Catches Win Matches

Yes catches do win matches and it is very evident from the past 10 days of IPL matches. In one game there has been a time when we saw some easy once go down and the respective team loss a game just because they could not hold to the catch which was offered. The other situation when match has been last from a winning position when a catch has been taken from no where.

Let us take few of the matches which has been last just because a catch was dropped in this years IPL. First it is a team which has been the best fielding side for all of the IPL and it was CSK. After scoring a ton of runs on a pitch which had a lot for batsmen in came Maxwell with whom the term attacking batsman cannot be compared, rather you will have to say a brutal batsman. He was in a great form of hitting the ball rights from the word go. He gave a gift to CSK and it was not accepted. Then again against the SRH he gave a chance at 11 and it was once again rejected. The result the match was lost by both the teams and on both the occasions Maxwell was instrumental in the wins.

Coming back to catches winning matches, CSK played match against DD and RR and on both the games were at their best, taking some blinders and removing batsmen on important junctions of the game brought them victory and on both the games there was not even a single drop. This shows how much important the catching is for a team.

Coming to yesterday’s game, the match between KKR and RCB was balanced heavily against the men from Bangalore and was to be won easily. That is when according to me two catches changed the result of the game. Yuvi played an innings out of his character but a needed one. Where he played a calm innings when it was needed. Virat was going great and he played the rotating innings, the best was when he played Narain with proper defense and was never troubled by his variations.  He played an innings against him which most of the team do against the best bowlers, play out that bowler and attack others. He did the same, once Virat departed he played the attacking game and when he was going great a good catch at extra-covers did the trick. This was very good and important catch of the match since the hit was a good flat drive which was fast too.

But that catch of Yuvi was just the starting of what was to come.  Still sitting a bit comfortable with two great hitters in AB and Morkel and just 9 run needed by RCB came may be the catch of this session. AB’s hit was mistimed and was destined to be caught at the boundary a good judging fielder in Chris Lynn could have swallowed it easily. But that was not the case, he made a little mess of it by slipping up a bit. What came after it was something out of this world. The recovery was made by taking a catch with a bent back, judging the distance from the ropes to perfection and taking a blinder so perfect that it made the team to be inspired to an extent where they won and made the batsmen at the other end down on moral that he could not convert the full toss to the boundary. Best example of the term catch wins matches.

From all my playing days from tennis ball cricket to college and club level matches taking good catches has always won matches and missing easy once have always been instrumental in a loss.