Kochi Tuskers Kerala is work in progress in DLF IPL-IV. The six-wicket defeat on debut at home against Royal Challengers Bangalore, triggered by the assault of A.B. De Villiers at the death, should not deter Mahela Jayawardene from the path of consolidation in the coming matches, starting with an away game against an in-form Pune Warriors.
The talent at Kochi skipper Jayawardene's command is awesome and it is only a matter of time before the pieces fall into place, with individuals making the necessary adjustments so that the team can fire as one.
Batsmen of Brendon McCullum's calibre, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, pace ace S. Sreesanth and spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan can turn the game around in inspired moments.
McCullum and Jadeja did their job in the opening game and the ambitions of Royal Challengers were in check till the 100-run mark when the South African de Villiers walked in and buried Kochi's hopes with big-hitting. Sreesanth and Vinay Kumar can produce wicket-taking deliveries using the bounce and movement on lively tracks like the D.Y. Patil where Pune medium-pacers Alfonso Thomas and Shrikant Wagh did a good job. Muralitharan's stranglehold on batsmen remains as strong as ever, despite fitness hiccups seen during the recent World Cup.
Jadeja's restrictive spin makes him a useful weapon to frustrate strokeplayers. And Punjab Warriors has Graeme Smith, Robin Uthappa, Jesse Ryder, Yuvraj Singh and Manish Pandey in its squad.
Jayawardene is a class act himself; so is V.V.S. Laxman whose adaptability to T20 and his hunger for runs was one of the highs amidst the lows against RCB. The team just needs a win to get some self-belief.
In this match-up between two IPL debutants, Pune Warriors has a head start. Kings XI Punjab was no match for Yuvraj's team.
Pacemen Thomas and Wagh struck in first four consecutive overs. And it was no looking back after that with Yuvraj shuffling seven bowlers and making the batsmen take risks.
For Pune Warriors coach Geoff Marsh, the challenge is to choose between continuity against Kochi or experimentation in familiar conditions.
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