The Hindu Harbhajan Singh celebrates a dismissial with his team mates. He was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his five wickets. Photo: Vivek Bendre
Rohit Sharma masterminded Mumbai Indians' eight-run win over Chennai Super Kings in the DLF IPL-IV league match at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday.
He made a strokeful 87 off 48 balls to boost the home team's score to 164 for four and also snapped up two catches. Harbhajan Singh removed Albie Morkel, Ravichandran Ashwin and Joginder Sharma in the 18th over, for a match haul of 4-0-18-5, to restrict the defending champion to 156 for nine.
CSK was within range as long as Michael Hussey (41, 33b, 6x4) was busy at the crease, working the angles in his own stylish way and milking the bowling in tandem with the dependable S. Badrinath (71 n.o., 48b).
Pollard came up with a stunning scooped catch to remove Hussey. Rohit kept his eye on a mishit from Dhoni, the ball swirling under the lights to third-man, for a special catch.
Munaf struck the first blow, deceiving Murali Vijay with a ball that moved off the seam.
The MI players and Harbhajan then erupted in joy after the off-spinner lured Suresh Raina into hitting straight back at him. CSK crossed the 50-run mark in 6.5 overs (faster than MI, 7.2) and with the elegant Hussey in his element, Badrinath grew in confidence and found the gaps for easy runs.
Both batsmen used pace off the pitch for placements and rotated the strike to defy the MI bowlers. The Aussie opener, fluent and decisive off the front foot, forced Tendulkar into frequent bowling changes as Sharma, Kieron Pollard and Rajagopal Sathish got to work in the hunt for wickets.
Malinga repaid MI's faith in his wicket-taking abilities, with generous help from Pollard at mid-wicket. The Lankan dug one short and Hussey took his eyes off the ball, swatting it in a strange way down on his knee. The lanky West Indian all-rounder scooped up a vital catch with a forward dive and slide.
Dhoni walked into familiar territory with CSK needing 67 runs off 42 balls. But he lasted just six balls before mistiming a flick high in the direction of third-man for Sharma to adjust his footwork and complete the catch with a dive forward.
Earlier after MI were asked to bat, fatigue felled Rohit after 48 balls at the crease more than the venom in the CSK bowling. The shock of seeing Tendulkar return to the dug-out and Rayudu's struggle to connect, did not rattle him; the feet moving smoothly in sync with lazy swings of the bat for flowing drives to point, flicks off the pads, before warming up for aerial shots.
Five sixes and eight fours kept the fans in a state of excitement; the questions for Dhoni kept popping up as frequently as runs off his blade.
MI sprung a surprise by opening with R. Sathish. But the right-hander looked out of sorts and played out a maiden and holed out to square-leg, with his first scoring shot off the ninth ball he faced. Rayudu walked in for damage control and looked tentative, tapping to third-man for his first run.
Bollinger silenced the Wankhede crowd with a body blow, bouncing out Tendulkar. The maestro swivelled for a pull but found the ball flying off the handle high for Hussey at slip.
Rayudu's anxiety to get cracking came through with a streaky shot through slips, the looping ball evading a diving Hussey.
He connected with a one-handed pull off a rising Morkel delivery, then stepped inside against Joginder wide of the stumps for a flicked four to square-leg.
MI had recovered to 74 in 11 overs when the in-form MI batsman gifted away his wicket with a walkabout to Randiv, beaten by the ball turning across the blade for Dhoni to step up and whip off the bails.
Rohit stepped into the void created by Tendulkar's awkward exit with fluent strokes off Bollinger and elegant drives to the point fence which bore the stamp of class.
A six against Joginder's gentle swing, reading the length early to dispatch a ball outside the off-stump over mid-wicket with a lazy swing, displayed his keenness to intimidate the bowling.
Rohit's pressure tactics continued with two scooped sixes, one high over the bowler for his 50 (31b, 6x4, 2x6) and another over his shoulder to fine-leg. Symonds greeted Ashwin's return to the attack with a huge swing across the line into the hoarding at long-on.
MI wrested back momentum at 100 (14.3 balls) and the charge was round the corner once Symonds teamed up with Rohit.
Mumbai Indians: R Sathish c Anirudha b Morkel 0 (7b), S. Tendulkar c Hussey b Bollinger 5 (8b, 1x4), A. Rayudu st Dhoni b Randiv 27 (29b, 4x4), Rohit c Hussey b Bollinger 87 (48b, 8x4, 5x6), A. Symonds (not out) 31 (26b, 1x4, 2x6), K. Pollard (not out) 0 (2b); Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-12): 14. Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 164.
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-13, 3-74, 4-161.
Chennai Super Kings bowling: Morkel 4-1-19-1, Bollinger 4-0-30-2, Joginder 3-0-34-0, Ashwin 4-0-26-0, Randiv 3-0-31-1, Raina 2-0-22-0.
Chennai Super Kings: M. Hussey c Pollard b Malinga 41 (33b, 6x4), M. Vijay c Rohit b Munaf 12 (9b, 1x4, 1x6), S. Raina c & b Harbhajan 5 (4b, 1x4), S. Badrinath (not out) 71 (48b, 7x4, 2x6), M.S. Dhoni c Rohit b Pollard 3 (6b), S. Anirudha c Sathish b Harbhajan 9 (9b, 1x6), A. Morkel b Harbhajan 3 (4b), R. Ashwin c Pollard b Harbhajan 0 (2b), Joginder c & b Harbhajan 0 (1b), S. Randiv c Sathish b Malinga 2 (4b), D. Bollinger (not out) 0 (1b); Extras (lb-1, w-8, nb-1): 10; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 156.
Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-38, 3-98, 4-101, 5-123, 6-136. 7-136, 8-137, 9-140.
Mumbai Indians bowling: Munaf 4-0-40-1, Malinga 4-0-20-2, Nechim 2-0-19-0, Harbhajan 4-0-18-5, Rohit 1-0-15-0, Pollard 4-0-30-1, Sathish 1-0-13-0.
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