Mumbai Indians have taken a tactical decision to shuffle their batting line-up every now and then in the Indian Premier League, coach Mahela Jayawardene said after the team’s four-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
After KKR posted a formidable 178/7 on the board, Mumbai promoted Nitesh Rana to No 3, above captain Rohit Sharma, who generally opens the innings. The two players interchanged positions from Mumbai’s first match of the season, when Sharma batted at three and Rana came in at four. On Sunday, Rana went on to score a match-winning half-century, while Sharma was dismissed cheaply for the second straight game, albeit off a massive inside-edge that was given out leg-before.
Jayawardene said that Mumbai will continue to shuffle their order, at least until Sharma has settled into his groove following a long injury layoff. “We can’t keep playing the same patterns we played in the past,” Jayawardene said in the post-match press conference. “Teams tend to target Rohit and put a lot of pressure on the other guys as well. Rohit is coming back from an injury, so we need to slowly get him involved. You might be surprised – in some of the games he might open the batting.
“We just keep it close to ourselves, what we need to do. The guys are taking responsibility in their roles. We just need to create the difference out there. It’s not an easy tournament, if you see the opposition we played today and the one we play two days later [– defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad]. We just need to have that surprise element going forward.”
Rana had batted at No 3 in Mumbai’s final two games last season, Jayawardene said, and it allowed them to keep the left-right-hand combination and play around with different opposition. “The boys have bought into that – into being flexible and playing for the team. Everyone realises that they have got a role to play and we back them 100%. We ask them to do a job and if they fail, that happens and we still back them.”
Chasing a target of 179, things seemed lost and buried for Mumbai after they lost Kieron Pollard with 49 needed off the last 17 balls. But Rana and Hardik Pandya played two swashbuckling knocks to take Mumbai to their seventh win over Kolkata at the Wankhede Stadium. Rana held his nerve, pulled out the scoop and got hit into everything to snatch victory out of KKR’s hands, with a 29-ball 50. He did get dismissed in the 19th over but Pandya was there at hand to calmly swat away two sixes and three boundaries in his 11-ball 29 to take Mumbai home.
Jayawardene said he was pleased to see two young players carrying the team past the finish line. “It’s a funny game. A bit of pressure and a few good shots created those opportunities for us. Nitesh padded the innings up front and then took the game deep and showed what he can do. Hardik then came and finished it off. It was pleasing to see that. I’ve seen enough T20 cricket and it happens – you always have to have that belief.” On Rana specifically, the former Sri Lanka captain said, “He’s a very talented player. He showed a lot of quality today. Hopefully he grows stronger through the tournament and we see more of that from him.”
After the opening defeat in Pune, Jayawardene said he was pleased to get the season’s first points on the board at home. “It was our first home game and we got points on the board for us, had a brilliant crowd, they were not disappointed,” he said. “Especially when you loose your first game, to come back with that kind of character, that shows quality. Even the last game as well, we took it deep, we didn’t give up. That’s a good attitude to have in a tough tournament like this.”