Despite Mumbai Indians' batting collapse against Chennai Super Kings in their last Indian Premier League game, Kings XI Punjab will vouch for the fact that there is more to the team than Sachin Tendulkar's individual brilliance.
Despite Mumbai Indians' batting collapse against Chennai Super Kings in their last Indian Premier League game, Kings XI Punjab will vouch for the fact that there is more to the team than Sachin Tendulkar's individual brilliance. MI's little-known bits-and-pieces local players are playing their part effectively.
Kumar Sangakkara's team had a taste of MI's strong depth in the first-leg match in Mumbai and doubtless, they will be wary of unknown players like R Sathish in today's return-leg game at the PCA Stadium.
In the Mumbai game, the hosts' batsmen were put to the test when Tendulkar suffered a rare failure while chasing Kings XI's score of 163. But to Kings XI's anguish, MI's local players chipped in with small, but significant knocks to take the team to victory.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan built the platform at the top and Saurabh Tiwary held his own in the middle-order, but playing the crucial role of finisher was R Sathish.
Sathish had joined Tiwary in the middle with MI needing 31 runs in 18 balls. He scored 19 not out off nine balls to see his team home.
There is nothing spectacular about Sathish's game. He has built his reputation of being more of a crisis man, much like his current coach and mentor Robin Singh. Asked how he deals with pressure situations, Sathish attributes it to Robin's early influence on his career.
"Playing in Trichy I had limited exposure to top-flight cricket. After my school, I came to Chennai to play grade cricket. Luckily, my first team was India Pistons where Robin was captain. He was playing for India then. To play with him was a great motivation. I used to watch him closely, talk to him. His never-say-die spirit rubbed off," he said.
