IPL 2021: Balvinder Singh Sandhu on SRH collapse - It’s all in the mind

Royal Challengers Bangalore players celebrate a Sunrisers wicket at Chennai on Wednesday. Pic/BCCI; IPL

What happened at the M Chidambaram Stadium in the last two games held in Chennai, was not unprecedented but unusual - teams choking after being in a comfortable position.

What looked like a straightforward finish, Kolkata Knight Riders [against Mumbai Indians] and Sunrisers Hyderabad [against Royal Challengers Bangalore] ran out of fuel to complete the last mile.

Chasing MI's 152 on Tuesday, KKR needed 31 runs off their last five overs with six wickets in hand, but ended up losing by 10 runs.

Balvinder Singh Sandhu and Ramesh Powar

SRH on Wednesday failed to get 42 runs from the last 30 deliveries despite having eight wickets in hand, ultimately falling short by six runs. Of the four games at Chennai, only once did the team batting second successfully chase the target [during the IPL-14 opening clash where RCB beat MI by two wickets, thanks to AB de Villiers's 27-ball 48].

Players in a haste

India's 1983 World Cupper Balvinder Singh Sandhu felt bad shot selection and anxiety were the reasons for the teams' inability to close the game. "It's all in the mind and that is why they are collapsing. It's bad shot selection and the hurry to finish the game. Instead of taking the game into the final over, the teams want to win in the 18th or 19th over. It's lack of mental preparedness that is affecting them," Sandhu told mid-day on Thursday.

KKR had all the firepower in Andre Russell (15-ball 9), Dinesh Karthik (8 not out) and Shakib Al Hasan (9), but still couldn't win against MI.

Ditto SRH, who lost the fizz after RCB's left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed claimed the wickets of Jonny Bairstow (12), Manish Pandey (38) and Abdul Samad (0) in a single over. Vijay Shankar, Jason Holder and Rashid Khan could hardly repair that damage.

"If you lose despite being in the driver's seat, it is just bad shot selection or decisions. Anxiety is taking over them. Anxiety can come to any player - newcomer or experienced player. The reputation is at stake in a pressure situation for the established players. To live up to their reputation, players can get anxious. The batsmen are getting out due to bad shot selection and not due to some outstanding bowling," said Sandhu, who has coached state teams.

‘Well-prepared'

Former India women's coach Ramesh Powar said the mindset of MI and RCB did the trick. "MI and RCB look well-prepared as compared to other teams. It's all about the mindset and self-belief to win from any situation. MI and RCB have a process in place. Pressure-handling by MI and RCB bowlers are far better than the rest. MI is an all-condition team. It doesn't matter where they are playing. Mike Hesson [RCB's Director of Cricket Operations] is managing the resources very well. And they have a lot of current India players which is a big boost," said the former India off-spinner, who recently had a stint as spin bowling coach at the National Cricket Academy.
Powar, who coached Mumbai to the Vijay Hazare Trophy title last month, felt teams dependent on the home advantage will struggle with the IPL being played at neutral venues. "Teams like KKR and SRH are used to taking full advantage of home conditions whereas sides like MI and RCB have players for any surface. Neutral venues is like tackling an out-of-syllabus question," said Powar.

Sandhu did not find anything wrong with the Chepauk track. "Pitch conditions will not change in the last five overs. These are not bad pitches by any means," he
concluded.