Sourav won the match for KKR

‘Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re’ was the song of Tuesday afternoon as the Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Kings XI Punjab on a gloomy day at Kingsmead, Durban. And the Knight Riders did not disappoint. Riding on the magnificent performances of Sourav Ganguly with the ball and Chris Gayle with the bat, Shah Rukh’s boys ended up smiling thanks to the Duckworth and Lewis Rule. The setting was perfect for seam bowling and Ishant Sharma showed why he is one of International cricket’s emerging superstars. But with Irfan Pathan wreaking havoc, the Kings XI were all set for a mammoth score. In comes the man with the golden arm — Sourav Ganguly. One over of classical seam bowling – and the tides are changed. First Pathan and then Ravi Bopara, Ganguly all on his own halted the speeding train of the Kings XI.

Watching Ganguly bowl, I was reminded of the India vs Pakistan series in Toronto, where the golden boy of Bengal had put in one of cricket’s best all round performances. And with Harsha Bhogle at the mike after a long hiatus, watching cricket became even more romantic. The manner in which Ganguly bowled was so pleasing to the eye— the passion that he exudes is unmatched. When Ravi Bopara was dismissed, Harsha Bhogle gave the ultimate honour to Bengal’s golden Boy. Harsha called it a “romantic dismissal”. He was spot on. An overcast sky, a seaming wicket and Sourav Ganguly bowling— there is a bit of classic romance in this combo.

As the whole of Bengal celebrated each of Ganguly’s 24 deliveries, I was just wondering what would have happened if the match had taken place at the Eden Gardens. One lakh people singing ‘Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo Re’ and their Dada performing like he did yesterday— few sights in world cricket would have bettered this. It isn’t coincidental but apt that Ganguly comes from a city that loves the game so passionately. As I went to a nearby tea shop in the evening, the whole adda revolved around Dada’s winning the match for KKR. These are the little situations that make our life so special. A player is playing in another continent and his success prompts people in his city to forget everything else in their lives and celebrate. Truly India, and more so Kolkata, deserves a standing ovation. No other city in the world can match this city in terms of the passion it possesses and none other than its favourite son gives it a reason to smile in this season of scorching heat and load shedding. Long live Kolkata and long live Sourav Ganguly.

Now coming back to the match, a target of 159 under sultry conditions was always going to be tough but not if you have a player named Chris Gayle in your team. With all other batsmen struggling, Gayle was plundering the attack in a manner reminiscent of his great predecessor Sir Vivian Richards. Very few cricketers today can murder the ball like this smiling assassin from the Caribbean. He made Irfan Pathan look like a para bowler as he tore apart the Kings XI attack and with it Preity Zinta’s smile. It was only because of Gayle the Knights triumphed by 11 runs under the D/L method. As a Kolkatan I just wish Gayle could have stayed for the whole of the IPL, as his presence makes this team look much more menacing. But as of now I am celebrating as the Knights have opened their account and are looking a more professional knit.

Rain played a villain to the other match of the day, robbing all viewers of one of present day cricket’s greatest sights— Shane Warne bowling to Sachin Tendulkar. But with teams playing each other twice we hope to catch the two giants in their second match some days later. As the day ended, Chris Gayle might have been the player of the match, but in my estimate the performance of the day was the two overs from Dada which cost only 4 runs, got two wickets and turned the match in favour of the Knights.