Iceman’s Realm

When Kolkotta Knight Riders (KKR) skipper Sourav Ganguly lost the toss and was asked to bat first, the disappointment of having lost a crucial toss was quite apparent on his face. Like Adam Gilchrist, even he’d have loved to field first but don’t know if that decision would have paid off well. Things went worse when a couple of wickets fell in quick succession and at half way stage, KKR were going at less than six per over. Angelo Mathews had just joined Owais Shah at the crease and they took their time to settle down. By knocking the ones and twos around and hitting the odd boundaries, the duo played sensible cricket, yet took calculated risks towards the end. Eventually, 161 was all they could put up on the scoreboard. Not intimidating all but sure it was competitive enough. Defending champions Deccan Chargers started their chase in superb fashion - Adam Gilchrist and VVS Laxman went all guns blazing right from the onset itself. They cruised to their first 50 in no time without even losing a wicket but trouble started when both the openers got out in quick succession. From there on, it wasn’t easy getting back on track and no player came to the rescue. A wining start is what they wanted and now that they’ve accomplished that with ease, it’ll be interesting to see how they carry it on from here. With this right combination, will Kolkotta Knight Riders make winning a habit? We’ll soon find out.