Without Direction Aggression Fast Tracks Delhi's Downfall

You can not always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need" Rolling Stones.

'Trying', that's the key word and that was exactly what was lacking in Delhi's batting performance after they folded cheaply twice to hand Karnataka a bonus-point victory in the Group B Ranji Trophy encounter at Eden Gardens that finished within two and a half days. The story of Delhi's second innings was very similar to their first when they were bowled out for 90, only this time they scored 74 more runs and managed to last for more than a session. Their performance puts a big question mark on the batsmen's temperament and the lack of application that was clearly evident from the way they approached the innings.

Getting bowled out for 90 in the first innings was no doubt a shoddy effort, but it could have been termed as an aberration had Delhi shown the willingness to grind it out and stretch the match as far as possible. While aggression is the new mantra for cricket, irrespective of the formats of the game, it is 'old-school' cricket that still reaps rich rewards. Fearless stroke-play is a powerful weapon to have and trying to hit your way out of trouble has worked for a few cricketers. But there also needs to be a balance between attacking cricket and a strong defence.

Take Rishabh Pant for example: In the first innings, with the team reeling at 40 for 3, Delhi would have be hoping for the middle order to show some defiance when the left-hander walked out to the middle. Pant, who had a couple of reprieves, went on to score 24 off 20 - the joint-highest score in the first essay. A gritty 2 not out off 20 would have been a more preferred option for Delhi had the 19-year-old managed to hang around and take the team through to the Lunch break. But he did not and neither did the rest of his team-mates as Delhi folded for only 90, inside an extended first session on Day 1.

On Day 3, with a deficit of 324 runs, Pant walked out to the middle in a similar situation that he and his team found themselves in during the first innings. Delhi were reduced to 61 for 3 and needed to bat out sessions to have any hope of saving the game. In comes Pant and makes a statement by hitting his first ball for a six. But eight deliveries later, he attempts an expansive drive through the off-side - not advisable when there is some spin on offer - and ends up edging it to first slip to depart for 9.

Only 19, Pant is still in his early years as far as playing long-form cricket is concerned. But his predisposition to attacking cricket, no matter the situation, is something that needs to be changed. KP Bhaskar, the Delhi coach, agrees: "He's a very natural player, he is a player who plays his shots. The only thing, the advice I have given him is that there are certain pitches where you need to have certain ball selection, the shot selection that we talk about. You can't play in the same pattern in every pitch. Sometimes there will be a pitch which is holding on, there's a green top, so the shot selection becomes very important. Which right ball to play a shot on, that is very, very important. That's the hallmark of a good player."

In the match against Assam at Vadodra, Pant blitzed his way to a 124-ball 146, and on a flat deck at the Wankhede stadium, he almost helped Delhi overhaul Maharashtra's first innings score of 635 when he scored 308 off 326 balls. But as Bhaskar pointed out, those were flat wickets where shot-making wasn't all that difficult and Pant's batting was found wanting on a trying wicket against a quality bowling attack of Karnataka.

"You can't just play in the same pattern and the same gear, you can't do that. Sometimes the situation demands where you need to be a little choosy," Bhaskar said. "If the wicket is good and you are very confident like what happened in Baroda and Bombay you could play your shots. But then here, there was a bit in the wicket, their bowlers were good - they were running in at you, coming good at you. You still need to have the right shot selection. You can't just hit out."

Not just Pant, a few others too were guilty of throwing their wickets away, and the Delhi coach had no qualms in admitting that 'stupid shots' brought about Delhi's downfall. "It wasn't a 90-run pitch. We didn't apply at all. We threw our wickets away, twice. I don't think anybody got out because of the pitch. It was all (because of) stupid shots, shots that you don't expect from a Ranji Trophy player. You need to show a lot of character.

"I always tell these boys 'when you represent Delhi, you're not just representing yourself or your set. You are representing the whole cricket fraternity.' You're talking about the Virender Sehwags, the Virat Kohlis, the Jimmy Amarnaths and the Madan Lals. They've set some standards, they've had character. It's the adaptability to such wickets (that is important). You won't get such Bombay wickets or Baroda wickets everywhere. You have to adapt and that's what makes a better player than a good player."

Delhi have an extra day available to brood over things before heading to Mohali for their clash against Odisha. Whenever the team meeting happens, the focus will definitely be on applying themselves better, in all departments of the game. After the win against Assam, things have not quite gone Delhi's way. They do have five matches available to prove that their clinical start wasn't merely a flash in the pan. But for that to happen, they need to show a significant change in their approach.