Game 6 – Small steps on a long, long road

Number 3 vs My Club
14 Jan, 2006. Chennai Medical College.
My Club won by 120 runs

The first game of the New Year. I’ve spent a long time pondering this match report and made several false starts, and I can safely say it’s been the most difficult one to write yet. Statistically, our worst defeat of the season so far – and yet, I’m not feeling nearly as negative as after the Christmas day game. I think it comes from the realization that we put a fair percentage of the skills we’ve been working to develop on display here, but were beaten by a better and obviously more experienced and fitter team. Less wides, reasonably tight fielding, including two run outs, improved keeping by myself and definitely more time in the middle for newbie batsmen zeb, iiii, tony and myself were some of the gains. The main short term learning seems to be that in the batting department, our big guns NEED to fire for us to compete – not unlike Indian teams of not too long ago. However, I think I’ll stick to the report of events, and invite my team-mates’ opinions on the interpretation of what all this means for #3. Comments please, guys.

Pongal day, and a match against the guys who put us on to the Blue Sky league, captained by Sriram’s friend Poonam. We gathered at the MMC a ground and went through the usual warm up routines, and then lost the toss and were in the field – again. (Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think we’ve batted first in only one of the six games so far). Ganesh’s absence caused Sriram to take up the gloves once again for the new ball, to be followed by me after the drinks break. Vik struck in the very first over, inducing an edge, and when Tony splattered the other openers’ stumps in his second over, we were ecstatic. But the next pair, the captain Poonam and the aptly named Manoj forged a strong partnership, picking the singles and hammering anything even slightly off line to the boundaries in spite of the exceedingly damp outfield. The same outfield also contributed to a very wet ball, much to our quicks’ annoyance. Fifteen overs gone, and a hundred up. Sriram the golden arm introduced himself into the attack, and picked up a wicket in his first, after which we picked up the wickets regularly (including a now characteristic bowled-round-the-legs dismissal by hornie) but couldn’t really keep the run rate down. The lack of wides meant we finished the overs in time, and also picked up the last wicket in the final over, leaving them at a challenging 209 all out. Visesh on his return to the team for a farewell game turned in a fair spell, as did all the bowlers, but a large total none the less.

Our other returnee, Anand walked out to open with Ramesh and showed intent from the word go. And the bowling didn’t look frightening either, but it was pretty disciplined, and the sluggish outfield began to have it’s effect with even good shots returning no more than a single. Anand then slashed at one only for the gully fielder to pull of a sharp catch, what was to be the first of several sharp fielding performances from the opposition. The move to promote Narendra as pinch hitter sadly lasted just one ball, and Ramesh went soon after in almost identical fashion to Anand. Tony fell too, and the skipper walked in to join iii at the crease. We were well behind the asking rate by this point and he had no choice but to play the big shots. He timed the ball better than anyone else on both teams, but when shots played on the ground just refused to move, he had to go the aerial route. Unfortunately, with his first aerial shot, he picked out the man on the mid wicket fence and walked back, bringing back with him any hopes of a challenge on the target. I walked in determined to get batting practice if nothing else. But Jubbs was run out from another one of those sharp pieces of fielding, a blistering direct hit at the keeper’s end from mid on and then Kishore, finally, managed to hit the first boundary of our innings, defying the molasses-like outfield. In a futile attempt to imitate his shot, I skied one only for Manoj – again – to take a diving catch. Visesh provided Kishore enough company to last until the last over, among the clatter of other wickets, but Kishore’s stumps were rearranged and that was that. 89 all out. A huge defeat, but as I said right at the top, it's not left as bad a taste. As batsmen, we’re determined to go back into the nets and figure how to get the damn thing off the square, but it’s a good positive determination. I hope. Help me out here, fellow members of #3.

#3 was supported by the ever faithful Lodd and the Wretch, and a first time visitor in Vicky. Keep the faith, guys, you will be rewarded. That’s a promise.

In game 6, #3 was: Anand, Ramesh, Tony, Druck (wk), Narahoo (c), Kishore, Hui-yappa, Jubbs, Narendra, Psaignn and Vik.