David Warner won his grudge match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, but Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya didn’t enjoy the same luck a day later. The Mumbai Indians not retaining their star all-rounder was a matter of debate in the lead-up to the IPL.
After eight losses on the trot, Mumbai have now won two consecutive matches. On Friday, table toppers Gujarat Titans failed to pull it off with 9 runs needed of the final over. There were three dot balls and a run out and in the end,the Titans managed only three off the Daniel Sams over.
Specialist finishers like Rahul Tewatia, David Miller and Rashid Khan were there during Sams’ over but failed in their quest to achieve victory. The Titans have built a reputation of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat but they were forced to surrender meekly on Friday.
The start had been encouraging as Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) put on a 106-run opening stand chasing a target of 178. Both the openers departed in the 13th over and it fell upon Pandya to take up the responsibility. But the Titans captain was run out while going for a second run.
Pandya and Tewatia’s run outs proved to be the deciding factor on a night when Jasprit Bumrah went for 48 runs in his four overs.
Show of intent
If Rohit Sharma’s form has been a concern, stop worrying. The traits which make Rohit a delight to watch were in full view at the Brabourne Stadium. The intent was always positive and it was the timing and placement of his shots that left the full house spellbound.
The ball was coming onto the bat and the absence of any dew made strokemaking easier. Rohit seemed in his elements from the outset as Mumbai raced to 63 in the Powerplay overs, Rohit’s contribution being 42.
The runs just flowed, there was no struggle or any indication of any technical flaw that made him wait for 10 matches to reach 43 off 28 balls, his highest this edition. Ishan Kishan remained a spectator as Rohit took on the Gujarat Titans bowlers. Rashid Khan’s first over, inside the Powerplay, went for 13 runs.
But it’s not easy to take on the wily Rashid. The leg-spinner had the last laugh in his second over when Rohit missed a reverse sweep.
Middle order fails
The lack of cohesion in Mumbai’s ranks has been a major reason for their failure. On Friday too, when they looked set for a total in the region of 200, their middle order faltered.
The way the Gujarat bowlers turned it around was laudable. The bulk of the credit should go to Rashid. He had a hand to play in five of the six dismissals.
