Chennai’s error-filled game, Mumbai’s future, worry for India, many more analysed
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NewsTranscript
00:00I'm not gonna lie, after he hit that four on the last ball, I was freaking out.
00:14Good evening. Here's a very warm welcome to you to another special show of Straight Back with Mr.
00:20Cricket Dewey. We have got a really varied and star-studded lineup this evening, if I may say so.
00:27With us is the man himself, who we call the Mr. Cricket Dewey, that is Anish Sarjan.
00:32Then we have got Faizan. I mean, you know, who doesn't know this man with the magical voice
00:38who keeps on saying, Bandika Naam Faizan. The famous, you know, the DJ as well as a cricket
00:45aficionado and cricketer, you know, an amateur cricketer, that is Faizan with us. We have got
00:50our Gulf News Sports Editor, a.k.a. Satish. And the two very special fans with us, Arjun Singh,
00:58yeah, who had been an instant hit since last year. And Naresh Mansukhani. Arjun, obviously,
01:05as you can make out, he's the diehard Chennai Super Kings fan who must be a very happy boy today.
01:10And we have got Naresh ji with us from Mumbai Indians. So I think first up with Arjun here,
01:19I will, you know, take a reaction from you. Arjun, how does it feel? Typical Dhoni finish, last over?
01:26Yeah, it does actually feel like that. Like, I'm not gonna lie, after he hit that four on the last
01:32ball, I was freaking out. I'm like, how? It was such a close match though. If you followed it on
01:40through the second innings, you realize how close we were to losing the match. I mean, when the match
01:48started, I'm like, okay, we're gonna get them all out before 100, right? And then when they made
01:54150, it's insane to think how things can get out of control so fast. Right, right. Yeah, yeah.
02:05Perfect. Farzan, I'll come to you. I mean, generally, we always start with Anisbhai.
02:13You know, your experience of, you know, doing cricket, talking, you know, for hours together
02:19on cricket, keep us entertained, you know, keep us lest with, you know, the songs, you go back
02:26to the nostalgic times, you come back to the current times. So, you know, this IPL over
02:33the years, how has it been, you know, how has been the experience for you to bring it live
02:38to, you know, the thousands of audiences and your fans, if I may say so?
02:44Well, it's incredible. I mean, over the years that we've done the IPL and it's been 10 years
02:49that I've been doing cricket commentary. In fact, I started with a man called Mr. Cricket himself.
02:54He was the one, you know, he was doing commentary with me on my very first series.
02:58So we started, he had started one year prior to me and I had started after him.
03:03So I had got to learn a lot to learn from him and he was responsible for me putting on some
03:10weight as well, because he would get us so much food while cricket was on. You know, it was
03:16amazing all the times that we have spent together and in fact, with all the other commentators as
03:20well. It was brilliant and IPL is one festival. It is maybe like Eid or Diwali or something like
03:27that because we look forward to it and we absorb all of it. So yeah, I'm kind of missing it this
03:32time around. But the fact is, as I was talking to you guys off air, I have got to get a breather as
03:38well. In the last 10 years, I haven't been able to in Ramadan. So kind of liking it also.
03:44Right. Yeah, I mean, it can be quite demanding. But you know, what keeps us going is we
03:50really enjoy doing what we do. I will come to Anisbhai now. Anisbhai, a bit about the match.
03:58This used to be the, I mean, this is still the El Classico of IPL. I remember, I watched a
04:05documentary on the Mumbai Indians on Netflix some time back. So they were showing that the
04:11first edition of that Mumbai-Chennai match at Wankhede and what it meant and all the buzz.
04:17Today, we had the 9th and 10th team playing but you know, Chennai, it was a very typical. It had
04:23all the hallmarks of a Chennai performance. How would you sum up this match?
04:27Thank you, Gautam. Hello, Satish. Hello, Faizan. Hello, happy Arjan. And hello,
04:32disappointed Naresh. Hello to all the beautiful fans of Gulf News. Well, as you rightly mentioned,
04:38it was the El Classico and it lived up to it till the end, to be very honest. We never knew who's
04:44going to win even though Mumbai had the upper hand when Chennai were chasing. But MS Dhoni
04:49turned the clock and like every time, you know, we hope that he does it. And this time he did not
04:56disappoint and happy for all the Chennai fans and happy for obviously, MS Dhoni that he could
05:02do it once again. Right. I'll come to Satish now. Satish, Mumbai Indians, yes, I mean, from a
05:10catastrophic start, banking a lot on Tilak Verma going on to get to 150 plus. But then once again,
05:18you know, performances in bits and pieces, Daniel Sands, possibly a kind of redemption after that,
05:24you know, hammering at the hands of Josh Butler sometime back. But those four wickets,
05:32you know, still they couldn't take them towards the goal. So Mumbai Indians, you know,
05:39where do they go from here? Seventh loss on the trot, right? Yeah, seventh loss. I think
05:46a couple of things, Gautam. One, I think of Mumbai Indians, they have suffered the seventh
05:52loss. But this team doesn't look like the team that won the five titles. Certainly not,
05:59because they seem to be a little clueless to start with as a batting unit, number one.
06:04And even before that, if you look at the wicket is a flat, dry track and they are playing at home,
06:10they should know the wicket like the back of the palm. But the sad part is they picked only
06:16one spinner and that too was making his debut. So it was absolutely they got it wrong right from
06:21the start. To be honest, it was Chennai who made this match more difficult and interesting because
06:26of dropping so many catches. Otherwise, the match would have been done and dusted by the 15th over
06:31or 12th over if they had taken all the catches and if they had played to their potential.
06:36But I would say, at least from here, the good point for them is this year is Tilak Parma can
06:42be a good investment. Brevis can be a good investment. Sams can be a good investment.
06:48But certainly, the experience, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Keshan who costed the team so much
06:54should actually try to do something to the team which they have been letting down.
06:59Bumrah has done quite well today on a wicket where there was a lot of bounce and assistance.
07:04He did well, but they know, the Chennai Super Kings know that once you get him through and
07:10they can attack any other bowler, especially Unadkat who tries to vary his pace more than the
07:16actual pace. So, it was a well-created move by Dhoni. I think he was waiting for the last over.
07:23And one small observation is the last over, Mumbai scored 16 runs and Chennai scored 80.
07:30And that's how the equation changed. I'll come to Nareshji now. Yes, I mean,
07:36that you were spot on Satish on that. But Nareshji, I was just looking at the figures a bit.
07:42Rohit, I mean, possibly his failure to click with the bat despite having starts on
07:50two occasions at least and he got a 40-odd. But overall, you look at it 114 runs
07:56and aggregate from seven innings. So that's a very un-Rohit like performance to say
08:04the least. I mean, two of our finest showmen, our entertainers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli
08:12they have been giving us some agonizing times. So what exactly, today again,
08:19he kind of checked his drive and it was a soft dismissal. What do you think about Rohit,
08:25where is it going wrong really? Well, again, left-armer getting him. I think that's been part
08:32of his cricketing career, left-armers have troubled him. Though Trent Boult is now gone to some other
08:38team. But that's the reason Trent Boult was brought into Mumbai Indians and how Rohit can
08:43improve facing left-armers. But yeah, that's been a big concern as Satish also mentioned.
08:50As you are saying, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, I will add Ishaan Kishan, I will add Ravindra Jadeja
08:56because these are the guys who make to the Indian probables. So that's a big concern.
09:02But coming to Rohit Sharma, maybe too much, you know, the changes were there again today
09:09because we are not getting the right combination to win games. But is it being overdone? And there
09:14is a lot of re-looking at each strategy. I still feel today, thanks to Chinnai's fielding, we could
09:20go on to have this game till the last ball, to be honest. But yeah, Ishaan and Rohit on the top
09:27are a big concern. Does any changes needed in the order over there? We will have to see what
09:35the people who take those decisions think about it. Rohit Sharma at the top needs to just
09:42maybe a clearer, more free mind to go and what Joss Butler is doing, what KL Rahul is doing,
09:50what Faf is doing. That's the kind of approach. Can he play those long innings? And that is what
09:55is the big concern. He is not just getting in. He is getting out too early. And when he is timing
09:59it also, he is not scoring much. So that's a big concern overall, not only for Mumbai Indians,
10:04but overall Indians. Big concern of Rohit Sharma not clicking. Exactly. I will come back to our
10:11little friend, Arjun there. Arjun, if we recall, your Chennai opening pair of Faf and Ruturaj
10:21Gaikwad, their consistency went a long way in them winning back the IPL title last year.
10:29Now, Ruturaj Gaikwad, he has been, barring that one odd innings, Ruturaj Gaikwad at 70 odd he got,
10:37he has been failing. So what do you feel? Do you feel that that is a problem with Chennai?
10:43Then you have to depend on Robin Uthappa again, rising to the occasion like that. What does our
10:50young friend have to say about that? So I think, first of all, the problem with Gaikwad is that
10:59on certain pitches, he can score magnificent innings, like that beautiful 70. Last year,
11:09the second half of the IPL was played in Dubai, which made for an interesting combination of
11:16pitches, which is why Ruturaj Gaikwad scored so much last year. I think that Ruturaj Gaikwad just
11:25needs to get used to being back in that sort of climate of India. And also, he needs to remember
11:32that CSK isn't as strong as it used to be. The auction really changed everything up. And now,
11:40it feels like they're a totally different team. And also, relying on the second down, third down
11:48is not really a good thing. And I don't think CSK should adopt that kind of strategy. Because
11:54if you rely on a further down wicket, then you may have to, if per se, your opening batsmen
12:03aren't batting perfectly, you're gonna need to find a different opening batsman to bat better
12:09at the start of the game, at least. Sorry, Arjun, but isn't Ruturaj playing at home?
12:14Pune has been his home. He has been brought up on those wickets.
12:19No, I think what he's trying to say is that, you know, the Dubai wickets, because
12:23the second phase, he was unstoppable, really.
12:29Yes, I mean, and he should look to bat deep into the innings. I mean, that is the job which Fab does
12:34so well, you know. Anyway, I'll come to Faizan at this point. But then, you know, after the
12:42this is a slightly generic question, we all spoke and wrote about it. Also, I remember Satish
12:47wrote a piece about Ishan Kishan. You know, these outrageous figures, which are paid, I mean,
12:54when he was paid, you know, 15.25 crores, and that is nearly $2.5 million. We were asking
13:01ourselves this question that is he, you know, worth that kind of money? And more than worth,
13:07by doing that, are you creating a kind of lopsided budget for yourself, which even Mumbai
13:13Indians are finding it difficult to cope with, you know, once you've, you know, gone
13:18after him, it was not a retention, it was the bid. So what do you think? I mean, will
13:25the teams be a little more careful in the next round of auction? Anyway, now, you know, for three
13:29years, you are sorted with this, or this kind of calculated risks will continue?
13:37Well, first of all, to mention this point, there's another colleague in that particular team
13:42who has faced the similar thing four, five, six years back, Jaydev Anandkar, he was a name who was
13:47nowhere and he was paid hefty amounts in those particular seasons for the IPL for Rajasthan
13:53Royals. And he just could not perform under that pressure, because the pressure is there,
13:59you are paid that kind of money to provide that service. And you haven't been able to do that,
14:03first of all. So Ishan Kishan, maybe that pressure is playing on his head. Maybe, you know,
14:09he thinks that because a lot of responsibility belongs on me. And that is why he has had slow
14:14starts just to build up his innings and maybe take it later on in the innings. But that is not
14:18Ishan Kishan that we know of. Ishan Kishan has always been good in the first six overs. So he
14:25needs to start well. That is what I believe. And that puts additional pressure on Rohit Sharma. So
14:31Naresh was talking about Rohit Sharma. And, you know, I believe Rohit can thrive really well if
14:37Ishan can play that flamboyant game that he's known to play and that he's there to play in this
14:42side. So yeah, it certainly puts some pressure on a player like that, that so much money is riding
14:49on his head and on his shoulders, so much responsibility as well. So I think it's the
14:53pressure. But I don't see that changing for the other teams because once they feel that they need
14:59a player, they are going to go and bid for that player. And we have seen that in the past.
15:05And I don't think it's going to change. That's what had Chris Morris laughing
15:12all the way to the bank. So, you know, even those smaller options are even more dangerous.
15:18We have got only one person here that is Anizbhai from the other side of the fence,
15:24who has built teams, who has done auctions. When you have somebody with a lot
15:31riding on him, and when you invested on him, if he fails continuously to deliver,
15:38how does it work, Anizbhai? I mean, what should be an ideal situation for the team
15:44owner? How does he cope with it?
15:47Gautam, I'm glad you asked me this question. I've been on the other side of the auction,
15:51as you mentioned, but it was a different auction compared to what IPL is. IPL is a
15:55totally big kettle of fish. I keep talking to few owners, like the Punjab or the Arar,
16:02or even I've spoken to a Bangalore owner once upon a time. So, especially Punjab is the one
16:09who have suffered this brunt, whether you talk about Maxwell, whether you talk about Puran,
16:13where they have taken big players, they have not performed. This time, fortunately,
16:17Livingston has done decently well, but they have no answers when they pick such big players
16:23and when they fail to perform. So, they are forced to either make them play games,
16:28and then they get frustrated and then drop them in the second year or the third year. Probably,
16:33they drag him for two years maximum. I don't think even Punjab has done that for two years.
16:38But the fact remains is that as an owner, if I am an owner, and if I have invested on an
16:42X, Y, Z player, and if they fail to perform, I get rather be disappointed and upset with my
16:48own decision, as well as the player's performance. So, it's quite frustrating. But honestly,
16:55there is no way out because when you invest, you expect returns and there is a saying,
17:00expectation reduces joy. So, when you put an investment, don't keep any expectation.
17:06Expectations. Right. Yeah. Yes, Arjun, you were trying to say something?
17:13Yeah, I was saying, what does it feel like when you're mid-auction?
17:18You've selected a few of the players, but now you don't know what to do next.
17:24Yes, Anizbhai will have to answer that.
17:28Well, when you have a player, when you have selected and he's not performing,
17:31either you bear the brunt of making him play and giving enough chances. Sometimes,
17:35like players like Puran, who played the whole season last year, scored some 100 or 80 runs,
17:40Maxwell scored 130. Or you take that bitter pill and drop that player, like which Mumbai Indians,
17:46in fact, did it after two games to that young boy, Tim David, if I'm not wrong, which I feel
17:52was wrong. But there are two sides of it. Either, as I said, you take the bitter pill and keep up
17:57having that indigestion or go ahead and make him play. Faizan wants to say something.
18:03Also, generally, in this IPL, what we have seen is that all those retained players,
18:08the big names haven't performed really. It's the young ones who have come and performed. So,
18:12maybe it's the pressure, maybe it's the lethargy, maybe it's playing cricket too much
18:17in restrictive circumstances because of the COVID. So, maybe it's playing on their heads.
18:22You know, as much as you are required to be physically fit, you are required to be
18:26mentally fit as well. So, sometimes, and you know, because cricket is being played so much
18:32all across the world, maybe it's tiring all those people as well. So, all those big names haven't
18:37been really performing. And that is a question mark in this IPL for me as well. And talking about
18:43Ishaan Ghoshen per se, I think the Mumbai management can only do one thing right now.
18:47They need to go tell him why they picked him. And that is how he needs to play. That is all
18:52that matters as of now for Ishaan Ghoshen. But for Mumbai, even Pollard has not been
18:58performing, even Rohit is not performing. It's manifold, isn't it?
19:02Also, coming back to that particular point, because I wanted to make that point as well,
19:07talking about the batting lineup. I think Surya Kumar batting at number four is not a great idea.
19:11He came into the fore of things when he was batting number three.
19:15So, you know, 2018 was the season when he broke through and he was batting at number three that
19:20particular season. So, I think he needs to get more balls. Tillak Verma is performing well. He
19:25needs to come in at number four. You need to maybe give Revis a different role altogether
19:29of a finisher. And Kiren Pollard is a much better bat. And Aneesbhai and I have talked
19:34so much about this in the previous seasons of the IPL, that Kiren Pollard is a much better
19:40batter than getting just 10-12 deliveries at the end of the game. How much more can you expect
19:45from that man? I mean, you need to give him more deliveries. And I think number five is a solid
19:50position for Kiren Pollard because he's a player who likes that feeling of the ball coming onto
19:54the bat. So, once he faces four-five deliveries, that is when he's most dangerous.
20:01Yeah, I mean, before we move on to tomorrow's game, I would just want Aneesbhai to,
20:08for those who have tuned in late or not aware of it, can you just briefly talk about our contest
20:14before we move on to what's going to happen in the Rajasthan Royals versus DC game?
20:19Over to you, Aneesbhai. Yeah, Gautam, we have a contest every day on Galk News,
20:24where you have to predict the winner. And I dare tell you that predicting the winner
20:29this IPL has been the most difficult thing. Every day there is a shocker, something or the other
20:34and dismisses your prediction. But that's what is the fun about. Go to your favorite page,
20:39Galk News, predict the winner. And if you get it right, you walk away with the
20:43t-shirt which Naresh is wearing with a track and a Mr. Cricket cap,
20:47and also a one-year digital subscription.
20:51Super. Sounds good. Well, now, before we close up our last ritual, that is tomorrow again,
20:58you know, Delhi coming out of a tight situation, shadows of COVID, though it was a one-sided game,
21:05Rajasthan Royals had a little bit of break before that game where Josh Butler got his second
21:12century of the season. What's your take? What may happen, Aneesbhai, tomorrow at the Wankhede?
21:20You know, I just sometimes close my eyes and now predict winners. But since I'm back Delhi from
21:26day one that they might win the title, I'll go with Delhi.
21:29Right. I'll come to Faizan, what's your take? What does the gut feeling say?
21:35Well, this time, I have a great feeling about Rajasthan Royals somehow. Their top order is
21:40performing well, their middle order is doing good, their bowling is doing good. And they've taken
21:43some very bold decisions. You remember that retired out for Ashwin, you know, I think they
21:49have taken some brave decisions as well. So tactically, the team is doing really good. The
21:53captaincy is looking good for Sanju Samson. He has played some important knocks, not big knocks,
21:57but important knocks. I have a feeling that Rajasthan Royals are a team to reckon with this
22:03year. I want Satish to reply on this. Sanju Samson's captaincy, I was just coming to Satish
22:09about it. Yes, I mean, we have spoken and spoken about it. But yes, I'll come to Satish next,
22:15since we are on the subject of Sanju Samson. Unfortunately, the same team that had a
22:22strategy of asking Ashwin to retire out, sent him as a pinch hitter the very next game. And I think
22:29that beats me, seriously. They retired him out saying that he can't hit the ball. And then the
22:36very next game, he was sent as a pinch hitter to boost the run rate. Anyway, to be honest,
22:44I will back Delhi. Because the way they played a clinical game yesterday, plus, if you look at
22:51the previous game, actually, it was Kolkata's game that they lost in one over of Ujjwendra Chahar.
22:57Otherwise, Kolkata would have easily won and chased a big score of 210. So, that way, I'm
23:03saying that the tactical acumen of Rajasthan is still not perfect. And they depend a lot on Butler
23:10to give them the runs. Otherwise, they struggle. So, based on these two factors, I would go with Delhi.
23:17Yes, Arjun. I'll come to you. Who's your favorite for tomorrow? What do you think is going to happen?
23:23You know, I usually pick Delhi because I'm from Delhi. But this time, I think…
23:31No, you always pick Chennai.
23:33No, but when it's a Delhi match…
23:35When it's not Chennai. If it's not Chennai, that's what I think.
23:37If it's not Chennai and it's a Delhi match, I will usually pick Delhi because I'm from Delhi.
23:44But this time, since RR is really high on the table, they're like third or something.
23:51And Delhi is sixth. I think RR has a really good strategy and they're unbeatable. I think they may
23:59even go on to win this tournament, perhaps. But yeah.
24:05High five, Arjun. High five.
24:07Okay. Naresh bhai, RR versus Delhi, you know, quite an intriguing clash from Pune.
24:17I expected it to be a very close game. You know, Delhi, I think they're on a high the way they
24:23came and played yesterday after whatever is happening off the field. I think that's a good
24:28character to show and it was a thumping win for them. You know, it wasn't that they struggled,
24:32it was one-sided. But yeah, the test is going to be, as Satish was saying,
24:39Samson versus Rishabh Pant during situations. I think that is where Samson has a little edge.
24:45You know, in difficult situations, I have felt Rishabh Pant's decision-making is questionable.
24:52But yeah, we can expect a good game. But Delhi has an edge purely because of their mental state
24:58of yesterday's win. Right. Yeah, I think that that's a very valid point which you've made. I
25:04mean, but yes, I mean, Delhi had been a bit up and down. But I don't remember any instance like
25:12initial days, the kind of things that Rishabh was doing like, you know, ending up not using
25:17full quota of a bowler, etc, etc. And if you ask me, I think sometimes a win under tough situations
25:24does galvanize a team a lot. So I will put my money on Delhi and see, you know, because they
25:31have got the depth. I mean, it is just that, you know, they were not being able to show their true
25:35colors. So I'd put my money on Delhi and see how it goes. Three is to two.
25:41Yeah. And just to add, Gautam, like we have spoken about Rohit and Ishan and Jadeja,
25:47it's time for Rishabh Pant also to stand out in a performance, you know, that is to be seen.
25:52Correct. Very, very important.
25:56Right. So that's it. Thanks once again for joining. I mean, it's been a lovely little
26:03different kind of discussion where we tried to, you know, take in a lot of other subjects like
26:10Faizanbhai's experience of speaking nonstop on cricket and combining with entertainment.
26:16How does it feel for a team owner if, you know, a major buy in the auction goes wrong?
26:22And of course, today's Chennai's win, you know, it's a very, very Chennai-esque performance,
26:29I would say, taking the match deep and then Dhoni finishing it off with a flourish. And of course,
26:36a forecast of tomorrow's match. Stay tuned. We'll be back again tomorrow
26:40after the game. Thank you so much and good night.