Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma believes his team’s campaign is back on track after they squeezed out a eight-run victory against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium last night.
Sharma’s optimism stems from the manner in which they scripted this victory, their third in eight games.
After being put into bat, Mumbai’s batting struggled before Ambati Rayudu (53 not out off 27 balls) and Kieron Pollard (24 off 14) joined hands to smash 61 runs in the last four overs and powered them to 187-5 in 20 overs.
Sanju Samson threatened to mock at the target with a superb 76 off 46 balls but Mumbai’s death bowlers, Mitchell McClenaghan (3-31) and Lasith Malinga (1-34) stepped up by claiming three wickets in the 18th and 19th overs to secure the victory.
Samson fell to McClenaghan in the 18th over when he holed out to Jagadeesha Suchith at long–off ending his 46-ball stay at the crease during which he hit seven fours and three sixes.
Rajasthan needed 20 off the final over bowled by Vinay Kumar but they could only manage 11 and crashed to their fifth defeat in 10 games.
While Rajasthan captain Shane Watson bemoaned a lost opportunity, his Mumbai counterpart was counting the gains of an encouraging victory.
“We’re starting to peak our performance now, defending that score wasn’t easy,” Sharma said. “We were struggling to get the right balance earlier but we now know what each individual can do at what situation. We’ve got what we wanted. Rayudu was under pressure at the start of IPL but he delivered when the team needed him the most.
“When I was opening people wanted me to bat at No 4, and now they want me to open. It depends on the situation and what the team needs. We’re open to changes but will stick to this line-up for some time,” he added.
Watson said: “Tonight would have been good to get the momentum back. When you are chasing, around 12 or more per over is always difficult and Malinga is a great death bowler. You have to pick positives out of the game to make sure you win. A couple of things we need to get right and no reason why we can’t.”
Mumbai Indians had made a bright start with openers Parthiv Patel (23 off 14 balls) and Lendl Simmons (38 off 31) raising 43 in 4.5 overs.
But they failed to carry that momentum and appeared headed for a modest total before Rayudu turned it around with a brilliant display. He was delighted to made a significant contribution in the team’s winning cause.
“I’ve been working really hard in the nets and trying to make the most of the opportunities. I’m trying to hold my shape and keep it going,” Rayudu said.
