Published: Apr 21, 2013, 05:37 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 21, 2013, 05:37 PM (IST)
Rohit Sharma scored 73 off 43 deliveries on a slow Kotla surface against Delhi Daredevils © PTI
By Sarang Bhalerao
New Delhi: Apr 21, 2013
Mumbai Indians scored 161 for four in the 20 overs against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla in the 28th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The highlight of the innings was the third wicket partnership of 96 off 67 deliveries between Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma. Tendulkar scored 54 off 47 balls and got out in the 17th over, trying to force the issue against Umesh Yadav, after reaching his fifty.
Sharma, who scored 73 off 43 balls, kick started his dominance with a straight six off Van der Merwe. The next six from Sharma was off Russell, when the fast bowler dished out a full-toss which was dispatched over square leg. The feature of his batting was timing and the ease with which he was playing his shots.
Ajit Agarkar was hammered for two sixes in the 18th over; the first was a monstrous hit over mid-wicket while the second one was a thwack over square leg for another colossal hit. The lazy flick in the 19th over off Yadav went over mid-wicket for another six. Delhi’s spirits were dithered; they were just a bit desolate. The last ball of the 19th over resulted in Sharma’s dismissal when he was caught at long-on by Russell.
The sublime timing from Sharma came to the fore when in the 13th over, he cover drove Yadav through extra covers. The next ball was flicked for a couple of runs through mid-wicket. The third delivery was pulled straight for a boundary and the Mumbai innings got the much needed fillip. After the Powerplay overs, Mumbai were 24 for two but after 13 they were 87 for two.
The Kotla surface was on the slower side. In the first over of the game Irfan Pathan’s deliveries didn’t really come onto the bat. Tendulkar found shot making difficult. Shahbaz Nadeem slowed the pace in the second over and put Mumbai on the stranglehold.
Delhi got their first breakthrough in the fourth over courtesy of the relentless pressure put by the bowlers. Dwayne Smith hit Roelof Van der Merwe for a boundary on his first delivery but fell on the next delivery trying to repeat the same shot. He was caught at mid-off by Umesh Yadav.
Tendulkar was beginning to get a tad anxious; he tried to charge Pathan in order to put pressure on him. He managed to hit the ball past short fine-leg but a wild throw resulted in an overthrow. Tendulkar got three bonus runs. Two balls later, a straight drive resulted in a misfield by Agarkar at mid-on.
In the next over, Tendulkar confidently drove Yadav straight. The ball ricocheted off Yadav onto the stumps, which resulted in Dinesh Karthik’s dismissal. Up until that point Karthik’s lowest score in five matches had been 30. The innings of two was a rare failure.
Agarkar bowled a benign short delivery to Tendulkar, which the 39-year-old pulled in front of mid-wicket for a six. In Russell’s first over Tendulkar pulled him behind square leg for a boundary. He played second fiddle to Sharma who was going great guns. At 37, Tendulkar was floored by Nadeem off his own bowling. Tendulkar made Delhi pay for this lapse. Agarkar was welcomed in the second spell by another six behind fine leg for a six by Tendulkar.
Kieron Pollard scored a quickfire 10-ball 19 that included a final ball six to give impetus to Mumbai innings.
At the toss, Delhi crowd cheered as Mumbai Indians won the toss. This was the last thing Delhi would have expected. Both the sides, having lost their previous respective encounters, made some changes in the outfit. Mumbai dropped Mitchell Johnson, Pragyan Ojha and Rishi Dhawan replacing them with Dwayne Smith, Munaf Patel and Jasprit Bhumra. Delhi replaced Morne Morkel with West Indies all-rounder Andre Russel. Venugopal Rao came in for Manpreet Juneja while Roelof van der Merwe got a place in the playing XI in place of Jeevan Mendis.
Delhi Daredevils, battered and bruised, were boosted by the presence of maverick Sir Viv Richards in their ranks as an ambassador and an advisor. The pep talk at the start of the innings by Richards helped the Daredevils at the start of the innings. But it the momentum was not sustained by Delhi as Sharma stole the show with his glittering array of shots.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 161 for 4 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 73, Sachin Tendulkar 54; Umesh Yadav 2 ffor 31) vs Delhi Daredevils.
