Parthiv Patel gives credit to Dhoni for being a consistent finisher over the years

Parthiv Patel tried his best to take his team home in yesterday’s crunch qualifier against RPS but did not get any support from the rest of batsmen. The wicket-keeper batsman got Mumbai Indians off to a flying start but the slowness of the pitch got the better of the table toppers as they succumbed to a 20-run defeat to RPS.

Speaking about the game at the post-match media conference, Patel sounded very relaxed despite the loss. Mumbai Indians were in the game when they had RPS on the mat at 121/3 after 18 overs. What followed next left millions of fans in awe of one of the best finishers to have played the game. MS Dhoni, in the company of Manoj Tiwary, swung hard to collect as many as 41 runs from the last two overs to give RPS a defendable total of 162. Mitchell McClenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah got hit for five sixes in those two overs collectively, out of which 4 had come from Dhoni’s bat. Patel highlighted Dhoni’s brilliance but said that those two overs weren’t the only factor in their loss.

“These kinds of things can happen in this format when someone like (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni is batting. Obviously, we were in control, but I won’t say it (loss) was just because of those two overs,” said wicketkeeper Patel.

Bumrah had done well against Dhoni in the past

Bumrah has been successful against Dhoni. He doesn’t give the former India captain any width to free his arms but it was Dhoni who got the better of Bumrah on the night when it mattered most. Patel defended his teammate by saying that Bumrah is a quality bowler and Dhoni was just too good on the night.

“If you see the last couple of games or even last year, he had been successful against Dhoni with the kind of length he was bowling,” he said, “He obviously is a good player and has been bowling brilliantly throughout the tournament. You got to sometimes give credit to the batsman. (After) one odd game like this, you have to give credit to someone (Dhoni) who has played so many knocks like this.”

Mumbai fielded a second string XI in their last league game. Though they won the game, it was said that the first-choice players should have been given a go to be in good stead before the playoffs arrive. Patel dismissed the allegation saying that they had qualified for the round ahead and deserved the break.

“Not really. I had niggle and stayed back. I played with niggles in the last three or four games. It (break) was needed and rightly so and we were sure of the first or second position,” said the keeper-batsman who top-scored for his side with a 52-run knock.

We have got another chance to get into the finals

Mumbai Indians are in search of a record third IPL title and their journey isn’t over yet as they will get another chance to qualify for the finals on Friday. Patel was positive about his side’s chances saying that they have topped the league stages for a reason.

“We got to believe in ourselves. We got another chance because we played well throughout the tournament. That’s the reason we got another chance of playing the Eliminator. It’s very important for us to forget what has happened today and treat the next game as the semi-final” said Patel.