World Of T20 Cricket

The second-fastest Twenty20 hundred, a 37-ball assault from Yusuf Pathan, as delicate as it was brutal, wasn’t enough on a day in which precious little was contributed by the other Rajasthan Royals players. Despite Mumbai Indians piling on their biggest score in the IPL, it required special death bowling from Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga to deny Rajasthan 19 runs in the last two overs.

Yusuf’s onslaught came after Mumbai’s youngsters Ambati Rayudu, considered unlucky to have not played for India yet, and Saurabh Tiwary powered the home side to what seemed a massive total, but it turned out to be one that just about dodged the Yusuf-shaped bullet.

The it’s-good-to-be-back ad campaign of the IPL could well have been meant exclusively for Yusuf. In his first innings back in India, he shook a dying match up and gave Mumbai a right scare. The Yusuf show began when Rajasthan needed 143 off 57. He scored 54 off the next 11 balls he faced, 26 other deliveries got him 46, and when he finally got out he left Rajasthan 40 to get off 17 deliveries.

Of the nine fours and eight sixes he hit in a frenetic period of play, three shots stood out – and they were not sixes. The length deliveries and full tosses were all murdered, but in the 13th over – he was 57 off 22 by then – Ryan McLaren bowled a decent enough yorker to him. Yusuf opened the face late, beautifully late, and guided it for four. The next ball was not more than a couple of inches short of being a yorker, but on the stumps, and he managed to get under it, and still hit it to long-off for four. The third yorker of the over was neither wide nor straight, in between, and he leaned back to make space and steered it even later than the one before. More brutal hits preceded a moment of inspiration for Mumbai.

Arguably the best fielder in India, R Satish, returning from ICL, followed up his direct-hit run-out and a terrific caught-and-bowled with Yusuf’s dismissal. He bowled full and straight to Paras Dogra, the other batsman, then dived in his follow through to field the ball, and reverse-flicked to catch a backing-up Yusuf short.

Dogra, who had scored 18 off 20 in the 107-run stand until then, opened up in the same over, and hit two fours and two sixes to bring down the target to 19 off 12.

Zaheer and Malinga, though, with Harbhajan Singh injured and not available to bowl, performed like champs. Eleven near-yorkers from the duo in the last two overs meant even the two wides they bowled were not enough for Rajasthan.

Match Meter MI RR An action-packed beginning: Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar started off purposefully, followed by Aditya Tare’s quick cameo. Rajasthan Royals, though, came back to take three wickets in three overs to reduce Mumbai Indians to 70 for 3 in 6.3 overs. MI Youngsters to the fore: Ambati Rayudu and Saurabh Tiwary added 110 runs in 63 balls to help Mumbai recover from the triple-strike. Both of them lashed stroke-filled half-centuries to power Mumbai to their highest total. MI Fantastic fielding: Defending 212, Mumbai fielders and bowlers were on the top of their games, never letting Rajasthan even think of an improbable win. After 10 overs, Rajasthan were 69 for 4. RR Yusuf goes berserk: Yusuf Pathan unleashed an assault, as delicate as it was brutal, hitting nine fours and eight-sixes in a 37-ball hundred. From needing 143 off 57, Yusuf brought them down to needing 40 off 17. MI Mumbai hold nerve: R Sathish came up with a superb bowling-and-fielding effort to get rid of Yusuf, and Lasith Malinga and Zaheer Khan bowled two yorker-filled overs to deny Rajasthan 19 runs in the last two overs. Advantage Honours even

It was fitting for Mumbai that Indian cricketers helped them come back at crucial times: they had become the first team in the three seasons of IPL to play with only three overseas players. Kapil Dev and friends could afford a wee smile too. Rayudu, Sathish and Ali Murtaza – who took a wicket with his first ball – are all returning from the ICL.

Rayudu and Tiwary added 110 runs in 63 balls to help Mumbai Indians recover from a triple-strike in the first third of the innings. Shane Warne didn’t have to wait too long to find out if Tendulkar “will open and face [Shaun] Tait”, with Tendulkar walking out to open with Sanath Jayasuriya.

Jayasuriya took apart Dimitri Mascarenhas, and Tendulkar did the honours for Tait, taking 10 runs from the four balls that Tait bowled to him. Mascarenhas hit back with two wickets in one over, and at 70 for 3 in 6.3 overs, the onus was on the Indian batsmen.

Rayudu immediately showed glimpses of what made observers talk of him as a potential international. He wristily flicked the first ball he faced for four, lest anybody forget he’s from Hyderabad.

It was just as well that Tendulkar didn’t survive long enough to give the viewers the much-awaited contest against Warne: the latter was off colour, going for 29 runs in three overs. There was no turn for Warne, and he bowled too many half-volleys. Tiwary took full toll, and hit him down the ground for two fours and a six. By the time Warne took himself off, Mumbai had reached 121 in 12 overs. Tiwary had reached 26, and Rayudu 23, off 17 balls each.

Part-time offbreaks from Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Yusuf went for full-time hitting. Rayudu hit three successive Jhunjhunwala deliveries for a huge six and fours either side of long-on. When he next smacked a six off Yusuf, he had reached 53 off just 30 deliveries, and Mumbai had rocketed to 166 in 16.3.

Tiwary reached his fifty by hitting Amit Uniyal, whose change-up delivery was the quicker one, to the long-on boundary. In fact it was all clean hitting down the ground from the two: out of the 108 they scored between them, only 16 came behind square.

Rayudu and Tiwary didn’t see the innings to the close, but Harbhajan Singh and Ryan McLaren contributed to Tait’s horror day, taking 22 off his last two overs. Each one of those runs mattered in the end.

	Mumbai Indians innings (20 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	ST Jayasuriya	lbw b Uniyal	23	14	3	1	164.28
	3.3 Done in by the slower one. Amit Uniyal, who used to play in ICL, has trapped Jayasuriya right in front. Jayasuriya went for the swing across the line over midwicket but was too early into his shot and was hit on the pad. Dead plumb! 38/1
	SR Tendulkar*	lbw b Mascarenhas	17	11	3	0	154.54
	6.1 Trapped right in front or was there a glove involved? Tendulkar goes for the paddle sweep shot but misses it completely. He is struck on the pad right in front of the middle stump. Pity, he didn’t last long to face Shane Warne. Tendulkar throws his head back … will see the replays to see whether it brushed the gloves before it hit the pad 69/2
	AP Tare†	c Warne b Mascarenhas	23	13	3	1	176.92
	6.3 Two in three balls for Mascarenhas! What’s happening out there? Gentle seam-up delivery around off stump but Tare drives it straight to Warne at short cover. 70/3
	SS Tiwary	c †Ojha b Tait	53	33	4	2	160.60
	17.6 Naman Ojha flies to his left to take a super catch. Tiwary’s fine innings ends. He backed away to try swing this delivery to the on side but edged it behind, Ojha took off to pluck a smart one-handed catch 191/5
	AT Rayudu	c Dogra b Uniyal	55	33	6	2	166.66
	16.6 tries to hit the slower one over midwicket boundary but finds the man at the deep … Fine entertaining knock from Rayudu ends 180/4
	R Sathish	run out (†Ojha)	6	5	1	0	120.00
	18.2 Uniyal to Harbhajan Singh, slower one outside off, Harbhajan can’t connect but Sathish calls him over for a single … Ojha underarms a direct hit and Sathish dives to get back inside the crease. But hold on …..he grounds the bat inside the crease but then it lifts in the air when the ball hits the stumps. Third umpire rules it out. 192/6
	Harbhajan Singh	retired hurt	8	6	1	0	133.33
	19.5 from Tait, another low full toss, Harbhajan fails to connect with the big swing and is hit on the left pad in knee area … Harbhajan limps across the single 211/6
	R McLaren	not out	11	5	2	0	220.00
	Z Khan	not out	0	0	0	0	-
	Extras	(lb 3, w 13)	16
	Total	(6 wickets; 20 overs)	212	(10.60 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	AD Mascarenhas	4	0	34	2	8.50
	6.1 to Tendulkar, Trapped right in front or was there a glove involved? Tendulkar goes for the paddle sweep shot but misses it completely. He is struck on the pad right in front of the middle stump. Pity, he didn’t last long to face Shane Warne. Tendulkar throws his head back … will see the replays to see whether it brushed the gloves before it hit the pad 69/2 6.3 to Tare, Two in three balls for Mascarenhas! What’s happening out there? Gentle seam-up delivery around off stump but Tare drives it straight to Warne at short cover. 70/3
	SW Tait	4	0	46	1	11.50	(6w)
	17.6 to Tiwary, Naman Ojha flies to his left to take a super catch. Tiwary’s fine innings ends. He backed away to try swing this delivery to the on side but edged it behind, Ojha took off to pluck a smart one-handed catch 191/5
	Kamran Khan	1	0	10	0	10.00
	A Uniyal	4	0	41	2	10.25	(2w)
	3.3 to Jayasuriya, Done in by the slower one. Amit Uniyal, who used to play in ICL, has trapped Jayasuriya right in front. Jayasuriya went for the swing across the line over midwicket but was too early into his shot and was hit on the pad. Dead plumb! 38/1 16.6 to Rayudu, tries to hit the slower one over midwicket boundary but finds the man at the deep … Fine entertaining knock from Rayudu ends 180/4
	SK Warne	3	0	29	0	9.66	(1w)
	AA Jhunjhunwala	2	0	27	0	13.50
	YK Pathan	2	0	22	0	11.00

	Rajasthan Royals innings (target: 213 runs from 20 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	GC Smith	c & b Sathish	26	22	4	0	118.18
	6.3 Super catch from the ICL hero Sathish. It was a slower one on the length, Smith checks his shot and pushes out at it .. the ball flies low to the left of Sathish who takes a very good diving catch 40/3
	SA Asnodkar	run out (Sathish)	0	0	0	0	-
	0.2 Khan to Smith, Swapnil is run out It went off the thigh pad to the off side … confusion between the two .. Smith starts and stops. Swapnil tries to get back but Sathish rushes on from backward point, swoops on the ball and fires a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Gone! 0/1
	NV Ojha†	c Khan b Murtaza	12	12	2	0	100.00
	5.1 Strikes first ball. The arm-ball on the middle stump line, Ojha tries to back away, create some room but is cramped by the armer and punches it straight to Zak at mid-off. 38/2
	AA Jhunjhunwala	b Malinga	14	11	1	1	127.27
	9.2 The slow yorker takes him out. Timber! Jhunjhunwala is completely fooled by the change of pace. He has a waft across the line, a desparate attempt to get some bat on the ball, but misses and hears the death knell. Clatterrrrrrrr 66/4
	YK Pathan	run out (Sathish)	100	37	9	8	270.27
	17.1 Sathish to Dogra, Yusuf is run out! What a huge wicket! What a fine work from Sathish, the wonderful fielder! It was smashed back down the track, Sathish lunges to his right to stop it and has the presence of the mind to calmly flick a direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Yusuf had backed up too far and couldn’t come back in time. It has taken some fine fielding to terminate one of the most delightful T20 knocks. 173/5
	P Dogra	run out (Malinga)	41	29	2	2	141.37
	19.1 Malinga to Mascarenhas, Dogra is run out Malingaaaaaaaaa! First he bowls a damn good yorker, then he rushes on to pick up the ball, which was dug out back down the pitch, and dives forward even as he flicks a direct hit at the striker’s end 201/6
	AD Mascarenhas	not out	9	7	0	0	128.57
	A Uniyal	b Malinga	0	1	0	0	0.00
	19.2 Clatterrrrrrrr! Don’t mess with Malinga! Full, straight, pacy, Uniyal tries to swing at it and edges it on to his stumps 201/7
	SK Warne*	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00
	Extras	(w 5)	5
	Total	(7 wickets; 20 overs)	208	(10.40 runs per over)

	Bowling	O	M	R	W	Econ
	Z Khan	4	0	27	0	6.75	(1w)
	R McLaren	4	0	43	0	10.75	(2w)
	SL Malinga	4	0	22	2	5.50	(1w)
	9.2 to Jhunjhunwala, The slow yorker takes him out. Timber! Jhunjhunwala is completely fooled by the change of pace. He has a waft across the line, a desparate attempt to get some bat on the ball, but misses and hears the death knell. Clatterrrrrrrr 66/4 19.2 to Uniyal, Clatterrrrrrrr! Don’t mess with Malinga! Full, straight, pacy, Uniyal tries to swing at it and edges it on to his stumps 201/7
	AG Murtaza	4	0	46	1	11.50
	5.1 to Ojha, Strikes first ball. The arm-ball on the middle stump line, Ojha tries to back away, create some room but is cramped by the armer and punches it straight to Zak at mid-off. 38/2
	R Sathish	3	0	51	1	17.00	(1w)
	6.3 to Smith, Super catch from the ICL hero Sathish. It was a slower one on the length, Smith checks his shot and pushes out at it .. the ball flies low to the left of Sathish who takes a very good diving catch 40/3
	ST Jayasuriya	1	0	19	0	19.00

written by Swapnil \\ tags: IPL, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals