For a brief moment under the Dindigul lights, it appeared Trichy Grand Cholas were writing an underdog fairy tale. Waseem Ahmed was solid on one end, Suresh Kumar had played a quick cameo, and all was well at 55/1 after 10 overs—the making of a score that could worry anybody. But then, like a lot of stories in TNPL, it became a story of TNPL heartbreak—a mid-innings collapse, a little Ravichandran Ashwin magic, and a chase that seemed more of a coronation than a contest.
Middle-Order Meltdown
The batting collapse was almost tragicomic. Trichy began with a reasonable platform, but then there was a conveyor belt of soft dismissals and panic. They went from 55/1 to 59/4 in eight balls, and Rajkumar lasted four balls for a duck, Sanjay Yadav made one before he was gone, and the spine of the innings was broken in real-time.
Only Jafar Jamal remained, inflicting a brief period of flame with a 33 off 20, but even he was incapable of making up for it. Nine down for 140 on a good batting surface? Not quite under-cooked; that’s raw. And in a knockout, there’s no such thing as an undercooked total.
The Ashwin Avalanche
Ashwin deserves recognition, as he made this match a one-man show after all. With the ball, he bowled well, and his 3/28 was a lesson in control and deception. He dismantled Trichy’s middle-order bowling like a surgery, and was only dented for 28 runs. However, it was with the bat where it was a real knock-out punch: 83 off 48 balls, 11 fours, 3 sixes in an innings scored at a strike rate above 170.
When Ashwin walked out to bat, Dindigul were chasing down a modest total. When he walked back after scoring his runs, the game was done and dusted. This wasn’t so much a knock, but more like a declaration of intent: “This is my house.” There was no answer from Trichy to his dominance with bat or ball.
Sloppy Fielding and Rigid Tactics
And then there is the uncharted territory of terrible fielding and an even poorer plan. Trichy were sloppy in the field – dropped intensity, overthrows, misfields. And, there was no flexibility in the tactics either. There was, I would argue, a case against using someone for four overs when the only return was 1 wicket for 37 runs.
Davidson and Easwaran showed signs of promise, but there is never enough trust in them all, and that is without pointing out the over-reliance and underutilization of names. When Waseem and Suresh fell, the rest folded like cheap lawn chairs. In knockout cricket, what matters is depth. Trichy had none.
Ultimately, it wasn’t a case of the match slipping away; it was a case of it being gift-wrapped for them. A decent opening, a brain-fade middle, and an Ashwin hurricane were enough to blow the Grand Cholas out of the game. Dindigul march on with confidence, whilst Trichy are left reeling with wounds akin to those after other losses. A season of promise undone in the 20 overs of mayhem.
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
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