Kane’s leadership was of the highest order
It’s a wonderful feeling to be in the final of the IPL for the second time in three years. As a former player long retired from the sport, being involved in knockout matches gives me the same adrenalin rush I used to feel when I was playing.
As much as the game itself, I was extremely delighted at Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mindset and approach going into Qualifier 2. Individuals and teams can struggle to bounce back from close defeats like the one we suffered against Chennai Super Kings, but what was obvious was the calmness and composure.
As soon as we arrived in Kolkata from Mumbai, we had a fortuitous bonding session in the shape of the birthday get-together of Wriddhiman Saha’s little daughter. We watched the KKR-RR match on the big screen, and I was struck by the comfort levels among the players, the camaraderie and the feeling of togetherness.
We had an optional session on the eve of the match against KKR, which was characterised by meticulousness. Before this season, we hadn’t beaten KKR at Eden Gardens; to win there twice this year was brilliant. The entire stadium was rooting for the home side, while we had only the squad and our families for support. To be able to hold our nerve and come through was an impressive effort from all quarters.
I thought the Eden surface was excellent in that it had something for both batsmen and bowlers. Shikhar, playing beautifully, and Saha, whose right hand was bruised and swollen after being hit on the glove on the second ball, gave us a perfect platform from which to aim for 180 or 190. But suddenly, a collapse left us looking at a sub-par 140 when Rashid Khan came up with a brilliant cameo.
As stunning as his shots was his belief and his desire to do something for the team. That has been our motto all season, and it was great to see one of our stars stand up on the big stage and take us to a fighting score.
We didn’t get early wickets and Narine, along with Lynn threatened to take the game away from us, but we didn’t give up. Kane’s captaincy was aggressive, he thought on his feet, veered away from pre-decided plans and forced KKR out of their comfort zone. To force Lynn to try to sweep fine by having a man at cow corner, himself by the square leg umpire and a deep square leg was as much of a masterstroke as a short-leg and a slip to the irrepressible Andre Russell. It was high quality leadership, and perfect execution of skills by the bowler.
I can guarantee that our guys will be up for a fight in the final against CSK. I am very proud of the campaign the boys have already run and while it might sound clichéd, our belief is that if we do the processes well, the result will take care of itself.