Golden Learnings

Learnings from the Karnataka - Mumbai Ranji Trophy final 2010 concluded 14th January


1. Even when chasing a championship record score in the fourth innings, after some studying of the pitch, attack in the middle overs (Pandey, Joshi), especially with the middle order is already out there batting. But remember, the more suitable conditions are the prime requisite so in the event that they haven't resulted yet and, say, you've lost wickets and your middle order is already out there batting, hang on. Just because they are better batsmen than your lower middle or lower order, there's no point in making them commit harakiri. Although Mumbai's top batsmen in either innings cannot be complimented for putting on substantial runs, they cannot be blamed because they did not throw away their wickets with ambitious shots. This control typified the team's approach and the lower order came good in both innings.

What's good with this method: It's better than trudging along in the battle of attrition while defending your wicket dourly, and getting singles with the odd boundary every 6 or 8 overs blah blah. Remember though, the latter is the approach to take in less than optimum conditions, typically with the top order or tailenders batting on a difficult pitch.

Why: Wickets will fall even while defending and playing discrimate shots on the merit of the ball. Get your runs before your own wickets fall and more ideal conditions for the bowling team result, for e.g. the new ball being claimed on a lively pitch, or crumbling wicket (4th of 5th day) turning ideal for big spin while the ball is old. (You might even say Abhishek Nayar did the right thing in Mumbai's 2nd innings by trying to create an aerial boundary, although that didn't work)

2. Look for the safe aerial route in attacking in the semi-optimum conditions (Pandey, Joshi): This upsets fielding plans and bowler brains apart from adding runs.

Mind you: You mustn't make the aerial route a must and must carpet drive where runs and boundaries will come. The aerial route is an option especially against spinners because of the mental destruction it causes to the bowlers. Remember, if you don't follow that tenet, you're doing exactly what the bowling side wants -  baiting yourself as if you're playing their benefit match.

3. Talk to yourself as if commentating, when under pressure (Abhishek Nayar): The footage will show Nayar talking to himself at the batting crease in a pressure situation of 50 for 5, almost like he was a retard, except that he was exactly the opposite - bold. And innovative. Remember, outside pressure apart, we create our own and compound it. Talking to oneself (because you don't have to sound logical) is one brilliant way of warding it.

4. Have bowling conferences when you badly need a wicket (Jaffer with Abdulla): Even if you're discussing nothing, the batsman thinks you are and is distracted by the thought that something is afoot.

5. If you have a bowler whose in-swing and out-swing actions have very little difference in visual cues to the batsman (Mithun), make his ideal line (on a lively wicket) outside rather than on or around off stump. And also delivering from wider at the bowling crease.
Why: Batsmen will have to play at an outside off stump ball (which they'd normally be at liberty to leave) not knowing if it's the inswinger or outswinger. For the ocassional outswinger when the bat is beaten, the batsman's chances of playing away from the body increase and in direct proportion does the risk of the ball catching his edge.

6. Always anticipate a third-day-onward decline in pitch liveliness and set chasing targets for the opposition accordingly.
What happened: Everybody seemed to have been convinced after watching days 1 and 2 that the pitch was helpful for the bowlers. Had Mumbai anticipated or planned for its slowness when Karnataka was to chase on Day 3 and 4, their urgency to add more runs through Nayar and Kulkarni would have been more evident to the respective batsmen. These two had done a match-saving job but Mumbai experienced Day 4's morning session when Pandey and Satish showed how it was possible to get easy runs without getting threatened. The Mumbai team would have hoped for an extended effort from their own batting pair instead of the slight show of abandon when they lost their respective wickets.