CSK's Bollinger wins hearts on debut

CHENNAI: He may have played many times at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but 40,000 people chanting his name every time he comes on to bowl, is something new for the Aussie paceman. That's the magic of IPL and the left-armer is soaking in every moment of it.

"I can't remember the last time when fans kept chanting my name," Doug Bollinger said after bowling a super spell of 2-15 on a day when 469 runs were scored off 40 overs.

Bollinger could not have asked for a better IPL debut than this. The Australian had landed in the city just two days back but there was not a sign of fatigue. He acclimatized well and his presence has surely added a new dimension to the Chennai Super Kings attack. In an unforgiving format for bowlers, Bollinger hit the right spots consistently, denying elbow room to the marauding Rajasthan Royals batsmen. He just stifled them .

The CSK team management may just think that the injury to Kiwi allrounder Jacob Oram has been a boon in disguise for them. Bollinger was a last-minute inclusion in his place and the way the paceman shaped up on Day I, he may well be one of the players who will be retained for next season as well.

Bollinger first came to India as part of the Australia A side two years ago. Last year, he was back again with the Australian senior side for the seven One Dayers, and by the end of the gruelling campaign, he was toasted as the find of the tour.

"I've played a fair amount of cricket here before and I'm aware of the pitch and the conditions. It's important to adjust to the conditions quickly and as a professional player I'm used to it. I'm happy that my effort helped the team win such an important match and I'm confident of delivering my best in the next games as well," Bollinger, who also bagged the award for the best catch to dismiss Yusuf Pathan, said.

Such was Bollinger's influence on the game that Royals skipper Shane Warne said it was the Aussie who denied them a win. "Vijay played an exceptional innings but I think Doug made the difference. He stuck to his plans and that did the trick for him," Warne said.

But Bollinger was modest enough to give the credit to his teammate. "It's a great compliment for me. Vijay played a fantastic knock and I think whole credit goes to him. Something like 220 would have been a very good total to defend but 246 was more than our expectations. It was a brilliant batting display. It wasn't an easy target to chase down and I was just doing my job and I'm happy that everything fell into place," Bollinger said.

CSK need to win at least three out of their four matches to make the semifinals and the New South Wales player has to play a big part if Dhoni's boys are to progress. He is well aware of it. "We have a few tough games coming up, but things have started on the right note."