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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pulled off a dramatic 18-run victory over Mumbai Indians (MI) in a rain-affected Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match on Saturday.
Chasing a revised target of 158 runs in 16 overs due to a rain delay, MI got off to a flying start. Openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma put on a quickfire 59-run partnership in just five overs. However, the tide turned dramatically after the powerplay.
KKR bowlers scare MI batters
The introduction of spin duo Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy exposed the fragility of the MI batting line-up. Both Rohit Sharma (19 off 24) and Suryakumar Yadav (11 off 14) fell cheaply, failing to handle the crafty bowling of the spinners. MI captain Hardik Pandya also chipped in with a disappointing score of 2 runs.
Meanwhile, fast bowlers Andre Russell and Harshit Rana picked up crucial wickets in the death overs, restricting MI to a final score of 139/8 in their allotted 16 overs.
Virat Sehwag criticize Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav
Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag heavily criticized Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav’s batting approach. He felt they lacked respect for the spinners and attempted unnecessary big shots, leading to their downfall.
“You should be more careful if someone is bowling well. Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav could have won the game for Mumbai in 15 overs if the two had stayed in the middle,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“You can’t bat with the ego. Play the good bowlers out. Naman Dhir hit two sixes and a four on Andre Russell’s bowling in the death overs. SKY and Rohit could have smashed five balls for boundaries.
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“You could be Rohit or Suryakumar but atleast respect the delivery if you can’t respect the bowler. The ball on which Rohit got out wasn’t a weak ball. Rohit and SKY are great players but that doesn’t mean that you can hit the good deliveries,” he added.
Sehwag emphasized that responsible batting and patience from Rohit and Suryakumar could have seen MI chase down the target comfortably.
“Vaibhav Arora, Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell and Harshit Rana had to bowl [in the final over] and if the two batters had played out the spinners without losing a wicket, the game would have gone in Mumbai’s favour,” the ex-India opener added further.
This victory secured a playoff berth for the Knight Riders, while MI’s disappointing campaign continues.
