Praising Chris Gayle for his heroics on the field, Sunil Gavaskar writes in The Times Of India that the Jamaican has simply demolished teams single-handedly and in the process has gone so far ahead of the other batsmen that he can pack the orange cap given to the highest run getter of the tournament and send it to Jamaica right now.
Further writing about Rohit Sharma, Gavaskar adds that if his hundred against Kolkata was as good a hundred that one could see in any form of the game. “The Eden Gardens crowd loved it even though it was against their team and they now have a new hero whose batting they will thoroughly enjoy. If only he can show a little patience as Gayle has been doing, then he too will hit the big ones regularly and press for a slot in the Indian team,” says Gavaskar.
Meanwhile Mark Waugh writes in Hindustan Times that The Royal Challengers Bangalore face Deccan in a must-win battle. “Bangalore have put together one of the best sides for the Twenty20 format but had a shaky start to the season because of which they find themselves in a spot of bother. But they are a team, who if they make it to the playoffs, can emerge victorious with ease,” writes Waugh, adding that Deccan, on the other hand, had little luck with wins and decided to play party-spoilers for Rajasthan.
“Deccan ruined Rajasthan’s party, and would again look to do the same when they face Bangalore in Hyderabad, while Rajasthan look at a similar role against the Mumbai Indians, who should have won against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.”
Irrespective of the outcome on Sunday, Royals has enough reasons to hold its head high. The way Dravid has led the team of not-so-accomplished cricketers and kept it in the hunt until the last week of the league has been the biggest positive.
According to an article in The Hindu, Ajinkya Rahane, who idolises Dravid, seems to have gained the most. Opening the innings with his ‘hero', Rahane remained the proud owner of the ‘Orange Cap' until Chris Gayle made up for missing the early rounds.
The Dravid-Rahane duo proved that even in the shortest format of the game, runs could be scored briskly without slogging. Playing pure cricketing shots, the pair gave sound starts by scoring consistently. The arrival of Shane Watson and the availability of a match-fit Shaun Tait strengthened the Royals' attack and the team staked its claim of being in the playoffs.
But with the law of averages catching up with Rahane and the vulnerability of its middle-order coming to the fore, Roylas somewhat lost their way.
