'Sana' explodes
Sachin Tendulkar's return dominated most of the pre-match buzz but it
was the eruption from Sanath Jayasuriya that Mumbai toasted at the end
of a comfortable nine-wicket win, their fourth in a row, at the Wankhede
Stadium.
Chennai appeared to have cobbled together a fighting total, in
conditions that assisted swing bowling, but Jayasuriya's sizzler, the
second-fastest IPL hundred that was punctuated with 11 sixes, put an
emphatic end to the contest.
Mumbai's bowlers set-up this win with a fine new-ball exhibition that
knocked off the top order. Shaun Pollock wasn't leading Mumbai today but
his immaculate early spell (4-1-9-1) led an impressive effort that
justified their decision to field first. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and S
Badrinath stitched together a 95-run stand but 156 was never going to be
challenging if even one batsman got going.
It was inevitable. Jayasuriya, who had made a short trip home during
Mumbai's extended break, was yet to explode in the IPL and there was
nothing Chennai could do once sixes began to drip off his bat.
Nonchalant short-arm jabs sailed over the midwicket fence and a few
powerful slashes soared over third man. The bowlers were rattled - they
leaked wides and drifted on the pads too often - and fed Jayasuriya in
his favourite areas.
The fact that 102 off his 114 runs came in boundaries, told a story.
It was an innings reminiscent of the mid-90s, a time when Jayasuriya
filled bowlers with a sense of fear. In fact it was at the same ground
when he hammered an unforgettable 151 not out in the Independence Cup in
1997, an innings that was appreciated in hushed silence.
This, though, was a celebration in power-hitting, with the crowd
getting fully behind Jayasuriya in his fiery mission.
One can only imagine the possibilities if Tendulkar had decided to
bat first, allowing Jayasuriya a full 20 overs. The manner in which he
treated his fellow Sri Lankan bowlers was interesting - he attempted a
couple of audacious reverse-paddles against Muttiah Muralitharan before
blistering Chamara Kapudegera for 26 runs in five balls.
He rushed to his hundred with two pulled sixes off Kapugedera -
celebrating like a schoolboy who reached his maiden ton - and capped it
off with one more that landed on the roof of the Wankhede. It was an
unforgettable innings and Mumbai's response to what Adam Gilchrist did
to them a few weeks back.
(c) Cricinfo
MUMBAI INDIANS V CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Chennai Super Kings innings
(20 overs maximum)
S Vidyut c Raje b Pollock 16
SP Fleming b Kulkarni 26
SK Raina c Takawale b Bravo 1
S Badrinath C & b Bravo 53
CK Kapugedera c Takawale b Kulkarni 0
MS Dhoni not out 43
JA Morkel c Uthappa b Kulkarni 5
Extras(lb 3, w 9) 12
Total(6 wickets; 20 overs) 156
(7.80 runs per over)
Did not bat Joginder Sharma, M Gony, L Balaji, M Muralitharan
Fall of wickets 1-18 (Vidyut, 2.5 ov), 2-28 (Raina, 5.5 ov),
3-46 (Fleming, 8.3 ov), 4-46 (Kapugedera, 8.5 ov),
5-141 (Badrinath, 18.6 ov), 6-156 (Morkel, 19.6 ov)
Bowling SM Pollock (4-1-9-1-2.25), A Nehra (4-0-31-0-7.75),
DJ Bravo (4-0-37-2-9.25), DS Kulkarni (4-0-33-3-8.25),
RR Raje (3-0-33-0-11.00),
DJ Thornely (1-0-10-0-10.00)
Mumbai Indians innings
(target: 157 runs from 20 overs)
ST Jayasuriya not out 114
SR Tendulkar b Joginder Sharma 12
RV Uthappa not out 16
Extras(lb 4, w 12) 16
Total (1 wicket; 13.5 overs) 158
(11.42 runs per over)
Did not bat DJ Thornely, DJ Bravo, AM Nayar, SM Pollock,
YV Takawale, RR Raje, A Nehra, DS Kulkarni
Fall of wickets 1-82 (Tendulkar, 7.2 ov)
Bowling M Gony (3-0-31-0-10.33), JA Morkel (3-0-44-0-14.66),
L Balaji (2-0-9-0-4.50), Joginder Sharma (3-0-24-1-8.00),
M Muralitharan(2-0-20-0-10.00),
CK Kapugedera (0.5-0-26-0-31.20) |
