Saturday, April 14, 2012

How to Win a T20..


The current season of the IPL is on the way and has produced some great matches so far. From the match where the Mumbai Indians won in the last ball; to the match yesterday  where the Chennai Super Kings pulled off a heist by chasing over 200 runs to win. All these matches have shown the beauty of the T20 format and has got the attention of all cricket lovers.  As the T20 format get popular every day, the teams who are playing it must be wondering what is the right formula to win such a match.  Though there is no proven method yet as sport is always unpredictable; there are some methods a team can use to at least give themselves a chance of winning one. So here I present to you that formula . The way to win a T20.
When you win the toss bat first and set a target

I believed in this theory before and still believe in it though CSK and Mumbai may have different opinions about it. Chasing a target in a T20 match is always difficult since you always got to keep an eye on the required run rate and keep on hitting the big shots constantly. When you bat first , the pressure is less and you always got the freedom to go for big shots in the beginning and in the end baring if you keep wickets in hand.

So when you win the toss, it is important that you try to bat first every time when its possible ( sometimes the pitch might have a case being bowler friendly , then you might have to  reconsider it ). If you do , the battle is half won.

Have a good opening combination

This is something that is important to other forms of cricket and for T20, there is no difference. When you have a good opening pair, you got the chance to build a platform for the late launch and if you are the team that is chasing a target, it is important that you get some good runs from the openers before you go to the middle and lower order. Having a weak opening pair means there is always a chance for a wicket and could result it early damage which will ultimately affect the result. So you need to have a good opening combination  to gain T20 success.


Have a lot of all rounders 


Having all rounders is a plus to any team. If you got a lot in your T20 team , then it is a double bonus. All rounders are precious to T20 success since you never know when they will come handy . Taking the CSK vs Bangalore game again for an example, CSK would not have won that match if not for the all round capabilities of their line up. Morkel was superb , Bravo and Jadeja finished it.  Even Kieron Pollard showed his all round capabilities during the match with the Rajasthan Royals. He scored 60 odd runs in no time and even took 4 wickets. All rounders will help you win matches out of nowhere. So you need to have a lot of them in your T20 team. They will definitely help you to win more matches consistently.


Don't Forget the Basics 
 
There is a belief that when it comes to T20 people need to change their natural game and do extravagant things to win them. This is not true. You need to stick to your basics whenever you can because that is what that will get you through. The best example that I can give here is Mahela who bats serenely in T20's just like he does in 50 over matches as well as Tests. The result ,  two T20 hundreds.  Even when it bowling the same theory applies so it is important that while doing things out of the box , to stick to the basics as well. It will surely win you more matches.

So that is my mantra in winning  a T20. It is true that this would not work all the time and surely you need to consider many other factors such as  the pitch condition , the strength and weaknesses of your team as well as your luck on the given day. Yet, the above factors are the ones that teams least think about ; so it is important to consider them as well when you play T20 matches.

Then you can win more T20 matches and can consider a team that is consistent in this format of the game we all so dearly love.

Cheers!!

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