Captain Rohit Sharma scores 33-ball 48 before Malinga denies B'lore side in last-over finish
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma in full flow against Royal Challengers Bangalore yesterday. Pics/AFP, PTI
The Mumbai Indians batting was good at the beginning and in the end even as it floundered in the middle. But it was their superior bowling that was always going to make the difference and so it proved even if Royal Challengers Bangalore, led by skipper Virat Kohli initially and AB de Villiers later, made a valiant fight of it.
Chasing MI's eventual 187, a good 10-15 runs short of what seemed likely at one stage, RCB, too started well but then didn't have the gas to last, not against the class of Jasprit Bumrah, who showed his death bowling skills once again. Kohli (46, 32b, 6x4), who had struck Bumrah for three successive from the first three balls he faced, was bounced out in the 14th in which Bumrah conceded a mere three runs. His next over, the 17th of the innings, cost a mere one run and he eventually finished with 3 for 20 from his four overs.
RCB's AB de Villiers en route his 70* against Mumbai Indians yesterday
But De Villiers (70 not out, 41b, 4x4, 6x6), dropped first ball at slip by Yuvraj Singh off spinner Mayank Markhande, was still around and with a flurry of big hits, mostly off Lasith Malinga and Hardik Pandya, the veteran from South Africa, all but pulled it off only for RCB to fall agonizingly short, a mere six runs keeping them from what would have been a great victory.
Earlier, it was shown up that even in a T20 game, wickets in hand is very much the key for the batting side just as picking up wickets is for the bowling team. On the night, it was the bowling side that had remembered that lesson as MI, 52 for no loss from the first six Power Play overs and 82 for 1 at the end of the 10th, found themselves down at 147/6 at the end of the 16th over. It was RCB's talisman Yuzvendra Chahal who once again did what he does quite often for RCB – finish with a bushful of wickets from his four overs.
Chahal, having broken MI's 54-run opening stand (6.3 overs) with just his third ball when he castled Quinton de Kock (23, 20b, 2x4, 1x6), was taken for three successive sixes in his 3rd over by that man Yuvraj Singh but got him next ball.
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