Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians (213-6) from the front to defeat Royal Challengers Bangalore (167-8) by 46 runs in a match that saw both Captains amass 90s. Despite Virat Kohli’s spectacular innings of 92 runs, RCB failed to win the match.
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On a personal note, there was some consolation for Kohli as he overtook Suresh Raina as the highest scorer in IPL history. Rohit’s knock of 94 from just 52 balls key to Mumbai’s inaugural IPL 11 victory and a well-deserved player of the match. No other batsman was able to score big runs to support Virat Kohli at the end as the captain was their lone warrior who scored 92* off 62 deliveries.
Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan got two scalps each as the men in blue finally got their first win of the season in their fourth game.
“The only thing we did not do as a group in the last three games was sometimes (when) we batted well, we did not bowl well (and when) we bowled well, we did not bat well”.
Lewis (65) along with Rohit took the score to 60 in the first six overs. “We tried our hardest but couldn’t get the breakthroughs”. The first two replays showed that the bowler Amit Mishra was close to overstepping, but a third angle, from cover, had him just okay.
Small cameo by all-rounder Hardik Pandya after a controversial review from Mumbai Indian helped the host post a mammoth total for the visitors.
“It wasn’t the ideal start for us”.
Earlier, after a disastrous start, Lewis and Rohit played a brilliant innings and forged a 108-run partnership before Lewis was dismissed. Suryakumar Yadav fell to Umesh Yadav’s in-swinger in the first ball and Ishan Kishan perished to the same bowler in the same manner to leave Mumbai tottering at 0/2. “It is better that we let them to (do) their thing and that’s how you get the best out of them”, Rohit said. He plundered 10 boundaries and five sixes, with his final 20 balls yielding the captain 44 runs.
While all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been a vital cog in their wheel since 2010, wining them game from virtually impossible situations, opener Lendl Simmons ensured blazing starts for them in the last few years.
Kohli, who is well known for his batting prowess and how he can dismantle opposition bowling attacks with utmost ease is the only person to have breached the 200 run mark this season.
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“I don’t really want to wear this (Orange Cap) right now”.
