From the iSport Cricket Paddock: Mumbai Indians are on a roll. This time they trampled upon the bottom huggers Kings XI Punjab. iSporter Rajas Joshi shares his post-match analysis.
Mumbai Indians versus Kings XI Punjab, a face-off between teams on either end of the points table. It was likely to remain that way as MI were favourites to win this tie and extend their lead on top.
Another home game for Mumbai and the crowd was as expected, choc-a-block. One might wonder how a stadium with a capacity of twenty thousand can produce a high decibel level, which CCI has been for the Mumbai Indians. But then, that is what the Mumbai crowd is famous for - getting behind their team and getting under the skin of the opponents.
MI after winning the toss elected to field first. This was a because of the amount of dew that had settled on the outfield in the last match, which made it difficult to grip the ball in the second innings.
KXIP got off to decent start and the first ten overs fetched 85 runs at the loss of two wickets. At this stage it was looking good for them as Yuvraj Singh was still to come with Mahela Jayawardene and Shaun Marsh still at the crease. But Jayawardene was run-out and Yuvraj flattered to deceive once again. Any doubts of dominance were laid to rest when Lasith Malinga got rid of Irfan Pathan and Marsh, who was looking ominous on 57, in two consecutive deliveries in the sixteenth over. Leggie Piyush Chawla then got fourteen off the last over to carry KXIP to a respectable 164.
If Zaheer Khan’s early blow to dismiss Ravi Bopara was crucial, Malinga’s two in two was the turning point in the innings. MI bowlers did a good job, but there is still room for improvement. There is too much dependence on Malinga. Out of the six bowlers used, five were seam-up and the only slow bowler was Harbhajan. Another spinner would definitely prove to be handy in these slow-bowler friendly conditions. This can be done by playing either JP Duminy or Jayasuriya at the expense of Ryan McLaren, hence not weakening the batting department.
MI got off to an unusual start. The second over was a maiden from Shalabh Srivastava and Tendulkar fell early. This time it was the other West Indian Kieron Pollard who was sent in at number three, a move I felt was a right one. He needs to be sent in when the faster bowlers are operating with the newish ball coming on to the bat a bit better, rather than when the slower bowlers operate. This gives him time to settle in as well as play to his strength, which is pace bowling. But it was not to be this time, as after a couple of boundaries and a big six, he was out caught at long-on.
MI kept losing wickets at regular intervals and found it difficult to get runs on the slow and dry surface. Shikhar Dhawan got to his second half-century before throwing his wicket away. While Saurabh Tiwary was keeping Mumbai alive, Sathish joined him at the fall of Bravo’s wicket. At this stage one could not help but think of the past encounters between these two teams where MI had ended up on the losing side twice, by margins of one and three runs. “Not again” was the feeling among my fellow MI supporters even though we still knew that 41 off the last four overs were gettable.
Tiwary and Sathish got a few boundaries exactly when they were needed, bringing the equation to a much simpler six runs of seven balls. Tiwary got out trying to finish it off in one ball, but Sathish ensured Mumbai crossed the line. It was KXIP who lost this close encounter, by 5 wickets.
Last time around Yuvraj had criticised the crowd at the Wankhede stadium for whole heartedly supporting only the home team and heckling even Indian players in his team (which I feel was not wrong on the crowd’s part to back MI). I wonder what he has to say this time!
Mumbai may have won this match, but it was definitely the least convincing victories this season. There are a lot of things to look at to improve the team’s invincibility. The most important of them is the dependence on Tendulkar. It seems that every time he performs well, MI goes on to win the game smoothly. As much as I hope he performs in each and every match, MI need to address this issue. The team combination also can be looked at and Jayasuriya can be given a few games to get his form back.
Mumbai Indians can afford to try new combinations now and make the team stronger, as at the half way stage of the tournament one foot of theirs already seems to be in the semi-final!
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