Nihal Koshie

Mumbai: Sometime this evening, maverick Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar should run in to bowl against the mercurial Sanath Jayasuriya.

Just 22 yards away will be the masterful Sachin Tendulkar and somewhere within an earshot of Akhtar, mastermind Sourav Ganguly will be plotting the downfall of Mumbai’s opening maestros.

If and when Akhtar or Ishant Sharma, the fast bowler with rockstar locks, rattles the Mumbai Indians top-order, Shah Rukh Khan will dance under the floodlights.

For a city hooked onto cricket and movies, Friday’s opening release will be screened much later than the traditional theatre timing. It will be played under lights and the heroes will wear black and gold, and blue.

Whether the script will read in favour of superstar Sachin Tendulkar or not will be known most probably after a nail-biting climax.

Sourav Ganguly’s bravado and spirit are known to be infectious and he can inspire many twists and turns as the match ebbs and flows.

In the past Akhtar has revealed aspirations to don greasepaint and face the camera. But for all his star power, he is likely to be viewed as a villain if he inspires the Knight Riders to a win over the home team. With sentiments extreme and emotions running high at Tendulkar’s home ground, it is unlikely that the King of Bollywood will get the crowd on its feet like he has done at the Eden Gardens or at other venues.

The ‘Indians’ need all the support they can muster from the home crowd. After a disastrous start they have won their last four games.

On match eve, Tendulkar didn’t want to talk about individual battles.

“I have never had these kinds of (individual) battles. Throughout my career it was never between the individuals. As far as I am concerned it is 11 players from Kolkata playing against 11 from Mumbai. I think it is much larger than one player against another.”

Ganguly knows what he wants Akhtar to do.

“Get Sachin, Sanath and also try and get Robin Uthappa,” is his order. Tendulkar is 35, Jayasuriya 38 and Uthappa 22. But age increasingly seems to be just a number in the IPL with the likes of Haydens, Gilchrists, Jayasuriyas and Gangulys showing that they still have the heart for a fight.

“I have always said it is performance and not age that matters and this tournament is the biggest proof of that,” Tendulkar stated.

“I don’t know why I surprise people after playing for 13 years. It has become just fashionable to talk about age,” Ganguly agreed. Established stars and onehit wonders will vie of glory on Friday.

The game has all the makings of a super hit.

Source : DNA