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Another facile win for the Mumbai Indians – and an important one as well. A nearly-clinical performance was dished out by the Reliance camp as they went about dismantling the Knight Riders’ hopes at the Eden Gardens tonight. A total of 160 was set for the chase, and MI scampered home with one ball to spare. Certain things impressed me during the entire course of the game, while others left a lot to be desired. Here are some snapshots from the City of Joy:
When in doubt, drop the captain:
A weird sort of trend has cropped up in the Pepsi IPL. You’ve heard of players being benched, right? Well, it seems that some of the captains also prefer to watch the game from the sidelines. Following in the footsteps of Sangakkara, Punter “rested” himself for this game. While a majority of the audience would attribute it to his poor form, I know the actual reason: he was placing bets on how long Sunil Narine’s gel stocks would last. Surprisingly, his team went on to win. I wonder what he plans to do when MI play RCB – bet on how long Gayle’s locks are, perhaps?
Pathan Power On Show
Yusuf Pathan, KKR’s star misfit this season, gave the home crowd something to cheer about in the first over itself. Facing Harbhajan Singh, the Baroda Bomber smashed the off-spinner for 3 straight fours and a resounding maximum for good measure. But just when it looked like he was returning to some form, in came Mitchell Johnson and knocked him over with a length delivery that should have been deposited into the stands. SRK might want to have a word or two with Pathan after his entertaining but short innings. Nevertheless, he was able to get his side off to a flying start
No 50 in KKR’s innings
So much power in KKR’s lineup, and not one person went on to score a 50 in this game – given the flying start they had. Quick 30s are not going to help the cause if you’re looking to set a score well beyond your opponent’s reach. The “Arnold” Effect has clearly taken hold on the entire batting order.
Tiwary Comes Good
Manoj Tiwary played a great knock towards the end of Kolkata’s innings. He did manage to slam a splendid six off Yuzvendra Chahal, but the rest of his runs came more sedately. Tiwary needs to bat aggressively towards the end of the innings and play authentic shots instead of manufacturing his own – a mistake that sent his stumps cartwheeling in the last over.
McCullum’s Horrendous Blunder
One might wonder how a guy like McCullum could have caused such a blunder. When you lure Kieron Pollard into mistiming a lofted drive, and a fielder of the calibre of an international player, there’s a 90% chance the ball would land into his outstretched hands. And the Kiwi muffed it up – by looking into the floodlights instead of the ball. The result? Pollard survived to score some more runs and help steer his side to the win.
Shot of the Day: Morgan’s Reverse Sweeps
Even the average Indian housemaid would be proud of the shots that Morgan played today. He cleared backward point in grand style off Harbhajan, before executing it against Chahal in the very next over – the only blemish in MI’s field placings. If he ever decides to take a break from the IPL, Morgan could very well be a consultant to Indian housemaids (and we’d have slightly cleaner rooms too!)
Ball of the Day: Sunil Narine’s Delivery
Sachin Tendulkar received a gift from Sunil Narine early in his short innings today. The classic off-spinner’s delivery, it drew him forward in flight, then pitched and turned simultaneously to zip through his defences, removing the middle stump. I guess the maestro must have wanted to take that ball and give Narine the same autograph he wrote for Brad Hogg in 2004: It Will Never Happen Again! Fortunately for the West Indian, it won’t happen in this IPL because his side have already finished their engagements against MI. Happy Birthday Sachin!
Sachithra Senanayeke & Kumara Dharmasena – Long- Lost Twins?
“Kumbh Ke Mele mein khoye huye judwaa bhai” is what flashed through my mind when I glimpsed Sri Lanka’s Senanayeke today. Dharmasena, incidentally, was officiating in today’s game, and standing at the bowler’s end. He must have been elated, for his twin’s bowling action is almost similar to his. No wonder Dinesh Karthik was miffed when he was given out LBW – he must have realized the Twins Effect too!
Jokes apart – MI managed to pull off a good chase today. I just hope they don’t leave it till the end next time. For KKR, I can only hope they pick up the pieces and regroup quickly. At least my dharam sankat has been resolved!
