Rival captains in contrasting moods as Pune thump http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Punjab-c833 in IPL 2011
Debutants, Pune Warriors, got their campaign in the Indian Premier League’s 2011 edition off to a blazing start as they doused the spirits of one of the most high profile teams, Kings XI Punjab, in their opening fixture of the Indian
Premier League in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820.
Ironically, it was former Punjab captain, Yuvraj Singh, who plotted the demise, of the team he captained in the previous season. Singh gave a calm and assured performance, after his opening bowlers had run through the Punjab top order
including the prize scalp of the captain and former Australian wicket-keeper batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918.
Gilchrist later stated in the press conference that the team has to improve in all areas if they are to compete in the tournament, besides poor batting and bowling the fielding was also a big let down for the team with catches being
dropped of both Yuvraj and the biggest catch of the league in terms of money, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Robin-Uthappa-c2356.
"It was a poor all-round performance. It started with me in the first over and that set the tone for the innings", Gilchrist said, “A couple of catches could have been taken and that would have left them at five for 70 odd. We just
weren't good enough today", Gilchrist concluded.
The Punjab team, who had a forgettable season last year, have made wholesome changes to their team just like most of the other teams in the league.
They had a revamp after the IPL auctions and Gilchrist, who himself left Deccan Chargers for Kings, claimed that his team would need some time to settle down, as there were a lot of new recruits in the line-up, who have to spend time
together to forge a bond.
"We felt comfortable enough coming in to this game, but we need to take little steps [towards improving]. We will go back and work on it, it's a long tournament and the only way is up”.
On the other hand, Yuvraj Singh was a pleased man, his team made the most of the opportunities that came their way and ended up scoring an easy win courtesy the great start given by their opening bowlers.
At the post match press conference, Yuvraj stated that his experience of captaining Kings XI in the first two years helped him understand the nuances of the job and made him a better cricketer at the same time.
He said that period helped him improve his game also despite the fact that the team generally struggled under his captaincy, he added that in the period at the helm of Kings XI Punjab, he took a lot of pressure on himself and kept
getting distracted by events off the field.
In turn his performance on the field also dipped. However, the big hitting south paw stated that this time around he is a lot calmer and relaxed and the results have already shown for him.
Yuvraj, also felt that it was a good toss to lose, and his bowlers exploited the situation ably making life tough for the batsmen in the opposition ranks, who could not absorb the pressure and fell to some reckless strokes.
Meanwhile, the current season has been off to a slow start, after the enthralling climax of the opening match between Chennai and Kolkata the rest of the games have been one-sided affairs that have not really caught the imagination
of the audience.
However, there is a long way to go and excitement and thrill is guaranteed in the days ahead.
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