IPL 2021: Match 55, SRH vs MI – Who Said What

MAYHEM. DECIMATION. DESTRUCTION. If one were to describe the way the Mumbai Indians (MI) batsmen went about their business against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side, these are some words that might be used.

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav slaughtered the ‘Orange Army’ bowlers to shreds. Opening the batting, Kishan was totally fearless. The MI opener threw caution to the winds, and in his 32-ball stay out in the middle, the left-hander scored 84. Kishan’s innings was embellished with 11 fours and 4 sixes.

After the dismissal of Kishan, there was more punishment waiting for Kane Williamson and his men. And, that was from the willow of Suryakumar Yadav. The right-hander faced 40 deliveries and scored a breathtaking 82. Yadav struck 13 fours and 3 sixes in his marauding knock. And, Kishan and Yadav helped the Rohit Sharma-led outfit pile up a humongous total of 235/9 on the board.

SRH lose their way after an excellent opening partnership

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) openers were equal to the task. Jason Roy and Abhishek Sharma hammered the Mumbai Indians (MI) bowling attack and put on a 64-run partnership for the first wicket off just 5.2 overs. But then, both openers fell within the space of 10 balls for the SRH outfit.

Mohammad Nabi and Abdul Samad scored in single digits as well, and the ‘Orange Army’ lost their first 4 wickets with their scorecard reading 100. Manish Pandey was the lone warrior for the SRH side. The stand-in-skipper scored a 41-ball 69*, but his knock went in vain, as the SRH outfit could only manage to post 193/8 on the board and fell short of the MI total by 42 runs.

For Mumbai, the pace troika of Jasprit Bumrah, James Neesham, and Nathan Coulter Nile picked up 2 wickets apiece.

Losing skipper, Manish Pandey said:

It was really hot, and it was an intense 20 overs. My calves are a bit cramped. I think the surface was the best of the tournament. We knew MI would come hard at us and they did. Our fast bowlers gave away a few extra runs that cost us in the end, but this was the best pitch of the tournament. We had a lot of changes in the side, that didn’t work for us. We were struggling in the first few games too and had to pull ourselves up in the second leg but the whole team didn’t put in complete performances, despite some really good individual performances.

Winning skipper, Rohit Sharma said:

(Additional pressure?) When you play for a franchise like Mumbai, you are always expected to go out and perform. I wouldn’t call that as pressure. More than anything, it’s expectations. It was very tough (to drop big players), I want to back the players and keep the same squad going. We have had on and off-season this time around. We have had a fabulous run as a franchise. It was wonderful to be part of this set-up, we can be very proud of that. We were getting momentum in Delhi and there was a break, that didn’t help the team. It was a collective failure of group. Very happy with win today, we gave everything, I am sure it was entertaining for the fans as well. They have always been supportive, they have always stood by us. Little disappointed we didn’t go through. He (Ishan Kishan) is a very talented player, just the right position for him to bat is very crucial. Today was a perfect game for him. That is the situation he likes. It was wonderful to see from the other end.

Player of the Match Ishan Kishan said:

A very good thing for me and for the team getting some runs, and getting into good touch before the World Cup. Was in good state mind of mind, was very positive. We had to get somewhere around 250-260, it was the intent and positive intent. The one I smacked Malik through the covers – that’s the one (his favourite shot). In this tournament, you have to be prepared for every circumstances. It’s important to be in the right mindset and you need to go with your best form.I had a good chat with Virat bhai, Jasprit bhai also helped me. Even HP, KP were there to support me.Everyone supported me and they said it’s a learning stage for you, make sure you learn from here and don’t make the same mistakes in the upcoming WC games. That was the part where I learned from them. I was just taking one point at a time. I would love to open and that’s what Virat bhai said – ‘you are selected as an opener, you just have to be prepared for that.’ In the bigger stage, you need to be prepared for every situation I feel.