Mumbai Indians are back, not just because they won, and not because of how big the win was. It’s the way they played that stands out. Before this match, they hadn’t won a game at this ground for 12 years. Of course, their form in the lead-up to this match was not great. Then, the evening didn’t start off on the right note either. They lost the toss and then, lost 3 wickets in the powerplay too.
The 40-ball-52 run stand between Naman Dhir and Tilak Varma steered them away from the rocks, but the rate of scoring was anything but threatening. And then, the game slipped into a strategic timeout. We don’t know who said what to Tilak Varma during that mini-break, but it was the equivalent of Jamvad reminding Hanuman of his powers.
Mumbai Indians bounce back with dominant all-round performance
Tilak switched gears and started unleashing one sumptuous shot after the other, all with jaw-dropping ease. He went from 19* (22) to 50* (33) and eventually finished with 100* (45), the joint fastest for MI in the history of the IPL. Power-hitters Hardik Pandya and Sherfane Rutherford were mere spectators in two partnerships that aggregated 103 runs in 45 balls.
Yet, with the dew coming down, GT would have fancied a chase of 200. But Sudharsan started with a loose shot, losing his wicket off the very first ball and giving Jasprit Bumrah his first scalp of the season. The energies shifted. The MI fielders celebrated like Diwali had arrived early for them. The energy on the field, the exuberance on display was contagious.
It translated into results. Hardik trapped Jos Buttler in front and then, Impact Player Ashwani Kumar began having an ‘impact’. He hit hard lengths, drew false shots and ended up picking up 4 wickets in his 4 overs, breaking the back of the GT line-up. In the middle overs, Mitchell Santner found his rhythm and dismissed Sundar and Phillips within 3 balls. The hosts collapsed like a deflated hot air balloon and ended up succumbing to a 99-run loss.