No look Pant 🫨#IPLonJioCinema #TATAIPL #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/OLhLl28aAn

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) April 3, 2024

For old time’s sake

Amidst the mayhem of boundaries, Ishant Sharma produced a yorker of bewildering precision. In the last over, KKR’s score on 264, Andre Russell in murderous touch, the forgotten Ishant Sharma conjured a toe-crusher from dreams. The ball fizzed low, veered frantically into middle and leg stump, seamed in a fraction and snuck underneath Russell’s desperate attempt to stub it out of dismantling his stumps. So fierce a ball that Russell lost his balance and lay spread on the floor. He gathered himself, winked at Ishant Sharma and shook his head in appreciation. The on-field screen flashed the speed of the ball—144 kph. Good old Ishant, shoved into wilderness, supposedly past his prime at 36, a link to another era of Indian cricket, showed he still has the fire and skill within him. It might not sit along the Ricky Ponting beauty in his greatest hit albums, or the dreamy knuckleball last IPL to befuddle Vijay Shankar, but Ishant showed he still can belt out a few old numbers.

YORKED! 🎯

Ishant Sharma with a beaut of a delivery to dismiss the dangerous Russell!

Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE#TATAIPL | #DCvKKR | @ImIshant pic.twitter.com/6TjrXjgA6R

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2024

Angkrish arrives

One of the stars of India’s 2022 U19 World Cup triumph, Angkrish Raghuvanshi has started life in the IPL in fine fashion. A 25 ball half century by the youngster against DC in Vizag was filled with some jaw-dropping classic strokeplay but also a dash of innovation sprinkled in. Angkrish, who wears No 18 and was India’s top scorer at the World Cup couple of years back, impressed with his wrist work back then and also the ability to play the pickup shot over midwicket. The 18-year-old, walking in at No 3 on Wednesday to join a rampant Sunil Narine, showed why he is so highly rated. A reverse scoop for six off a pacer was a highlight as was a swat over midwicket. Even when Narine was lighting up the stadium, Angkrish didn’t just sit back and play second fiddle. He took DC’s bowlers on. He moved from Delhi to Mumbai as a kid to pursue his cricket but now Kolkata is where he has the chance to shine at the highest level.

Innovative!

Maiden IPL Fifty for Angkrish Raghuvanshi ✨

Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE#TATAIPL | #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/72oQQZIDbd

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2024

Mystery spinner, non-mystery batsman

From a mystery spinner who could bat a bit, Sunil Narine has transformed into a old-fashioned pinch-hitter who could produce a few tight overs and a wicket or two. As the mystery of bowling faded, the destructiveness of his batting soared. Batsmen no longer fear him as they once used to, rather has transferred that feeling to crestfallen new-ball bowlers. He has been diligently ironing out his flaws too, like the short-ball susceptibility. He is more composed in playing short balls these days, either swaying away from the line or slicing and cutting, when wide outside the off-stump. He uncorks the pull too, if the ball is not express quick. There is no mystery about his batting—he has stripped it down to the essentials, that is to hit a ball as long and clean as he could. It’s not shocking to listen to him saying that batting was his first love. “I love batting and batting is something I always enjoyed and I’m still enjoying it. I think bowling came second. I always put more focus on batting and at age 18-19, bowling took over. So I started batting less, which probably didn’t help but at the end of the day, it happened. And I wouldn’t have it the other way,” he had once said. And his love for batting is flowing untrammeled like a furious stream.

Sunil Narine at it again 🔥🔥@KKRiders are off to some start in Vizag!

Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE#TATAIPL | #DCvKKR pic.twitter.com/UipTFUHznQ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 3, 2024

Two to tango

Phillip Salt vrooms into fifth gear from ball one; his partner Sunil Narine throws his bat wantonly at the ball straightaway. The unusual pair have furnished lightning starts to KKR, 60 off 4.3 overs against DC . Salt is brutal square of the wicket, his boundary-strokes a melange of fierce cuts, slices and swishes. He is a modern-day T20 buccaneer, but without the pyrotechnics. Narine, on the other hand, is a throwback, the one you come across in the tennis-ball cricket circuit, blessed with impeccable hand-eye coordination.

His hitting is ludicrously simple, yet unstoppable when he gets going. He lurches to the back-foot, opens up his body, clears his front-leg and swings the ball wherever he wants to. He does the basics so well, that he seldom goes across, seldom attempts fancy strokes and often looks to hit down the ground with his body facing the bowler. Salt has stuck at a strike rate of 141; Narine at 202.