Glance through the top-scorers list in this season of the IPL and Suresh Raina just about makes it for Gujarat Lions among the top-10 batsmen at 397 runs.
That table is headed by none other than Virat Kohli at more than twice his tally – a whopping 919 runs.
Yet, as Gujarat captain, Raina has led his team to the top of the points table more than once during the group stages and that is how they finished.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, on the other hand, were almost down and out but sneaked in on the back of the red-hot form of Kohli and the top order.
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So strong that the plan A for Lions coach Brad Hodge must be a hope that the law of averages must count for something. If the Bangalore top three batsmen give away, Gujarat bowlers would fancy their chances.
If it is one thing that Raina must be stressing to his teammates, it is what he said after beating Mumbai Indians in their final group game, “Understanding how to enjoy the T20 format is a challenge.
“We worked really hard as a unit. You need to enjoy the practice sessions, too,” Raina told StarSports.
He should know.
No one has appeared in more IPL knockout matches than him. Raina has been part of 17 such matches, in a joint record with MS Dhoni.
While Gujarat have been a sum of all parts, Bangalore will take heart from the fact that their most recent match had the bowlers holding their nerve in a do-or-die final group match against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday.
And Kohli was quick to give them credit even though it was he who scored a match-winning knock of 53 not out. “Amazing, hats off to the bowlers,” he had said.
Gujarat may also take a leaf from Kohli’s page. “You have to start afresh today. It sounds boring, but that’s the way it is,” Kohli had said on Sunday night.
They will surely focus all strategies on how to get Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers out. The current record for most runs scored in T20 cricket in a calendar year is held by Gayle, who scored 1,665 runs in 2015. Kohli is not too far behind. He has amassed 1,544 runs in 26 T20 innings this year.
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Kohli also scored two of his four centuries in this IPL against Gujarat. Bangalore lost the first game, though, as Gujarat won by six wickets in Rajkot. Bangalore managed to thrash their rivals by a massive 144 runs in the return leg.
Defeat will not spell the end for the losing side, however, as they will be given another shot to reach the final when they play the winners of the clash between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.
With inputs from agencies.
kshyam@thenational.ae
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