This is what is called the 'never say die' spirit. Or something like that.
KKR v/s CSK at Centurion, 18/05/09
It wasn't a match that turned heads. Wasn't one that would make even the tail-lines of the TOI. It's just what you can do even if it doesn't greatly matter whether you do it or not. Yes, even with a lazily-filled stadium booing at you.
The Kolkata Knight Riders threw the match into fire and then snatched it out of the lapping flames. They needed just one dark horse, and they got it in the form of Bradley Hodge. I'm not particularly fond of the team (though it's being owned by SRK), but yesterday's match sure made me eat half the cushions in the hall! I just happened to read a match preview two days ago that declared, Is Kolkata lucky enough to win against Chennai? FTI, if KKR could've broken out of their notorious reputation of throwing away comfortably winnable matches in the last over just a bit earlier, they actually would have made the semis. The guys were a lot clumsy (a trait that cost Hussey yesterday), but what made this chase near-perfect was that it wasn't just some madness coming off. McCullum and Hodge selected the bowlers they were going to target, took it easy against Murali, and later found a Saha to prop up the main act.
They played a little for their pride, and a bit more for coming back into the next season positively, and although it rarely looked like they played to win, they did that handsomely against the second best team in the running!
Cheers, as usual!
