Noor the man
Let’s come to Noor Ahmad first. Yes, Rashid Khan, his senior Afghanistan teammate, took more wickets. But what this left-arm wrist spinner continues to deliver is just unbelievable. This is deception of the highest order. He comes over the wicket and, without any noticeable change in wrist position, gets the ball to turn both ways. This is finger work of a rare kind. Wrist spinner, using his fingers to such effect! He was among those who made a big difference in this game, like he had in a few earlier matches as well. Possibly, the biggest discovery of this IPL season. What a find!
Sanju, what are you doing?
Sanju Samsom continues to be an enigma. Supremely talented, blessed with a lot of natural ability, capable of delivering stunning shots. The question, at the end of the day, is what do you do with that? This was your day, your stage, everything was working out in your favour. Whatever you touched turned to gold. But for how long? How could you attempt that nothing shot? Think about it! Sanju had no business trying that obnoxious chip. Batters who make it big know which ball to hit, and when to just eschew risk. Sanju, a fantastic talent, has not developed that idea yet. His team, Rajasthan Royals, paid for it big time in this match against Gujarat Titans.
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An absolute leader in Hardik
Hardik Pandya. An obvious leader of people. Shares the new ball, comes out to bat at No.3, and belts out those shots. This is a very special player. How many have we seen who excel in multiple roles? He is exceptional, even without taking into account his fielding and catching ability. Injuries and other issues might curb his international career, but he is someone very special. To be able to come out to bat that early and belt those special hits was sensational. Look at the kind of deliveries he was up against. They were different, and he had an answer to each one of them. It was a relatively easy chase, and he made it easier. This was a super, super effort, especially because it came from a captain who chose to lead from the front.
Saha is back, make no mistake
Let us also talk about Wriddhiman Saha. He has been absolutely fantastic. His junior in the Bengal team, Avishek Porel, took a stupendous catch playing for Delhi Capitals a few weeks ago. Saha responded with something very similar after that. And to top that off, came up with some good displays with the bat as well. With KL Rahul out, Saha has to be an option for the Indian team going into the World Test Championship final. Make no mistake, he is still perhaps India’s best wicketkeeper. In England, the ball will swing. And you will need a proper keeper to deal with that. His batting may not scare Australia in any way, but to hold those catches, you need him. This IPL has revived him.