From 200 to 140 is a sharp dip. Ajinkya Rahane losing momentum was one of the reasons why Kolkata Knight Riders lost the game.
At the end of the powerplay, the KKR captain was batting on 36 off 18 balls. In the 14th over when he got out, Rahane had reached 67 off 40 balls. From over No. 7 to 15, KKR scored 89 runs and lost two wickets. In the first six overs, they had hammered 78.
From fifth gear to the third is contrary to the way modern T20 cricket is played. It’s like Formula 1 — occasional pit stops are allowed but loss of speed is not. In the middle overs, KKR batting left the highway and went off-ramp. The grass cover on the Wankhede Stadium pitch was misleading. It was a batting beauty.
It would be unfair to single out Rahane. Angkrish Raghuvanshi scored 51 off 29 balls and in the end, it was a fine knock. But the youngster took 14 deliveries for his first 17 runs. Once again, such slow burn doesn’t conform to modern T20 template for a No. 5 batsman. Rinku Singh, 33 not out off 21 balls, took a little too long to up the ante. The result was KKR finishing about 25 runs below-par. Given the conditions and their batting line-up, Mumbai Indians never felt intimidated against a total of 220/4.
The biggest positive of Rohit Sharma shedding 15 kilos is that his trademark pull shot is back. He is making the pivot a lot more swiftly. Vaibhav Arora bowled short and Rohit dispatched it a few rows back over the mid-wicket boundary — minimum effort, maximum result. Then, he made room and scythed Blessing Muzarabani over deep backward point. The best of the lot was a lofted drive over cover off Varun Chakravarthy. Rohit just caressed it to the stands. The ball sailed away saluting the master. Any signs of rust after a 10-month T20 cricket lay-off? Forget it. A full house at Wankhede serenaded him with “Rohit, Rohit” chants. After scoring 78 off 38 balls when he fell prey to a super catch from Anukul Roy, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
A gentle reminder, Rohit didn’t play this game as an Impact Sub. Suryakumar Yadav was given that role. The fire still burns in his belly. In the grand scheme of things, and digressing to a different format, can Rohit last until the next 50-over World Cup? Koi shaq? The former India and MI captain is at complete peace with himself. He is in a perfect mental space.
MI’s decision to play Ryan Rickelton over Quinton de Kock, too, was vindicated. The South African made 81 off 43 balls and stitched a 148-run opening partnership with Rohit in 11.5 overs. Game over. MI won by six wickets with five balls to spare to break their first-game hoodoo (after 13 years). This was their highest run-chase in the IPL.
Spare a thought for Shardul Thakur who returned with 3/39 from four overs on such a featherbed. The fans were happy. They love this lion-hearted cricketer from Palghar.
The spin-bowling issue needs to addressed by the five-time champions going ahead. Allah Ghazanfar gave away 51 runs without a wicket in his four overs on his IPL debut. The upside is that Mitchell Santner and Will Jacks will join the squad soon.
For KKR, they would hope that Rahane — he limped off the field — suffered only a cramp and it’s nothing major. The bigger concern is Varun. The opposition batsmen are now targeting him.
