CL semi-final between NSW and Victoria could end in a farce

Don't be surprised if tomorrow's first Champions League semi-final between NSW Blues and Victoria Bushrangers ends in a farce at the Kotla

CL semi-final between NSW and Victoria could end in a farce

Don't be surprised if tomorrow's first Champions League semi-final between NSW Blues and Victoria Bushrangers ends in a farce at the Kotla

Cape Cobras' captain Andrew Puttick didn't earn some high points from the experts after losing an albeit inconsequential game to Delhi Daredevils in the Champions League at the Kotla yesterday.

He probably needs to get his cricketing brain examined. That he chose to let his opponents, hosts Delhi bat first on a track known to be dicey and difficult was shocking. What was Puttick thinking? That the wicket would be at its flattest when he and his boys batted second? Puttick was chosen as captain of Cape Cobras after Graeme Smith was unavailable due to injury. Wonder what Smith thinks of his decision.

It's certainly not the end of the world though. If Puttick leads his side to two wins, he could be the toast of South African domestic cricket.

The Kotla track turned out to be a nightmare and if the organisers are truly concerned about how it behaves, they should contemplate shifting the semi-final to another venue. Bangalore could be a good option if the Chinnaswamy Stadium is available. After all, the track produced some good cricket. One shudders to think about what will happen on the night of October 21 when Aussie giants New South Wales clash with Victoria Bushrangers. Don't blame the Australians if they moan and groan about the wicket. Losing due to a poor wicket cuts deeper.

Delhi Daredevils skipper Gautam Gambhir said after his consolation win last night that he was happy his team could give the Kotla crowd something to cheer about in their last game of the competition after they failed to make it to the semi-final stage.

Why no Viru?
However, Gambhir's team lacked the presence of two stars who could have made the crowd more cheerful former captain Virender Sehwag and Australian pace great Glenn McGrath. Sehwag told a television commentator yesterday that he opted to sit out of the tie to give a younger player an opportunity. Nice gesture, but it did not show that Delhi were keen on using their best guns to make an impression in their last game. Surely, the Kotla would have been abuzz had Sehwag been part of the action.

Secondly, but importantly, the game would have given Sehwag one more match crack before taking on the Australians in the first of the seven-match one-day international series in Nagpur on Sunday. Remember, Sehwag is making a comeback to international cricket this week.

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