The Baggy Green that never lead

The Baggy Green that never lead
IPL 3 started with KKR and Mumbai Indians on song and Rajasthan with three morale sapping defeats. Everyone wrote them off, believing they are so very 2008eish. IPL , is so much for today and historic rivalry like the ashes doesn’t have any place in it.
After each defeat, Roylas were made out to be the fodder , a la KKR of IPL 1 and 2, for all the others, but their flawed genius, Shane Warne. Emotions and Aussie are two words which don’t go together. The old shoulders hadn’t bowled a delivery for an year and it showed in the first three matches, also the confidence in his batting ability as he pushed himself almost to number 12. IF he looked worried, he would never be Warnie. Fourth game and he was back at his shrewd best. The flippers are working fine and the zooters are surprising the batsmen and the sliders making the mess of the stumps. If Asnodkar and Pathan were his finds in the first IPL, Fazal and Naman Ojha were to be his trump-cards this time. Giving the opening and the number three slots to unknown entities takes something after all, which the old fox has in abundance. They are repaying his faith back and the slow starters are in running with full steam now. With Tait and Pathan in the mix, they are as feared as any other team in IPL. Indian cricket is earning what with each passing year the Aussies are yearning more and more what they failed to churn out more from the spin legend.
I can’t resist drawing comparison between two leg-spinners with hardly anything in common other than the tag “Leg-spin”. Kumble inspires with his sheer competitiveness and commitment and followed by the performance. Even at this age, the fire in the belly hasn’t gone cold a wee bit. On the contrary, ease of pressure has made them deadlier.