When the situation is tense and the teams are virtually on par, the outfit that holds its nerve till the end breasts the tape first. Rajasthan Royals did just that when they beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets with five balls remaining in their IPL encounter at Ahmedabad.
The Royals’ nerve was held strongly in place by their skipper Steve Smith, who waited with patience while his team was being tested by the Mumbai bowlers and burst out at the right moment to dash the hopes of Mumbai, who had come back into the game after a sorry start, having won the toss and decided to bat on what looked like a belter of a pitch.
From steady to tumbling
Mumbai’s openers Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel (who replaced Aditya Tare) had given them a solid start until Finch pulled his hamstring, effectively dragging down Mumbai’s hopes of giving the Royals a big total to chase.
What one saw after that was mayhem as Mumbai’s wickets tumbled thanks to some decisive bowling by the Royals. Stuart Binny, who did not play much of a role for Royals in the last encounter, bowled a gem that sent Mumbai’s captain, and danger man, Rohit Sharma back to the dug out. Binny’s clicking of his heels, post that dismissal, showed the kind of mood the Royals were in at that point in time.
A hurricane comeback
With the score reading 35 runs with 3 wickets down (four, if one considers Finch’s injury), Mumbai were staring down the barrel. The effervescent Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson played out of their skins and stitched an effective partnership to give the Mumbai bowlers a total they could defend.
The left-hand, right-hand combination of Pollard and Anderson tore into the Royals bowling not sparing a single loose ball. Forget the wayward balls, even good deliveries, bowled by worthies like Tim Southee and James Faulkner, were dispatched with impunity way over the ropes.
The 104-run stand took Mumbai to a total that was respectable and one that gave them a fair chance. Striking an amazing 81 runs off a mere five overs was what the duo did, destroying any plan that the Royals may have bene nurturing for a facile win.
Calibrated chase
Royals skipper Smith and opener Ajinkya Rahane decided that the best way to overcome the opposition was to wait and watch. Though both spluttered and gasped while starting their innings, they hung on to keep wickets in hand and frustrate the Mumbai bowlers and fieldsmen with their patient approach. Preserving wickets is the key to batting success as we have seen in the tournament thus far, and Royals did just that.
Smith’s final charge was amazing. Having sized up the bowling, the Australian, who is in the form of his life, tore into the attack with the belligerence of a bullfighter. He realised that if he could get to Lasith Malinga, Mumbai’s bowling mainstay, the rest of the attack would be easy meat. There was nothing that Mumbai skipper Sharma could do besides helplessly watch his counterpart drive nails into Mumbai’s coffin with brazenness.
What now for Mumbai?
Three wins out of three is a great start for stand-in captain Smith, while the exact opposite applies to Sharma. With Josh Hazelwood leaving the Mumbai team in the lurch with an untimely pullout from the tournament and Finch’s injury, maybe it’s time for Mumbai to unravel the potential of Aiden Blizzard, the southpaw Australian batsman, and Michael McClenaghan, a left-arm medium pacer from New Zealand.
One good victory is all that Mumbai Indians needs to get its act together and challenge the rest of the teams in the IPL. Their preparations will be truly tested at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, when they face off against the in-form Chennai Super Kings. The Royals will be looking forward to extending their victorious march when they meet Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.
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The Royals’ nerve was held strongly in place by their skipper Steve Smith, who waited with patience while his team was being tested by the Mumbai bowlers and burst out at the right moment to dash the hopes of Mumbai, who had come back into the game after a sorry start, having won the toss and decided to bat on what looked like a belter of a pitch.
From steady to tumbling
Mumbai’s openers Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel (who replaced Aditya Tare) had given them a solid start until Finch pulled his hamstring, effectively dragging down Mumbai’s hopes of giving the Royals a big total to chase.
What one saw after that was mayhem as Mumbai’s wickets tumbled thanks to some decisive bowling by the Royals. Stuart Binny, who did not play much of a role for Royals in the last encounter, bowled a gem that sent Mumbai’s captain, and danger man, Rohit Sharma back to the dug out. Binny’s clicking of his heels, post that dismissal, showed the kind of mood the Royals were in at that point in time.
A hurricane comeback
With the score reading 35 runs with 3 wickets down (four, if one considers Finch’s injury), Mumbai were staring down the barrel. The effervescent Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson played out of their skins and stitched an effective partnership to give the Mumbai bowlers a total they could defend.
The left-hand, right-hand combination of Pollard and Anderson tore into the Royals bowling not sparing a single loose ball. Forget the wayward balls, even good deliveries, bowled by worthies like Tim Southee and James Faulkner, were dispatched with impunity way over the ropes.
The 104-run stand took Mumbai to a total that was respectable and one that gave them a fair chance. Striking an amazing 81 runs off a mere five overs was what the duo did, destroying any plan that the Royals may have bene nurturing for a facile win.
Calibrated chase
Royals skipper Smith and opener Ajinkya Rahane decided that the best way to overcome the opposition was to wait and watch. Though both spluttered and gasped while starting their innings, they hung on to keep wickets in hand and frustrate the Mumbai bowlers and fieldsmen with their patient approach. Preserving wickets is the key to batting success as we have seen in the tournament thus far, and Royals did just that.
Smith’s final charge was amazing. Having sized up the bowling, the Australian, who is in the form of his life, tore into the attack with the belligerence of a bullfighter. He realised that if he could get to Lasith Malinga, Mumbai’s bowling mainstay, the rest of the attack would be easy meat. There was nothing that Mumbai skipper Sharma could do besides helplessly watch his counterpart drive nails into Mumbai’s coffin with brazenness.
What now for Mumbai?
Three wins out of three is a great start for stand-in captain Smith, while the exact opposite applies to Sharma. With Josh Hazelwood leaving the Mumbai team in the lurch with an untimely pullout from the tournament and Finch’s injury, maybe it’s time for Mumbai to unravel the potential of Aiden Blizzard, the southpaw Australian batsman, and Michael McClenaghan, a left-arm medium pacer from New Zealand.
One good victory is all that Mumbai Indians needs to get its act together and challenge the rest of the teams in the IPL. Their preparations will be truly tested at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, when they face off against the in-form Chennai Super Kings. The Royals will be looking forward to extending their victorious march when they meet Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.
