A new dawn and I find myself performing the same old chores, packing my belongings to move to the next venue. There is a hint of freshness in my demeanor and that is because of the first win we recorded in the last eight matches. I am injected with a sense of relief, and thank the Almighty
and my team.
Coming out of that horrible streak of failures, I find writing this article today relatively easier than it was on the last few occasions. The bitter taste of defeat is still very much on our tongues, and one can imagine the plight of having to describe it in words time and again.
We as a group were trying hard to turn things around and I am glad we managed to do it at my home ground. The win against Kings XI Punjab has given me a chance to think positively and differently.
Finally, a win
It's like finally seeing a ray of light while travelling in a seemingly endless, dark tunnel. After a long time we managed to get a result which showed the calibre and class of this side.
Our aim was to play tight and error-free cricket. We may not have been upto the mark but the intensity and effort was much better on the field. We didn't allow Kings XI to run away with the starts, and taking wickets at regular intervals was the key for us. Rahul Sharma was the star of our bowling campaign again, and with each passing match this boy is growing in stature. His economical spells with wickets helped us control the middle overs better.
He was well supported by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wayne Parnell and Mitchell Marsh. On this good batting wicket, 119 was not the kind of score we expected to chase, but all credit to our bowlers who made things easy for us.
As a batting unit, I expected to finish things with little more style and authority, but all is well that ends well. Now we are entering the last few days of the league stage, where plenty is at stake.
All the teams are eyeing that final four spot. And every match adds a new dimension to the look of the table.
No hurry
As I have said before, we are in no hurry to look too far ahead and will rather concentrate on taking small measured steps towards our destination. We just want to train and play hard, follow the basics and give our 100 per cent on the field. And what I've gathered till date is that these simple steps hold the key to success. Our next halt is Hyderabad, where Deccan Chargers await us.
They are also in a similar situation like us and would like to turn the tables on us. Their bowling attack is really sharp and would pose a good challenge to us. Now it's our responsibility to use this win as an example and keep the momentum going.
PMG