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Posted by Abhijeet in IPL on 03 25th, 2010 | no responses

rr win kxip Champion sides have an ability to pick themselves up when they are down and dusted. Rajasthan, led by Warne have displayed just that in their last two fixtures. The team which was looking ordinary after the first three games is suddenly looking very dangerous.

The last two victories by Rajasthan also highlighted the importance of leadership in cricket; not just on the field but off field too. Of all the teams in IPL, Rajasthan looks the weakest on paper. Yet they have the ability to upset the best of teams. The side looks spirited and is gelling well together which is so important in a team sport like cricket. The aggression of Warne seems to rubbing off on the rest of the team which could be seen in the way the out of form Lumb started his innings and scored 41 runs in 30 balls.

Punjab on the other hand has an excellent side on paper, boasted with players like Yuvraj, Sangakara and Jayawardena but has failed to mingle well. Sangakara is not at all an inspiring leader. I have never been a fan of his captaincy. The difference in the leadership of Warne and Sangakara was demonstrated in yesterday’s game. While Warne was proactive with his field placing and bowling changes, Sangakara lacked imagination.

His choice of bowlers was also baffling; for how can one explain only 3 overs for Shreesanth who was looking dangerous and had conceded just 20 runs of 3 overs.

I think Punjab have themselves to blame for the loss. At one stage they were cruising -along with 107-3 in 11 overs. But poor shot selection by their top order batsmen did them in. After 2 consecutive wins, Rajasthan is looking a well settled unit. The batsmen seem to have identified their roles in the line-up and the bowlers are getting into the groove. Warne is getting his old magic back, slowly but surely. Another positive to have emerged from the last 2 games is the batting of Voges who seems to be a hard hitter with a balanced head on his shoulder. One area where I feel Rajasthan can improve is to have a batsman who can anchor the innings. Watching the last 2 wins, I definitely feel that Rajasthan is one team to watch out for. I won’t be surprised to see Rajasthan in the semis ahead of the more fancied teams.

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