Find a way to win. That’s what Shane Warne tells his boys before every match. On Monday night, they did just that; found a way to win when everything seemed lost.
Monday found new heroes in Team Jaipur. Few would have thought that Niraj Patel and Ravindra Jadeja would conjure the unthinkable against Mumbai Indians. But that’s what Team Jaipur has been all about. Unknown faces have stood up when the big guns have failed.
If it was Niraj and Ravindra on Monday, it has been Swapnil Asnodkar and Yusuf Pathan earlier. A true team effort in every sense and as Team Jaipur march into the semi-finals with an all-win home record, Warne would be expecting his young brigade to fire again.
Unknown faces have stood up when the big guns have failed"
The league stage is now done and dusted and what counts now is what lies ahead. Semi-finals are a different game altogether and Team Jaipur’s character will be tested again.
Warne has repeatedly spoken highly of his young players in the squad who can become future stars of Indian cricket. But for the all-conquering Team Jaipur, it’s not the issue of how many of them go on to play for the Indian team that is bothering them. For Warne, it’s all about getting the right combination on the field. With Jadeja and Patel showing what it takes to handle tense situations, the former Australian spinner has a problem of plenty: "Who to play and whom not to include in the playing eleven" in the IPL semi-final match.
to squeeze in everyone," Warne admitted"
"We know for sure in the opening slot, we have Smith (Graeme), Swapnil Asnodkar. In the middle-order Yusuf Pathan, Shane Watson and I are the regular ones. Then in the bowling department, we have Sohail Tanvir, who has been fantastic in the tournament so far. The rest of the guys like Kamran Akmal, Younus Khan who is one of the best batsmen around, are fighting to get a place in the team... it has given me a serious headache. It’s really a touch decision to squeeze in everyone," Warne admitted.
|