MI checkmate SRH batters on a slow home pitch

In a battle between two struggling teams, MI prevailed with a comfortable four-wicket win on Thursday despite losing some late wickets in chasing down 163.

SRH were high on opposition know-how, they thought. Ishan Kishan, with all his years spent in MI colours, was expected to make merry. But this wasn’t your typical hit-through-the-line Wankhede strip. The ball seemed to hold on the surface in the first innings and it neutralised SRH’s batting threat.

Deepak Chahar could have given MI a dream start without any assistance from the pitch, if not for some slippery fingers.

The pacer could have accounted for both Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in the first over of the match. While SRH were riding all the luck, Bumrah was pressed into action in the fourth over. He began with an assortment of slower balls, bouncers, yorkers.

Such had been Travi-shek’s reputation, MI’s lead pacer was in death overs mode, straight away. The home team used up two of Bumrah’s overs in the Powerplay itself. They couldn’t separate opposition’s two left-handed high-fliers, but they sure kept them quiet. SRH were 47/0 after the first six.

MI batting coach Kieron Pollard told the broadcasters, the slower-ball strategy was specific to Travi-shek – ‘one-dimensional, hard-hands sort of batsmen’. But as the plan began to work, MI began using the weapon liberally.

Hardik Pandya’s early overs were all drama. He appeared to have done his ankle early, recovered quickly and immediately banged one short to Abhishek Sharma to have him caught on 40 (28b) at deep point. The MI skipper could well have got Head too but only to realise he had overstepped.

Once MI lost Karn Sharma’s services in the field with a hurt finger, Will Jacks was summoned to bowl his overs.

Jacks began by bowling two economical overs with his part-time off spin, during which he beat Kishan (2) in flight by floating one wide and had him stumped.

The English off-spinner was also the one to finally get Head 28 (29b) when the Australian failed to get to the pitch of the ball and holed out to long-off. With figures of 3-0-14-2, Jacks proved the jack-in-the-box against SRH’s hard-hitting plans.

Not until the 18th over did SRH manage their first maximum. MI bowlers were cunning with their plans. Trent Boult, for example, went with yorkers in the 15th over and held up the scoring rate.

It was only in the 18th over that Heinrich Klaasen finally found his hitting range to take Deepak Chahar down with a 21-run over. While Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-21-1) pulled things back a miserly 19th over, SRH’s late order were able to hit Hardik for 22 runs in the final over.

Forty-three runs came in those two overs. The remaining 18 overs accounted for only 119 runs as SRH finished with 162.

To win, SRH needed early wickets. But, surprisingly, Pat Cummins waited through Powerplay before employing any spin. The pacers didn’t resort to pace-off spells either.

Mohammed Shami was trusted as he searched for swing. Harshal Patel, with his bouquet of slower balls, was also held back. Rohit Sharma played and missed some, before he connected a few during his 16-ball 26. MI raced to 55/1 for the loss of Rohit’s wicket.

Soon as Harshal came to the attack, his slower ball did the trick against Ryan Rickelton (31). But by then, dew had begun to take effect.

Rahul Chahar came in as Impact Sub, but Suryakumar Yadav allowed neither him nor Zeeshan Ansari to settle. Together, the leg-spinners conceded 40 runs in 4 overs. Hardik 21 (9b) scored the crucial runs at the back end while Tilak Varma (21*) took the team home in 18.1 overs.