Warne may have taught KKR a lesson

The Super Over shoot-out between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knights Riders emphasises the need for a team to have a strong-minded man in charge and not multiple leaders like KKR

Warne may have taught KKR a lesson

The Super Over shoot-out between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knights Riders emphasises the need for a team to have a strong-minded man in charge and not multiple leaders like KKR

The nail-biting finish resulted in a Super Over shoot-out between the Rajasthan Royals, the classic one-man-in-charge team and the Kolkata Knight Riders, a side currently experimenting with the concept of multiple leadership. Not surprisingly, the mercurial Royals' captain Shane Warne opted for a daring ploy; he bowled a tyro in the drama filled situation and Kamran Khan eventually prevailed over the Knight Riders' internationally acclaimed Ajantha Mendis.

Crucial over

Hot tip: Rajasthan Royals' skipper Shane Warne (right) has a chat with his bowler Kamran Khan during their Indian Premier League match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Newlands in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday. Royals won via the Super Over. pic/afp

It's worth pondering the machinations that led to Warne anointing Kamran to bowl the match-deciding over to a highly explosive Chris Gayle.

A good leader empowers his players; he endows them with the confidence to believe in their own ability and to be prepared to take a risk. When Warne opted to bowl Kamran for only one over in an IPL trial match in Cape Town (so he didn't advertise the unorthodox slinger's attributes) he empowered his player. Here was a complete unknown in the international cricket world being paid a huge compliment by his skipper, one of the best bowlers the game has ever seen. If Warne correctly judged Kamran's temperament he was assured of that extra effort from the tyro in the skipper's hour of need.

Before they reached the Super Over stage, Kamran had already re-paid his skipper's faith by taking three wickets in the innings, including the crucial one of Sourav Ganguly in the final desperate over. Having then been awarded the onerous task of bowling the Super Over, Kamran had two choices; to wilt or raise his game. Warne had seen something in his young bowler that led him to believe it would be the latter.

Compare that style of management with the Knight Riders' where they nominate a captain but extol the virtues of multiple leadership. In Kamran's case he knows he's been anointed by Warne but Mendis could easily be wondering if he was chosen in a split vote by a committee.

Imagine the discussion in the Knight Riders' camp: First, Brendon McCullum asks Gayle; "Who do you think should bowl?"u00a0u00a0u00a0

And then he asks Ganguly and Brad Hodge and anyone else who might have either been co-opted onto the committee or wandered past at the appropriate time and voiced an opinion.

Eventually, McCullum hands the ball to Mendis. After watching the consultation process Mendis is entitled to ask, as an Indian batsman once did when he was selected to replace an injured teammate against an Australian Test side that included Jeff Thomson; "Why me?"

Any doubts Mendis that may have harboured about succeeding in such a pressure cooker situation would have been elevated to high alert the moment he was handed the ball after a committee meeting.

Kamran on the other hand had already been empowered by Warne before the tournament started. Now here was his illustrious skipper maintaining his faith with a gesture that screamed loudly; "I believe you can win us this match."

Warne had the advantage of having already attained right royal miracle worker status for Rajasthan. Once a team believes a captain can guide them home in a tight situation, there's a fair chance it'll become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Warne succeeds more often than not in tense situations because he's brave enough to seek victory rather than wait for it to come knocking on his door.

In the case of the Knight Riders' multiple leadership experiment, the players aren't exactly sure who is putting faith in their ability. Is it McCullum alone or was it decided by a split vote?

Positive thinker

At times of high tension on a cricket field, the players look to the captain to show them a successful way through the fog. That calls for a clear and positive thinking leader. At such a crucial time the last thing a skipper needs is to have his train of thought derailed by input from three co-captains.

The Super Over shoot-out emphasises the need for a cricket team to have a strong-minded man in charge; one man. Or at least that's the way the cricket Gods appeared to want it in Cape Town.

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