The best laid out plans are the ones that usually go awry first. So when Team Jaipur declared that they had a few to tackle Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one couldn't help but look at the pinch of salt hungrily.The trap had, however, been put in motion well before the match began on a hot Sunday evening. To begin with, the hosts spread the word that the Sawai Man Singh was a good batting track; then, there were enough hints to indicate that it would eventually take turn too.
Chennai, gullible as formidable units usually are, fell for the trick: they realized what they had walked into only when their top order got blown away. By the time Dhoni stepped out to bat, he was smarting with doubts. Shane Warne promptly took charge of the ball.
It was barely the eighth over of the innings, probably the earliest he has bowled in the IPL so far. Graeme Smith, without even bothering to look at his captain, went over to first slip. Mid off went back, mid-wicket went deeper, cover moved wider and gully went squarer. Warne tossed his leg-break up. The ball pitched perfectly outside leg-stump, fizzed through the air and ripped past his probing willow. Next ball was a straighter one; Dhoni warded it off without any problem. The third one was again outside the leg, just that it was a little flatter.
Dhoni lunged at it once again and could only manage a thin edge. Smith gleefully accepted the dolly and Team Jaipur celebrated in the middle, jumping like a bunch of little boys who had got lucky on their first date. The plan had worked, almost as they had conceived it.
So what weakness did Warne and his coach Darren Berry see in Dhoni's formidable arsenal? Was it just a fluke or is it something that can be exploited by others as well? The most valuable player in the IPL, of course, doesn't have the perfect technique.
But who is going to stop Jaipur? Are they really the underdogs, as they were made out to be? Their recent results clearly show they can't be taken lightly anymore. A closer analysis, however, underlines why exactly they are on such a roll.
Jaipur's four foreign players are easily the most influential in the league today: an attacking opening bat, a hustling all-rounder, a world class opener and a deceptively quick bowler. Basically, they have a man for every season, every contingency. Add a mixture of young and enthusiastic boys to some experienced players and they become a potent combination.
Team spirit was being seen as their hallmark till now; but it is just an over-hyped concept. The fact is they have the right man for the right job at every place. And the process starts for them right at the beginning: at the planning stage.
