Mind Games John Buchanan

It seemed like a re-run of Colonel Custer’s last stand against Geronimo and the Apache Indians. In this case, it was Sourav and the Knight Riders surrounded and destroyed by Sachin and the Mumbai Indians!

We certainly came into the game with high hopes of taking home an important away win. We had the opportunity of watching how Chennai Super Kings were dealt with by the ‘Indians’ when they visited Wankhede. So our thinking and planning for the game was good.

While the Knight Riders will never be a team that will look for excuses, the toss proved an important factor in the game, as it had done for the game against the Super Kings. There was something on offer for the new ball bowlers and Shaun Pollock, a master bowler in many conditions, exploited the bounce and sideways movement expertly. He received great support from Bravo, Nehra, Rage and Thornley – in fact my assistant coach, Matthew Mott called the night a ‘code red’ such was the damage inflicted by the duo of ‘ginger nuts’, Pollock and Thornley.

While the Mumbai bowlers delivered their plans expertly, our batting remained timid with little adjustment to the conditions. Apart from a couple of lusty blows from Salman Butt and one from Sourav, the only shots of any aggression came late from Ajit Agarkar. It was disappointing to watch skilled players allow the bowling attack to dominate as it did. Should we return to the Wankhede for the semi-finals, the batting group will definitely need a re-think on handling the conditions far more proactively.

Chasing a small target will always have the batting side in a different frame of mind. Our task was to give ourselves a chance by taking wickets, attacking, but attacking with skill and good decision making.

While I was happy with the approach the team took onto the field, Mumbai just did not give us any hope of making it a more difficult chase than it was, by slashing us around the field to win in 5.3 overs. Apart from the first ball which was delivered perfectly by Shoaib to Jayasuriya with the chance being dropped, and the taking of Uthappa, the Knight Riders suffered a humiliating defeat.

The question is – can this team turn such a thrashing around quickly and be ready for Chennai Super Kings? As they say in the classics, that is the $64 question!

However, one of the aspects that has impressed me about this team, the players, staff and the franchise owners is that when we have been in trouble, there has always been strong belief and support that we can turn things around.

Sunday will be another test of this resolve. Chennai have been waiting in Calcutta for our arrival since the 15th. Again, they present as a very good allround side, although not the same side we played early in the tournament. The losses of Hayden, Hussey and to a lesser extent Oram have changed the make-up of their side. Fleming, Viduyat, Raina, Badrinath, Dhoni, Morkel, Kupagadera have been shouldering the batting while Gony, Morkel, Ntini, Balaji and Muralidharan are the basis of their attack.

Eden Gardens has been a very good venue for us, and we want that to continue on Sunday. Most games have been tight low-scoring affairs. It takes some time to adjust to the ground and the great crowd support we have.

Still those are external factors which are of assistance provided we are delivering the skills in the middle. I am confident that the team will not carry anything from Mumbai back home – we are leaving any unnecessary baggage on the west coast, and are looking forward to returning home to display our trademark fighting qualities…Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo re!