An inexplicable batting strategy by Mumbai Indians at the death saw Shubman Gill make a promising debut as captain of the Gujarat Titans with a thrilling six-run win in their opening match of the IPL in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Jasprit Bumrah (14/3) was at his best in his first IPL match in two years, using his express yorkers at will to help Mumbai Indians restrict Gujarat Titans to 168/6. But Bumrah’s effort was not enough as batters like Tilak Varma and skipper Hardik Pandya failed to complement his brilliance. MI finished on 162/9 as things went downhill, needing only 43 runs from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand.
So MI failed to break the jinx of the opening match. The last time they won their IPL opener was against Chennai Super Kings, way back in 2012.
While spinners Rashid Khan (0/23 in 4 overs) and R Sai Kishore (1/24) gave very little with the ball despite the dew, veteran Mohit Sharma (2/32) used his variations with different types of slower deliveries to smooth the proceedings. to change the match.
Spencer Joshnson (2/25) and Umesh Yadav (2/32) were brilliant in bowling the 19th and 20th over, while Hardik Pandya relegating himself to number 7 in batting order is something that needs explanation. He did hit a six and four in the last over, but Umesh had the last laugh.
Even Tilak Varma denying a single to Tim David is also unbelievable.
MI lost their first wicket without a run on the board after Ishan Kishan failed to open his account and pick out an Azmatullah Omarzai (2/27) delivery to Wriddhiman Saha as the pacer provided him with some excellent swing bowling. After testing Kishan with inswingers, Omarzai was given one to advance and the batter could only advance the ball to the keeper.
New face Naman Dhir started off with a series of boundaries, leaving the likes of Ravi Shastri excited in the commentary box as the experts discussed the best possible combination for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
After being hit for three fours and a six by Dhir, Omarzai had the last laugh when the batsman was ruled lbw after the Afghan opted for a review after the on-field umpire thought otherwise.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma (43 off 29 balls) found one at the slot and tapped Umesh Yadav for a maximum over mid-wicket as MI reached 52/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Dewald Brevis (46 off 38 balls) was also in disarray as the South African hit sixes off Rashid Khan, Spencer Johnson and Sai Kishore as MI moved closer to the 169 target.
However, Sai Kishore trapped Rohit and Impact Sub Mohit got Brevis caught and bowled to bring GT back into the match.
Tilak Varma (25 off 19) was killed while trying to force the pace, and MI skipper Hardik Pandya also failed to complete the chase after going close.
Earlier, young left-hander B Sai Sudharsan top-scored with 45 off 39 balls for GT, while Rahul Tewatia made 22 off 15 balls away.
But the evening undoubtedly belonged to Bumrah, who had to miss the entire edition last year due to a stress fracture in the lower back.
He dismissed David Miller and Sudharsan in the 17th over in the space of three deliveries, but it did not help the final result.
Assuming that dew might fall later in the evening, MI’s new skipper Hardik Pandya invited GT to bat first, and Shubman Gill in his first match as captain was up to the task.
To make an impact against his former team, Pandya opened the bowling and Wriddhiman Saha (19) hit a wide ball through the offside to start GT’s campaign with a boundary.
Against Gill, Pandya made a mistake in the line and the stylish batsman used his wrists to hit it off his pads for a four, while the MI captain conceded 11 runs after his surprise move to start the proceedings at the expense of one of the world’s best bowlers. , Jasprit Bumrah.
While Saha found some useful boundaries, Gill found the fence with great ease while GT headed for a flyer.
However, Bumrah’s introduction in the fourth over brought immediate success to MI as the leading pacer sent Saha back with an express yorker and hit the base of the middle stump. The former India stumper could not bring down his bat in a short space of time.
Spin was deployed in Shams Mulani and Gill rocked back to cut the left-arm spinner for a four through covers. The GT captain then got down on one leg to smash Mulani for a huge six over deep square leg.
Piyush Chawla bowled an economical scoop even as GT managed 47 runs for the loss of one wicket in the powerplay.
Chawla continued and Gill tried to disrupt his rhythm but failed. He danced across the ground to hoist it but couldn’t get the necessary height as Rohit Sharma, who doesn’t normally play in such positions, saw fit to complete a neat catch in the deep.
The experienced Chawla snared the big fish with a googly as Gill (31 off 22 balls) walked back after targeting his eye, much to the relief of the hordes of Mumbai supporters at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
However, with Sai Sudharsan determined to pick up where he left off in last season’s title clash against CSK with a magnificent 96, MI knew they had their task ahead of them.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by WhatsNew2Day staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article
