THE WINNING COMBINATION OF KKR SQUAD IN IPL-3

Pratim: - in respect to previous years IPL tournaments, I think that this time the Kolkata Knight Riders is looking like a balanced team.

Shiva: - Boss, the main thing is performance. What is the use of regarding it as a balanced team, if the players cannot perform well?

Rinku: - Sometimes, these players perform well, but they will not win the match. In those cases, there is no value of those performances. So, the main focus should be on the final result or outcome of those performances. Each player need to perform in such a manner, that their innings will help the team to win the match. That should be their focus. If they start believing in themselves that they will win all the matches, then they are sure to win at least 8 out of 10 matches. A team needs to play like a single unit, without thinking about, who is a superstar or who is just an ordinary player.

Moni: - Yeah, you are right. To motivate the entire team, a captain should lead from the front by setting an example. Look at the Rajasthan Royals. At the start of the IPL-3 tournament, they lost many matches. Everyone thought that maybe this Rajasthan Royals team will go out of the competition. But, they came back with 4 consecutive wins to grab the 3^rd spot in the IPL-3 tournament table. Who is motivating them? It is none other than their captain Shane Warne. There is hardly any superstar in that squad. But, still they are winning matches, because they have proper understanding, co-operation, support and unity among themselves. This is the key to success for any team.

Arindam:- He he he…but when it comes to the analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders Team, we have seen that all the domestic players have failed to perform except one or two of them. Ishant Sharma is a total flop in the bowling department. Sometimes, Shane Bond also bowls like an ordinary bowler.

Pratim: - However, this time, the KKR squad has got many foreign players than in any other IPL. In the first IPL, Shoaib Akhtar came in very late. Ricky Ponting was injured. Mcullum lost his form as the tournament progressed. In the 2^nd IPL, the picture was quite similar. But, this time, there are no Pakistani players. KKR team has terminated the contract with Ricky Ponting. In that place, they have taken Shane Bond. He is not so a bad bowler. It is T-20 game. Here, a bowler can be thrashed at any point of time.

Shiva: - Why Saurav Ganguly always comes out to open the innings, I don’t understand. Had he been there in 3^rd or 4^th spot, then it will help the team to score runs at the slog overs, after the fall of 2 wickets. Firstly, he takes time to adjust with the pitch and secondly, when you are not having a flying start, there you are losing around 30% of the match. Opening the innings and wicket-keeping behind the stumps are specialist roles. You cannot give that responsibility to anybody. Manoj Tiwary is a player who is fit for opening, because he plays like a sheet anchor in the initial overs and then starts banging the ball, once he is well set. Chris Gayle is like a cool thunderstorm. He will devastate your team bowlers with his cool flat shots. He will just chip a ball and it crosses the boundary.

Rinku: - David Hussey has come. Mcullum will join shortly. Angelo Mathews is the surprise package. He is really a good all rounder of this team. He knows how to vary the pace of the ball. Owais Shah is a good batsman; provided that you give him some time to get used to that pitch. Langeveldt is also a good bowler. He also knows how to bat. That is his plus point in respect to Shane Bond. Chateswar Pujara and Rohan Gavaskar are test players. Laxmi Ratan Shukla is a good all rounder, but is yet to perform well.

Moni: - Murali Karthik has been the most economical bowler in this IPL-3 tournament. He bowled smartly to restrict the batsmen to a certain extent. But, there is no other spinner in this team to give him support. Gayle, Bead Hodge, R Gavaskar or Hussey are part-time spinners. Ajit Agarkar is good but Ashok Dinda has more potential to become a better bowler. Dinda is yet to learn how to do good fielding. Ajit Agarkar has no guarantee. It is like a gamble, if you keep him in your team. He can take two wickets in an over and in the very next over; he can give away 23 runs also. I will prefer Dinda or LR Shukla rather than Agarkar. Ishant Sharma should learn how to do tricky bowling. Is he very shy in front of Wasim Akram or Dav Whatmore?

Shiva: - As a wicket-keeper, Wriddhiman Saha is doing his job well. No complaints about that. But, he needs to be more alert during the slog overs to save those unnecessary singles. Saurav Ganguly also has one serious problem. Unlike Sachin Tendulkar, he never tries to convert singles into doubles to pressurize the opponent fielders. Why Ajantha Mendis is not even experimented in any match till now, is still a wonder to me?

Arindam: - Ok, ok, guys. After a long discussion, let me jot down the entire list. “THE WINNING COMBINATION OF KKR SQUAD IN IPL-3” will be (Manoj Tiwary), (Chris Gayle/ Mcullum), (David Hussey/Brad Hodge), (Saurav Ganguly), (Angelo Mathews/Mosrafe Mortaza , (Chateswar Pujara/Rohan Gavaskar), (Wriddhiman Saha), (LR Shukla/A Agarkar), (Murali Karthik), (Shane Bond/ Langeveldt/ Ajantha Mendis) and (Ashok Dinda/Ishant Sharma). But, this team needs to be formed as per the strength and weaknesses of the opponent team as well as the pitch report of the ground, where the match will be played. The batting order should not be changed, unless you are chasing a big total or you are in a bad position in terms of runs in the scoreboard while batting first.