Opening Doorz

By Moody Marty | Opening Doorz Editorial | April 15, 2025

The Folly of a Single

Delhi Capitals did not lose to Mumbai Indians after the loss of Karun Nair’s wicket. They lost the match when Ashutosh Sharma refused to take a single after he got the ball to third man off Jasprit Bumrah. Mitchell Starc had taken a single in the previous over with a well-connected stroke. Starc has starred in many matches for Australia. He is no Dilip Doshi with the bat. I agree Ashutosh played some blistering knocks last year for PBKS, not to mention his stupendous innings in DC’s first match this season. But refusing a single to a player of Starc’s repute is folly wrapped in arrogance.

Just like what Hardik Pandya did when he turned down a single to Mitchell Santner when he was brought in by MI when they ‘retired out’ a well-set Tilak Varma. MI Lost to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 12 runs at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, on April 4. The same margin they won against DC at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday evening.

A few matches ago, Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Punjab Kings (PBKS), ran a hard double on the cusp of a maiden T20 ton. Result: Shashank Singh belted 29 runs in the last over, which proved to be the deciding factor between a win, a loss, and a Shreyas Iyer ton. Shreyas knew his team came first. PBKS won. Iyer won as a leader. Iyer won as a cricketer who put the game first.

Ashutosh will learn. Hardik, though, might take longer. He’s still in that ‘baby steps’ mode, all muscle-flex for the cameras, but his body language doesn’t quite match the act. A little too unsure. As a cricketer, Hardik has miles to go. Shreyas, though, he glows!

Karun Nair’s Sublime Touch

Speaking of Karun Nair, what a treat it was to watch him caress the ball to the boundary with silken ease. Gundappa Vishwanath, anyone?

It was pure joy watching the ball sail into the stands or glide through the gaps—no brute force, just timing, and that oh-so-clean follow-through.

When was the last time we saw such sublime batting in a T20 match? Oh yes, when needed, Nair switched gears too—throwing in a few audacious T20 shots. But it took a Santner beauty to dismiss him. Only a delivery like that could end an innings like that.

Today’s T20 is mostly a slugfest—batters tonking balls with brute force, often turning the game into a game of luck. Watching Nair felt like watching a Ferrari on the racetrack—graceful, controlled, and swift.

Creaming Jasprit Bumrah with clean cricketing strokes? That was a connoisseur’s delight.

Let’s hope there’s more of Karun Nair’s artistry, in an era where ‘corrupted cricketing shots’ are celebrated like Naatu Naatu.

Hair-Raising Action, Literally!

Now back to Mohammed Shami… and his hair.

Sorry, folks. I couldn’t resist, wouldn’t desist. Whichever way you want to look at it.

In the April 12 match between SRH and PBKS at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, Marcus Stoinis clobbered Shami for 27 runs in the final over, with successive sixes off the last four balls.

Thankfully, Shami did not pull his hair out. His well-oiled hair showed some signs of filling up, unlike the previous match. The doctors, I believe, did some quick sitting with him, knowing that the cameras were ruthless in their quest, mercilessly zooming in on his head.

But Shami had a silver lining. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma returned the favour in a big way. They tore into PBKS’s 245/6 with clinical ease, finishing the chase in 18.3 overs, losing just two wickets.

That would’ve helped Shami keep some of his hair intact!

Kuldeep’s Hair and Axar’s Graft

Kuldeep Yadav bowled a tight spell for DC against MI in that match on Sunday, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He got the prized scalp of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav, caught by—you guessed it—Starc.

Teammates surrounded him in celebration, and one even ruffled his hair. Kuldeep was quick to smooth it back.

Which got me thinking… what if Axar Patel had taken a wicket? Would he have let anyone touch his hair? After all, the man’s just undergone hair grafting/patching/transfer.

Funny game, this cricket. Hair today… gone tomorrow?

[Moody Marty: Sometimes funny, sometimes informative, always downright forthright!]

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