Kochi Tuskers virtually on top

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The men in blue are biting dust on the English soil and the kangaroos are getting lampooned by the Lankan army but what has that to do with cricket lovers in Kerala?

You might want to browse through the Facebook pages of Kochi Tuskers Kerala, where an off-season IPL delicacy has started cooking.

KTK fans are going crazy in the virtual world, hailing praises to the orange brigade that is putting up a stellar show for their host nations in various ongoing cricket series.

The characteristic Laxman, the temperamental Sreesanth, the reliable (captain) Mahela, the fast and furious Hastings and other KTK players are back on the social networking pages — thanks to their spirited performances.

“After that glittering performance by Sree with five wickets in his kitty and Laxman impressing with the bat in the first innings, it’s time India dominates on day four and five to win this test match to prove our prowess in this format of the game!” reads a comment on the KTK fan page, which was liked and commented by hundreds of supporters.

While, that was in reference to India versus England, the Sri Lanka versus Australia series is also a hot topic of

debate — “After two exciting T20 matches with our captain Mayya (Mahela) excelling as the opening batsman, it’s time for the first ODI of the tour.

“Comprising KTK players — Hastings, Smith, Mayya and Perera, it will be interesting to see if Australia can strike back!”

It was none other than KTK captain Mahela who shone with a brilliant 86 in the second T20 against Australia, which the Lankan’s won by 8 runs.

In the same match, the KTK players of Australia, pacer Johan Hastings felled three wickets while the other two Steve O. Keefe and Steven Smith took one wicket each.

In the English courtyard, despite India trailing 0-2 and going on the backfoot in the third Test, KTK supporters are hailing praises for Laxman’s crafty 56 in the second innings of the Lord’s Test.

Sreesanth had struck five times in the two innings, twice removing the dangerous Pietersen.

It doesn’t end there. The inclusion of R.P. Singh in replacement for an injured Zaheer Khan and the call given to Tuskers’ Vinay Kumar and Parthiv Patel for the upcoming five matches ODI against England has got the parrot talking again.

Meanwhile, the KTK management has also joined the chorus with chairman of KTK Mukesh Patel saying, “It is heartening to see the wide pool of KTK players being selected and representing their countries on the field.”