Rohit’s last-ball six saves Mumbai the blushes

There are few eventualities in cricket, which produce the kind of exhilaration for players and spectators alike, like a last-ball six to win a match. And it wasn’t surprising to see the packed Wankhede Stadium go berserk and start pelting the ground with hoardings and bottles as soon as Rohit Sharma air-lifted Murali Kartik’s short-of-length delivery over the ropes to earn a decisive victory for Mumbai Indians on Wednesday. 

There was no such animated reaction from Sharma or his batting partner Andrew Symonds though. The only appreciation that Sharma received from Symonds was a pat on his back before the duo nonchalantly walked off the field. 

Final over drama
Symonds in fact could have been run-out of Kartik’s fifth delivery in the final over, which would have left Mumbai needing two runs off the last delivery. It had seemed a regulation single with Symonds pulling forcefully towards Robin Uthappa at mid-on. But the burly Queenslander had turned it into a nervy one by ambling towards the crease and had only survived as a result of Kartik failing to collect Uthappa’s accurate throw and breaking the stumps with his hands. 

That single, however, was pretty much the story of a bizarre run-chase that brought a match, which had been lop-sided from the early going, to life in the last over. 

The target, all of 119, was paltry and the Mumbai batsman had looked in complete control from the beginning. And there wasn’t even a pesky collapse in the middle to really put the skids on their progress. But Mumbai still strangely managed to almost make a big deal of it. It wasn’t surprising then to hear bowling consultant Shaun Pollock talk about how dumbfounded he had been about the goings on in the middle, especially in the last couple of overs, before Sharma prevented a huge embarrassment for the home side. 

But with Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu looking impervious in the middle, the outcome had seemed as inevitable as it seemed easily achievable. None of the Pune Warriors bowlers managed to beat the bat. The duo though still seemed intent on rotating the strike, while the crowd awaited the big outbreak of aggression, which would hasten Mumbai towards victory. 

Tendulkar gets an average
Tendulkar in fact did provide a glimpse of intent, but unfortunately got dismissed for the first time in IPL IV in the process, providing leg-spinner Rahul Sharma with the moment of his cricketing career. And not even Yuvraj Singh could prevent the Punjab lad from running around the Wankhede Stadium and flailing his hands in absolute joy. Rayudu too then holed out in the deep, before Symonds and Sharma saw their team home. 

Icing on Mumbai’s cake
Kieron Pollard too had indulged in a dramatic celebration during Pune’s innings, after diving to his left, creating a marked indentation in the outfield, and hanging onto an acrobatic catch to get rid of Uthappa. He had been the only real hurdle for the incisive Mumbai bowlers till that point, scoring a fluent 45, including two sixes. 

Pollard’s catch though was only the icing on the cake of what proved to be a dominating performance by the Mumbai Indians on their home-ground. And by bowling Pune out for 118, led by Munaf Patel’s 3/8, the hosts had settled the issue long before their batsmen kept the match alive and the hearts pounding around the ground till the very end.