The main talking point from yesterday's slugfest between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals wasn't the machine gun frenzied batting of Murali Vijay or Albie Morkel for Chennai, nor for that matter was it the response from Shane Watson or Naman Ojha for the Royals.
No in a game where bowlers were effectively kidnapped, tortured and beaten to within an inch of their lives, one man stood tall. That man had only recently stepped off a plane from New Zealand and was playing his first IPL game of the season.
Step forward Doug Bollinger, who in a game that saw a colossal 469 runs in its 40 overs, returned figures of two for 15 from his four overs. It reminded me of a Rambo film, where the hero against overwhelming odds, single-handedly fights off hoards of enemy soldiers before emerging as the victor.
If it hadn't been for Bollinger, then Rajasthan would have incredibly overhauled Chennai's massive 246 for 5. Vijay's 127 off 56 balls with 11 DLF maximums (God, I hate that phrase) was a magnificent T20 innings (as was Watson's 60 from 25), but it should surely be taken into the context of a game where the balance between bat and ball was so tilted in favour of the men with the willow that it was ridiculous. If it had been a war, the army of bowlers would have found that they had only blanks to shoot at a foe that outnumbered and totally outgunned them.
So, for valour in the face of adversity, take a bow Doug Bollinger.
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