Thrilling Victory

Last Sunday was a bummer because of incessant rains during the morning hours and we missed an opportunity to play against the Stallions.

Today's match was against the Skippers.

'Da Freaks assembled: Maddy, Vicky, Freddie, Jagan, Jack, Raghu, Sri, Muthu, Vivek, Yogi and Sudarshan

The match was played at Alfonso, this ground is getting ever so bad.

Jagan and coins, there seems to be some kinda connection. How else would you explain his winning streak?! Yeah, he won the toss and we decided to bat first. Sudarshan and Freddie opened the innings but it was not vintage Freddie as he lost his off stump in the second over. Yogi came on next. Sudarshan, for a change, was looking to attack the ball from the word go and he got himself to a bright start but it wouldn't last long as he was caught out somewhere between mid on and mid wicket. I went in next and the second ball I faced I scooped the drive only for the fielder to mis-judge it for a single. On the other side, Yogi was undone by a beauty, he was caught behind. Raghu was next and he meant business from the word go as his drives thru the off side helped our innings tick along nicely. I was on the other hand playing dangerously, skying almost every ball and eventually was caught out after getting 3. Vicky and Raghu bought parity back into the innings but it was not long before Raghu got out. It just seemed like one of those days where no one converted any kind of start that they got. And what about Sri? He is our main stay at the fag end who can deliver some lusty blows. But it just seems that he was destined to get out from the word go and he skied the very first ball to cover which was let-off and a fortunate one. But he couldn't capitalize on it as he got, guess what, run out again!! There was absolutely no communication between Vicky and Sri and he came for a non-existent second run. Actually both of them seem to have committed to the second run but mid way thru they just stopped. Here I have to say that the Skippers' throws from the outfield were simply amazing, most of them right on top of the stumps. Vicky was hanging in there rotating the strike and with some good hands by Vivek, Muthu and Jack at the end we managed a some what decent compilation of 60 runs from 14 overs.

Even at the start we were confident that we could defend this score. Jagan bowled the first over because he had done pretty well for us in the past. But today he was so rusty that almost all the deliveries he bowled were full tosses. Skippers capitalized and scored 9 of that over. Jagan's pair was Jack and he didn't bowl that great an over either except one delivery in which he castled the stumps of one of the opening batsmen. He was just too short but luckily for him all the short pitched deliveries were not punished and in fact it presented us with two run out opportunities. Raghu behind the wickets and Muthu at cover were ever so vigil to get those two wickets. 3 down at the end of second over, we were oozing confidence. Their fifth wicket partnership was steadying their innings. As we were defending a low total any one partnership could do the trick for them. Vicky got hold of the ball and dismissed two wickets but they were cheaply given away by Skippers. I held on to a low catch to my right to dismiss one but that was a full toss on leg stump! Freddie on the other hand held on to a stunner to dismiss Salim, one of their potent players, cheaply. With the fall of those two wickets and the partnership broken, we were back in the hunt. But you can always scrap ones and twos without any risks and still be able to chase 60. That is exactly what the Skippers were doing in the middle after the Vicky over. There were no absolute momentum to anyone for a while as we kept tightening the screws with some good bowling by Sri, Raghu and Vicky (Freddie managed another good reflex catch off Raghu), but the Skippers were grinding away the runs ever so precariously. The statement is a paradox but you'll know what I mean when you are playing. With 10 needed off 2 overs, Sri bowled a magnificent penultimate over giving away just one run. Six balls, 9 runs, 2 wickets and one of them was holding the innings from the middle overs. Raghu came up with the trumps to get rid of one of the tail. A couple of deliveries gave away 4 runs, we kept chopping and changing the field leaving a huge gap on the on side. It all came to the last ball in which the Skippers needed 3 and they managed only a single, leaving us victorious by a single run!! Yogi kept guard behind the stumps after a few overs and he did a wonderful job off it. Think that there is a run granted for every ball that goes behind, if the keeper misses it. Of course, the game is not without its fair share of controversies, Vicky judged out when we didn't rule him out, what the hell is a dead-ball, side crease judgement, a couple of run outs we effected but not given, etc.

But at the end of the day, 'Sathyameva Jayathe'

Kinda cheesy but we will take the victory any given day!!

Cheers,
Madhavan :)