Despite the course work, I couldnt miss CSK batting in IPL finals for anything and the plan was to just watch Chennai bat and then hope that Mumbai falters. But one thing led to another and I ended up squaring-off with the Mumbaikars in Milind's apartment. There were friendly jibes plenty from the Mumbai supporters when CSK was going slow with the scoring and it continued on, until we saw the back of the little master. (He was in such sublime form all through the tournament that anything seemed possible with him around at the batting crease)
Dhoni called right at the toss and he made the most of a slow and turning pitch at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, by first opening with Ashwin and then employing Murali to further tighten the noose. It must have felt special for the CSK team to exorcise the demons of losing the first year final narrowly by conquering Mumbai in their own backyard. Moreover, given the spate of injuries the team just didnt seem to have the right combination at all and struggled for most part of the tournament. I personally had not entertained any hopes of CSK of even making the semi-final cut, but thanks to some brutal assault by MSD against KXIP, we just about managed to get there. The show of emotion from the otherwise "cool" captain, just went on to show how much it meant for him to take CSK through. His post match comment hinting that he owed it to India Cements for paying such a handsome salary to the players goes onto show his "straight" from the gut talk. I felt extra special for not having to listen to Srikanth with his over-the-top comments while sporting the hideous shades.
Vijay, Raina, Bollinger and Ashwin shone quite well at the IPL, while the likes of Hayden and Morkel flattered to decieve. Bollinger (now nicknamed just "Eagle" instead of his earlier name of "Bald Eagle") bowled few hostile spells and capped it off with a stupendous catch to dismiss Yusuf in one of the critical games. Raina looked ill at ease while playing the short stuff, but he managed to survive long enough to keep the score moving at a brisk pace. Vijay stood out for his pick up shot of his legs and majority of the sixes that he hit, were over the midwicket/long-on region as the bowlers just fed him length balls on middle and leg. Hayden's Mongoose reared its head only once at the beginning of the tourney, and thereafter it retreated to its shell. While rumours are strife that Haydos may not play the next season, I hope he would be associated in some capacity or the other with CSK, given the reason that he is likely to open his academy in "namma" Chennai. Another notable point is that unlike other teams studded with superstars and ultra-glamorous owners, CSK collectively reflected the austere perception one associates with India Cements. Hence it came as no surprise that the CSK players mostly gave the post-match IPL parties (which are now in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons) a skip, or at the most made the perfunctory appearances before retiring to their rooms. While the younger players and even some senior pros from other teams found it tough to resist the temptation at these parties, a seasoned "party" animal like Warne alone outdid his off-field performances with some fruitful on-field performances.
The Tharoor-Modi spat has reached dizzying levels, with both to blame : the former has been coined as the good looking Appam C (from fakeIPL blog), while the latter just assumed that he was bigger than the game. Both came crashing down and hope that they are away from controversial tweets long enough to realize their follies. On a positive note, India made it to the super-eights of T20 WC without any major hiccups, but only time will tell if we are able to regain the crown we lost to Pakistan.
P.S : Thanks to Milind for hosting us !!
