TMG Digital
TELFORD VICE in London
YOU wouldn’t think there’s much to connect Murugan Ashwin, a leg spinner who has three first-class caps, to David Warner, who has 102.
And what dots might there be to join Ashwin and Warner with Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Andre Russell, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Chris Lynn, Mitch McClenaghan and Hardus Viljoen?
It’s not so much a dot as the streak of white the ball makes as it speeds into the Indian night.
All of the players above have been dismissed, in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), by Delhi Capitals’ Kagiso Rabada — the tournament’s leading wicket-taker heading into Thursday’s match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings in Jaipur.
Rabada has claimed 11 scalps in six games, or two more than anyone else in a chasing pack in which Imran Tahir is one of three bowlers with nine wickets.
The next South Africans on the list are Chris Morris, who has taken six in four matches, and Viljoen, who has four in as many games.
Rabada delivered his best performance in his 12 IPL games so far against Royal Challengers in Bangalore on Sunday, when his 4/21 included rushing Kohli into a drive that had him caught down the ground and having De Villiers taken at long-on with a slower delivery.
“It’s always gold to get wickets in T20 cricket,” Rabada told reporters in Bangalore in a revealing insight into white-ball bowling.
“The batsman is going to make the mistake. You have to not try, sort of, to get the batter out.
“You try see where he’s trying to score; he has to take the risk.”
There’s less of a Mzansi flavour among the leaders on the batting side of the fence, where a dozen players have scored more runs than De Villiers, the leading Saffer with 173 from six innings.
None of the four centurions have been South Africans, who own only five of the 42 scores of 50 and more.
De Villiers has been there twice, and Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Faf du Plessis once each.
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