I had written this morning that I did not want MS Dhoni to bat at Eden Gardens. The reason was simple. He isn’t the same player, and I expected him to be scratchy. He was. But Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) were worse. Eight out of the 14 wickets to fall in the match went to spinners. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were 5 down for 60, and KKR still couldn’t finish it off. Dhoni was struggling against spin. He wasn’t comfortable against pace either. But when it mattered, he managed to get under one delivery and put it into the stands. He still had the temperament to win it, and that’s what has effectively thrown KKR out of the IPL.
Make no mistake, KKR did not deserve it this year. Limp from the start, it was not about the pitch or anything else. It was poor cricket that has cost them their title. Last year’s stars, like Vaibhav Arora, were a pale shadow. Harshit Rana wasn’t great either. For long, they batted Andre Russell way too low and under-bowled him as well. While it was Rinku Singh’s fielding that kept them in the hunt, the truth is they never found a replacement for either Phil Salt or Mitchell Starc.
As KKR fans take stock of what went wrong, may I say it is most likely the end of Chandrakant Pandit as the coach. It would be a real surprise if he is retained. For all practical purposes, Dwayne Bravo and Abhishek Nayar are in control.
Coming back to Dhoni, his final farewell (hopefully) at Eden was sweet. On May 7, jersey No. 7 sealed the deal and made the yellove very happy. Can’t say the same for the purple and gold. It will indeed be a long night, one that will need much introspection.
