Dubai: Captain’s knocks are a delight to watch. It’s not merely an effort by the leader to lift his team to a victory but also inspire them. A captain’s knock creates faith in the team for the leader.
It also justifies that the team management has appointed the right man for the job.
On Saturday night, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson played a brilliant unbeaten knock of 70 carrying the hopes of his team which had lost its star players David Warner and Jonny Bairstow to international commitments.
When the spirit of the team is down such captain’s knock can motivate the team.
Though Williamson’s knock went in vain as Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a four-wicket win, his innings will stand out for the display of his fighting spirit.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s captaincy as well as his captain’s knocks has played a vital role in Chennai Super Kings success in this edition.
His unbeaten 75 against Rajasthan Royals that gave his team an eight runs win during the start of the IPL and was responsible for his team gaining the winning momentum.
On May 1, he placed Chennai at the top of the table through a man of the match award winning performance of an unbeaten 44 against Delhi Capitals.
Steve Smith has been outstanding ever since he took over the captaincy of Rajasthan Royals from Ajinkya Rahane.
His unbeaten knock of 53 that stunned Mumbai Indians and a fighting knock of 50 that went in vain against Delhi Capitals were brilliant.
Smith carries the confidence gained from his experience despite the ball tampering ban that had pulled him down.
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer does not have the experience of the above three but his captaincy and knocks were superb.
For a 24-year-old to show such fighting spirit displays the determination in this youngster and is bound to carry him a long way.
A lone battle of 44 when his team crashed out for 99 against Chennai Super Kings last week is an example. He had also top scored with 52 in his team’s 16-run win over Virat Kohli-led Bangalore.
Iyer has the talent and a cricketing brain and it will be fabulous if he can go on to lift the IPL trophy.
Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma’s knocks, even if he plays a short innings, benefits the team.
His skill to destroy the confidence of the bowling side is fantastic. If he hits a half century, his team is sure to win, like he did against Chennai in their 46-run win.
So, for any team to win a match, it is important to see off Sharma early.
Kolkata Knight Riders too have a fighter as their captain in Dinesh Karthik.
His fighting traits are well known and his knock of an unbeaten 97 against Rajasthan Royals that went in vain is an example.
Whichever captain that goes on to lift the IPL trophy this time will be proud of his show and his teammates will be thankful to him for showing the way to title triumph.
