IPL 2019: Game-changing moment was eight overs of spin: Rohit lauds Krunal, Chahar as MI qualify for playoffs
Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar conceded just 43 runs in their eight overs, with the former scalping two wickets as Mumbai Indians pushed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the middle overs.
Skipper Rohit Sharma lauded the spin-bowling duo of Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar as Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 51st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday and sealed a place in the playoffs.
Krunal and Chahar conceded just 43 runs in their eight overs, with the former scalping two wickets after SRH had scored 59 runs in the powerplay in chase of 163 runs.
Rohit, who lauded Manish Pandey for his 47-ball 71-run knock, said that the bowling performances from his team’s spinners, on what “the pitch played good for all 40 overs”.
MI became the third team after Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals to seal a place in the playoffs and the MI skipper was happy about that.
“Feels good knowing that we are amongst the top four now. Not easy to come through the ranks and we have played some consistent cricket throughout and we have the results for it. We wanted to put runs on the board, the pitch played good for all 40 overs and runs on the board is crucial and I knew that we didn’t get the score we wanted but we knew if we get early wickets we can put the pressure on their middle order,” said Rohit.
“Manish batted really well and he played some excellent shots but I think the game changing moment was the eight overs of spin. They bowled very well and contained the batsmen which was very important at that stage,” added Rohit.
While the spinners did a remarkable job, Jasprit Bumrah’s two wickets, dismissing the SRH openers Wriddhiman Saha and Martin Guptill, pushed the visitors on the backfoot after a brisk start. The Indian pacer also conceded just eight runs in the Super Over before Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard scored the nine runs in just three balls to secure a win.
“He’s (Bumrah) been brilliant for us and he keeps improving every game and he is hungry for success. He wants to be out there and express himself and he understands that he is a lead bowler for us. He held the nerve in the crucial overs and in the Super Over as well,” said Rohit.
Rohit though made it clear that MI batsmen will need to come good.
“We got some work to do in the batting department, Quinny (Quinton de Kock) has been good but we need help from the other batters. The confidence is there and we need to understand what’s the par score at a venue and I thought we did 70-80 percent of the basics right in the batting, only few games we let our batting collapse a little bit but we are hoping to get better,” concluded Rohit.
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