Execution is the all-reigning T20 buzzword. Captains are often seen clapping for a pacer who bowls in accordance with the field given to him, even if the outcome is far from the desired one. A Kookaburra, especially the white variant, travels at the rate of knots. Therefore, bowlers are advised to control the controllables. If you hit the intended mark and the modern-day batter, with shots all around the dial and the ability to improvise, manages to outsmart the plan, doff your hat to the winner of that mini-battle.
It is a straightforward principle that champions agency, which when exercised can bring tremendous clarity as well as peace of mind. For, the focus shifts from worrying about the eventuality to trusting the process, a surefire way to succeed in any walk of life, as per the 44-year-old MS Dhoni whose biceps, by the way, belie his age.
As Madhya Pradesh T20 League entered its second half, Kartik Parihar’s three-wicket haul exemplified this philosophy. Rewa Jaguars have had scores of 203, 209 and 234 to their credit this season, hence the pole position at 87/1 after seven overs was largely along expected lines. Fresh off a ton, Arham Aquil was building an ominous partnership with Akshat Raghuwanshi, a pocket dynamite of an opener riding the high of an IPL stint with Lucknow Super Giants. Ishan Afridi leaked 34 runs in his two overs in the PowerPlay, with a dropped catch at mid-wicket adding insult to Gwalior Cheetahs’ injury.
Enter Kartik, an all-rounder representing Shahdol division. He was given a simple directive from Rajat Patidar; bowl it flat into the surface on a good length. Logic underpinned what would turn out to be a pearl of wisdom. Akshat boasts of a rapier-like batswing that renders deliveries in his arc easy pickings, whereas Arham practices economy of footwork, leaving him a miscue candidate if the ball isn’t pitched full enough. Kartik obeyed his captain without fail, tying up the left-right combination that had so far resembled an apex predator, in keeping with the name of their franchise.
His trajectory did not allow Arham the required time to execute a late cut as a slider grazed the southpaw’s edge. Meanwhile, chuffed about his takedown of Saumy Pandey, Akshat lost his shape trying to dispatch an undercutter he wasn’t quite to the pitch of. An innings that was moving ahead with the speed of an Eminem rap song suddenly seemed to be grasping for breath.
‘’When I was introduced into the attack, I didn’t pay any attention to the scoreboard whatsoever, or the fact that the ball is flying everywhere. Instead, I was focused on fulfilling the containment role that coach Aditya Shrivastava and Rajat bhai had asked me to play,’’ Kartik said. ‘’There was a conscious effort to keep the ball away from the swinging arc, and I think the wickets were a result of Arham and Akshat looking to manufacture shots.’’
The off-spinner was not summoned at the beginning of this edition but as Gwalior Cheetahs ran into oppositions featuring a number of left-handers, Rajat saw merit in his services. While Kartik has been effective against his positive match-up, as evidenced by the removal of in-form Arham, his nagging accuracy has bothered even right-handers. Parth Goswami, the unscathed centurion in Bundelkhand Bulls’ maiden win, and the highly-rated Vikrant Bhadoriya were dismissed by Kartik off consecutive balls over the weekend.
Finger-spinners are a dying breed in T20 cricket because of their one-dimensionality, but on this occasion that handicap worked in Kartik’s favour. Aware a tight grouping was the only escape route, he committed to a vanilla course of action. Approaching the halfway stage, Rewa Jaguars could only gather 20 off 18. The pressure was mounting due to the departure of well-set batters, and since repair is an outdated concept in the evolving T20 landscape, Anant Varma and Sagar Solanki joined forces for the consolidation gig.
An alliance between this goofy pair had become a thorn in the flesh of Indore Pink Panthers, so its dismantling was necessary. As Afridi copped a swivel-pull in his second burst after Anant wreaked havoc on Arpit Patel, Gwalior Cheetahs feared the worst. Their fielding in these crucial moments wasn’t helping the cause, with Parth Chaudhary putting down a regulation catch coming in from the boundary.
With the stand heading towards fifty, Kartik arrived at the rescue. ‘’I have watched Anant from close quarters; I have an understanding of his range. He is strong down the ground and has the ability to fetch the ball from outside off as well, so I made sure not to feed him freebies in his productive zone,’’ explained Kartik, who induced four false shots to return figures of 3/29, comprising seven dots in a fixture that witnessed an aggregate of 457 runs.
While his bowling performances might soon yank him out of the part-timer pool, Kartik is eager to contribute with the bat in hand. In a tall chase of 239, he got a diamond duck at the top of the order, an extension of his poor form in what is his third season of MPLT20. ‘’Six games have passed by and I’m yet to deliver the goods,’’ Kartik laments. ‘’I’m grateful that I’m still a part of the playing eleven, thanks to my decent spells, but now it’s high time that I grab the opportunity with both hands.’’
Kartik was caught behind off left-arm orthodox Sagar, whose recent exploits in both the departments have shown why Madhya Pradesh are starting to pick him across formats. He added another scalp to his kitty to back up an impressive 58 off 27, a gem of a knock including a no-holds-barred assault on Akash Raghuwanshi at the death. Till the 18th over, Rewa Jaguars were not allowed to run away with the game, courtesy of Kartik’s stranglehold, but the last two yielding 38 pushed the target beyond Gwalior Cheetahs’ reach. The margin of defeat? 23 runs.
For a team missing pro Mangesh Yadav, Kartik’s emergence as a reliable sixth bowling option must be a heartwarming development. ‘’I’m very happy that the leadership group is placing so much faith in me,’’ Kartik signs off.
