Guessing hard what this is about?!? Sledge Hammer - that was the first thing I remembered when I saw Chris Gayle bat for the first time. A slapped cover drive off Waqar drew a parallel to saying "poLichunu vechan" in Tamil. Very few players can be likened to a "Sledge Hammer" - Gayle, Symonds, Justin Kemp, Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen. Viv Richards doesnt fit here - he is a cut above all, he is the master. These players have brought in a new dimension to sensational strokeplay mixing talent with raw power. Dhoni is the most unorthodox among the above but he is slowly learning to be patient too!
The reason am writing about this topic among many especially with so much happening in TN - Kevin Pietersen. I chanced myself to this man's blazing innings yesterday against SL.
Pietersen burst onto the international scene with 3 blazing hundreds in his debut series away against SA. KP has the style, footwork, patience and brute power - all combined in one which makes him the nemesis of all teams in the world. Playing with such buccaneering flair and panache, he easily stands out among the big hitters in the game today. KP plays per situation and he has the ability to shun his natural instincts for a longer time in the interests of his team. His fifty in both innings on debut against Aus @ Lord's bear testimony to this! KP certainly saved the face of England from a more humiliating defeat; losing by 250 is not a great thing either :-)
More than anything, he dictates the way the match goes when he plays. That makes him doubly special. He can turn the game on its head both with his batting and fielding - his first ODI against Aus is an example. He is only 25 - this factor is certain to bug many a bowler. Way to go KP!
And finally something for the statisticians - his highest score is 158 and he has scored it three times - against Aus, zim and SL yesterday. A quick analysis on 158 showed the count doesnt match his birthdate too. Then what's so special about 158 Mr. KP?!?
No comments:
Post a Comment