As KKR eked out a win against SRH, the fans for a large part of the match would’ve felt transported to the 2014 days- Narine bowling out his spell at a miserly economy on a day where everyone else has been tanked out of the ground, and anyone who tried to go after Narine falling prey to his tight bowling gifting him wickets he deserved. Russel coming in at a spot of bother for the team and completely flipping, or rather smashing the advantage back to KKR with some destructive hits that may injure audience members in the stands. Gautham Gambhir is back in the dugout, albeit in a different role, and a well-structured team performance that drives them home. Sweet, sweet nostalgia has hit!
Not to take anything away from SRH, they stormed their way back into the game after we were subjected to some delectable hits by one of the most feared batsmen currently in T20i, particularly against spinners, Heinrich Klassen. It could’ve been anyone’s game in those last 3 overs, and SRH fought bravely and gave it their all. But other than the start of the match where KKR looked in some early trouble and the final stretch of the game, it was domination by all means. KKR looked to command this match and grab those 3 points with each flurry of the bat. Russel has done what he did today in a couple of matches sporadically between seasons, and today was just another reminder of what a proven matchwinner he is. His whirlwind innings left the captain and the bowlers scrambling for answers. But really, there is no answer to a Russel in form. See ball, hit ball, repeat. And to add to his back-breaking innings, he took 2 crucial wickets when his team needed him, and was even seen diving and jumping around the field. He was truly giving it his all for his franchise, and it is hard to not remember his contributions all those years ago when they lifted that title
And Narine. The miser in him never did leave, unwilling to give any runs away through most of his career, and even for KKR throughout these recent years. But he seemed to have lost the wicket-taking ability at relevant junctures to bolster his team’s chances. But that wasn’t a problem today, with Narine forcing Tripathi to play a shot he was struggling to throughout the match- the slog sweep. He was constantly getting those LBW shouts, but missed referrals and umpire’s calls saved SRH. But it is safe to say, that the vintage was on full display with the show Narine and Russel put on today.
KKR have been notoriously infamous for throwing games that are in their pocket away and almost did so today as well. But Harshit kept his cool in a tight last over that sealed the deal for the Knight Riders, and unlike last year, they started their campaign off with a win. The KKR of 2014 was one of the fixed roles, grit and aggression that was a team mentality. And though success has been eluding the KKR for a while now, they must summon the spirit of nostalgia take pride in how they’ve pulled up as a unit, and strive to carry the energy forward.
