Warne vs. Ganguly: D-Day is here
There are two men in Wednesday's encounter who will be banking on the final flicker of fire inside them to make an impact on the big stage that they have so dominated for so long. Shane Warne will be thinking of spinning another web while for Sourav Ganguly will probably look at spoiling Warne's party one more time, if not for the last time itself.
Though there are many variables involved but it is a good wager that the fate of Wednesday's tie could be decided on the outcome of this high-profile battle.
"Every match in the Indian Premier League is like a judgment day of one's abilities and skills," said Rajasthan Royals skipper Warne."This is an important one. We have to win. We didn't want it to happen this way but here it is- we are taking on Knight Riders in a do-or-die situation. Ganguly isn't the one to back out of such battles. "Whatever they bowl, we will have to adapt and play according to that. If they bounce we have to pull or hook, if they bowl in the right areas we will respect that and work on it. When you're an opening batsman you are always a target and I've been playing long enough to handle the pressure."
But on the eve of the net session, the Aussie seemed to be a bit bothered by a certain Ishant Sharma. "He is good, really good," he said. Warne also spoke about his last game when he had the luxury of throwing the ball to Kamran Khan who had answered his SoS last time they played against Kolkata Knight Riders. "There is no denying that I will miss him," he said.
The true test of a champion is his performance when it matters the most. Mumbai Indians lost a crucial game to Rajasthan Royals and Sachin Tendulkar couldn't finish it off for his side. "I think he batted well. He was immaculate in all his shots. You cannot blame him. He is a champion. It is not one on one, but yes individual performance do matter in T20s. I will try to have fun in there. Let's see, I think I can," Warne said.
David Hussey, who was seen swinging two bats while preparing himself for going in to bat against Chennai Super Kings, says: "Well, I was just opening a bit. It helps when you play shots with two bats and then play with one. It helps you get rid of the stiffness and when you actually hold one bat if gives you a good feel."
On the match against Rajasthan Royals, Hussey said "We don't have anything to lose. We are here playing for pride. We are not that bad a team that we finish at the bottom of the table."
Whichever way you look at it, pride will eventually decide the outcome. The shine of victory will rub off on either Warne or Ganguly as they take their rivalry to its final stretch. The pride of being defending champions against the pride of two cricketing adversaries - Shane Warne and Sourav Ganguly. We can only hope for an encore!
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