Rock Of Gibraltar… saga of a debutant
The third match of IPL 2026 was a one-sided match. It is a known fact that CSK is living on legacy rather on evolving cricketing techniques. Still there was curious interest in how the child prodigy- Vaibhav Surya Vanshi will shape up. He came out with a blitzkrieg of an innings 52 runs in 17 balls. This sums up the review of the third match.
Coming to the 4th match of IPL, it is a story of Cooper Connolly … a name that has too many repeated vowels but that does not make him significant, but his classic act of today will for he stood throughout the match like a Rock of Gibraltar and that too on a debut match in IPL on his tender shoulders, And he is only 22 years and yet to grow a real beard (Beards have been made mandatory by another legend known as King Kohli for the last two decades). Curious is the fact that this little champion comes from Australia which makes it more interesting.
It was an Australian – Kerry Packer, Media Moghul who instigated the idea of ODIs, a la Lalit Modi, a tobacco Czar who brought IPL to the fore. The citizens of Australia are the descendants of the outcasts and convicts of England (inventor of Cricket). But it was the future generations Australians of these races, who have brought radical changes in cricket – be it making 400 runs on the first day of a Test (This is now being practiced by England is called Bazball cricket) or at least 90 runs in the first 15 overs of an ODI. And here lies the paradox that cricket was invented by England, reinvented by Australia and made lucrative as well a religion by India.
This match as everyone thought was over by the end of first innings… that was not the case. The target was not insurmountable by any standards of IPL, but it drags on to the final over. The real hero was a debutant green horse who stood like a Rock of Gibraltar. The Rock of Gibraltar has a historical significance, it witnessed, collision between faiths and rulers of medieval imperialism unmoved or shaken. Let’s not put on this burden on this young lad.
Here is the sage advice to the young Turk.
“sattvānurūpā sarvasya
śraddhā bhavati bhārata
śraddhā-mayo ‘yaṁ puruṣo
yo yac-chraddhaḥ sa eva saḥ” (Chapter 17 verse 3 of Bhagavad Geetha).
A person’s faith is shaped by their inner nature.
A human being is made of their faith—
whatever one believes in, that they become.
Boy, believe in this and you will be “A rock star”