Dubai: Why have Bowlers gone for a lot of runs in the business end of the game. Why are they not able to hold their nerve in crunch situation?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who took over the captaincy, summed up very well on Sunday in the post-match presentation against Sunrisers. He said, batters are going to go after the bowlers and bowlers have to be mentally strong. He added so what if you get hit for a few sixes, try and not give up. Bowlers should try something different and not give up. The two balls you bowl differently will help you save the game for your team, was Dhoni’s assessment
Innovative shots
Easier said than done as most bowlers have been choking under pressure and have conceded big runs in the last or second last over. Even experienced bowlers like Chris Jordan went for plenty in the game against Gujarat Titans that too against Rashid Khan. Young faster bowler Marco Jansen too conceded 25 runs in the last over and Sunrisers lost a winning game.
In today’s day and age, getting 20 runs in the last over is definitely possible and more often than not batsman achieve the target by playing innovative shots and forcing the bowlers to bowl off their target. But this is where captains’ role comes in to play. The best thing is to slow down the game and take the momentum away from the batters and give the bowler time to get his composure back. You need to be street smart and not let the game slip away and those captains who think ahead of the opposition more often than not are able to get the job done.
