, Gayle, Ganguly himself there is no dearth of firepower. Their credentials as devastating match winners are firmly established. With Shane Bond, Ishant Sharma, Murali Kartik, Ajantha Mendis the bowling does not look too bad either. Then where did it all go wrong?
There is no definitive answer to this. But one thing which separates the Knights from the other successful teams is that of one or two domestic players who would consistently perform. For Bangalore, this year it has been Uthappa and Kohli. For Chennai, it has been Murali Vijay. For Rajasthan, Naman Ojha and Yusuf Pathan. For Kolkata, Manoj Tiwary has flattered to deceive. He has given enough evidence of his talent, yet the temperament and the maturity seems suspect. For someone, who was close to playing for India, this is disappointing. This was his forum to cry out for a berth. He missed it, again.
More than the batting, what hurt Ganguly was the utter lack of application in the bowling department. Ishant Sharma never justified his price. His performance should give sleepless nights to Kris Srikkanth and his colleagues. Here was a talent who just could not keep his head on his shoulders. Ajit Agarkar's experience counts for nought. Ten years back he bowled short and he does that still consistently.
Sourav is right. Kolkata has played patchy lacklustre cricket. They do not deserve to be in the semi-finals and they are unlikely to be. And until and unless the domestic hopefuls pull themselves up, no one can help them.
The term KKR has come to signify or symbolize under-achievement and mediocrity. No wonder, Ganguly had enough and gave vent to what he felt exactly about some of his team-mates. For a man, who had an uncanny ability to spot talent and inspire youth that outburst was surprising yet supportable.
In terms of potential, the team can rank as one of the most lethal. With McCullum, Gayle, Ganguly himself there is no dearth of firepower. Their credentials as devastating match winners are firmly established. With Shane Bond, Ishant Sharma, Murali Kartik, Ajantha Mendis the bowling does not look too bad either. Then where did it all go wrong?
There is no definitive answer to this. But one thing which separates the Knights from the other successful teams is that of one or two domestic players who would consistently perform. For Bangalore, this year it has been Uthappa and Kohli. For Chennai, it has been Murali Vijay. For Rajasthan, Naman Ojha and Yusuf Pathan. For Kolkata, Manoj Tiwary has flattered to deceive. He has given enough evidence of his talent, yet the temperament and the maturity seems suspect. For someone, who was close to playing for India, this is disappointing. This was his forum to cry out for a berth. He missed it, again.
More than the batting, what hurt Ganguly was the utter lack of application in the bowling department. Ishant Sharma never justified his price. His performance should give sleepless nights to Kris Srikkanth and his colleagues. Here was a talent who just could not keep his head on his shoulders. Ajit Agarkar's experience counts for nought. Ten years back he bowled short and he does that still consistently.
Sourav is right. Kolkata has played patchy lacklustre cricket. They do not deserve to be in the semi-finals and they are unlikely to be. And until and unless the domestic hopefuls pull themselves up, no one can help them.
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a guest
said:
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... boss.. who selected the team? It was SG, SRK and the coaches... so they are to be blamed for the team selection also... why was the team re-shuffled almost in every match? if i am right, KKR never played with the same team in 2 consecutives matches (after the 1st 2 matches).. and is the same person (SG) who had publicly said that it is unfair to sack someone based on performance of 1 match (as was done with him!!). If the team had done well, Dada would have taken all the credit.. Great Leadership n all tht....now he should take the blame and make way for some new leadership... even though he has scored 300+ runs in this IPL he has really not looked very comfortable himself... I guess his strike rate is lower than Dravid in IPL... |
Hirok Banerjee
said:
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... @guest: The teams were selected before IPL1 and at that time Buchanan had greater say than Ganguly. In a tournament where you have to make or break in 14 matches, you really cannot give an extended run to anyone if they dont deliver. Inspite of that, Ganguly did give Mandeep and Pujara opportunities at the top of the order. Its a different matter that they failed. I am not defending Sourav's decisions and I do think he ought to have utilized Saha and Shukla better. And ironically his leadership did leave a lot to be desired. But at the end of the day a captain is only as good as his team. |
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