Less than a week ago, it was incomprehensible, even unimaginable to the most fertile and unstable of minds, that belligerent Queenslander Matthew Hayden could receive as warm a reception from a pulsating Indian stadium as he did last evening.
Upon being run out by a dart-like Harbarjan throw from cover in the last over of the innings the crowd rose from their seats and gave the hot and weary 37 year old a rousing standing ovation all the way to the comfort of the air-conditioned home dressing room.
The same crowd sang Michael Hussey’s name passionately and in unison during his brief stay at the crease and if this is indeed the future of cricket, as some have suggested, then the game will be better for the breaking of national stereotypes and foolish rivalries.
Hatred should never be allowed to fester and the locals in Chennai displayed to the cricketing world their cultural maturity and respect, and for that, all Indians should be walking with their heads high as they go about their business today.
The match was a cracking contest that ebbed and surged like the tide at the nearby Kuvam River during a monsoon. Hayden who set up the Chennai first innings of 208/5 with 81 from 46 balls seemed out of sorts and despite the flattering strike rate he rarely timed the leather to his liking.
For the second match in succession 21 year old Suresh Raina batted responsively, bravely and intelligently and his century partnership with Hayden was a dazzling display of long hitting, unorthodox strokeplay and wristy placement. When he unselfishly fell to an athletic Dwayne Bravo outfield catch the score was 143/3 with five full overs remaining thus setting the perfect stage for Dhoni and Hayden to finish.
209 seemed a tall order for Mumbai without their captain and spiritual leader Sachin Tendulkar and for three-quarters of their innings the Chennai total seemed beyond them as the locals, creatively led by Dhoni, took wickets at regular intervals despite a wonderfully adventurous cameo from Robin Uthappa.
Chennai fielded brilliantly with hardly a misfield or dropped half-chance and their throwing and backing-up of the fielders with ball in hand was tight, professional and organised and easily the best display from a fielding unit so far in the inaugural IPL. Obviously, coach Kepler Wessels is doing something right in what must be a difficult job. There is no textbook for assembling a team from all corners and getting them collectively to play at potential in less than a week yet the former South African skipper has done just that.
At the fall of the sixth wicket the game looked over, with Mumbai still needing 68 from only four and half overs when Harbarjan Singh took guard and keenly surveyed the field. A man with absolutely no conception of defeat in the heat of battle, Harbarjan took to the bowling with relish and in doing so gave his less experienced partner Abhishek Nayar the confidence to do the same.
In three incredible overs they smashed 40 and still when the last over began 19 was needed for victory. Nayar showed his daring and emerging class smashing the first two balls from Joginder Sharma through mid-wicket and then confidently over extra cover for boundaries. With eleven needed from four deliveries the crowd and the benches were on their feet and on sofas throughout the cricketing world bums were on the edge of seats.
When Joginder over-stepped with his next delivery the anguish of the home crowd was palpable as heads were buried in hands and a silence fell over the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time since expectant spectators took their seats four hours previous. Now with only nine need from four with a free-hit in hand Mumbai for the first time in the match were in command and an improbable win seemed likely.
Joginder is not labelled a last over specialist superciliously and for not the first time he rewarded Dhoni’s faith in him by closing out the game with a hat-trick of perfectly directed yorkers. The stadium erupted in waves of joy as the last now meaningless ball was bowled and the celebrations both on and off the field were still ruminating when Matthew Hayden sheepishly accepted his new Honda motorcycle as Man of the Match.
At the same presentation MS Dhoni said, “Something needs to be done about the dew. We thought 208 was a very decent score though. The franchises should, hopefully, use some chemicals to control the dew. You can’t control the toss but you can do something about the dew”.
Somebody should pull MS Dhoni aside and explain to him that in the 21st century we now know that deliberately manipulating the environment by chemical means is dangerous, unsustainable and stunningly selfish. I would expect that if a scientifically untested method was used then the Australians would be on the first plane out and their managers would sue for presenting their clients with a dangerous work environment.
Additionally, I’d expect a more reflective attitude in a country like India where the worst chemical disaster in the history of mankind occurred at Bhopal in 1984.
It was a great game of cricket, the players gave their all in oppressive heat, the crowd was magnanimous and magnificent and we discovered that MS Dhoni is as thick as the air on a hot, humid and still day in Chennai. What a night!
Tags: Abhishek Nayar, blog, chennai, Chennai Super Kings, chepauk, Chidambaram Stadium, cricket, dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, environment, Harbarjan, Harbarjan Singh, Honda, india, Joginder, Joginder Sharma, Kepler Wessels, Kuvam River, life, Matt Hayden, Matthew Hayden, michael hussey, MS Dhoni, Mumbai, Mumbai Indians, Nayar, news, pollution, Queenland, Robin Uthappa, Sachin Tendulkar, South Africa, sport, Suresh Raina, tamil nadu
