MUMBAI – Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma yesterday praised the “skills” of Daniel Sams after the Australian fast bowler defended nine runs off the last over to hand his team their second win this IPL.
The five-time champions edged out table-toppers Gujarat Titans by five runs as they kept down the opposition to 172-5 in a chase of 178 at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium.
Gujarat were sailing along at 156-3 when skipper Hardik Pandya was run out and Mumbai seized the moment to make a comeback.
David Miller, who made an unbeaten 19 in his 100th IPL match, and Rahul Tewatia, attempted to complete the chase but left-arm quick Sams denied the opposition with just three runs in the 20th over that included a run out.
“He was under the pump in a couple of games, but I have seen him for Australia and in the BBL (Big Bash League), he has a lot of skill,” Rohit said of his bowler who was taken for 35 runs in an over by Kolkata Knight Riders’ Pat Cummins.
“It was not easy to defend nine runs.”
Openers Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) added 106 but leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin sent the duo back to the dugout in his fourth over.
Gujarat, one of the two new teams in the expanded 10-team Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, still stay top of the table but suffered their second successive loss.
Mumbai, the richest and most successful side in Indian Premier League history with five titles, won their second straight match but remain bottom of the heap.
“The boys pulled it off, which is great. We wanted to take one game at a time, we know we have not played our best cricket, but that happens,” Rohit said of his team, which lost their first eight matches.
“Lot of credit to the bowlers at the back end, I want the boys to come out and do what they want to do.”
David blitz
Earlier Tim David’s unbeaten 44 off 21 balls guided Mumbai to 177 for six after Gujarat bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs.
Rohit, who made 43 off 28 balls, and Ishan Kishan, who top-scored with 45, gave the team a flying start with a 74-run opening stand after they were invited to bat first.
Rohit came alive with the bat as he smashed Alzarri Joseph for two successive fours and a six in the second over to signal his aggressive intent.
The all-format India skipper looked set to get his first fifty of this season but leg-spinner Rashid Khan trapped him lbw in a decision that was turned down by the on-field umpire before being successfully reviewed.
Kishan, Mumbai’s wicketkeeper-batter who was brought back for US$2 million (RM8.74 million) in the auction, kept up the attack with Suryakumar Yadav who was out for 13.
Kishan fell to Alzarri Joseph and Rashid sent back a struggling Kieron Pollard, for four, as Mumbai began to falter.
But David, a Singapore batter who was named man of the match, then took the attack to the opposition with four sixes in his late blitz to boost the total. – AFP, May 7, 2022
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