GT snatch win over MI despite Bumrah, Boult strikes in rain-hit game
Titans score the 15 off the one over they were required to after a second rain break, the win over MI taking them to the top of the points table
Mumbai: A low-scoring match of fluctuating fortunes between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans for topping the points table provided the capacity crowd at the Wankhede Stadium their money’s worth on Tuesday.
Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler were mostly circumspect in pursuit of their 156-run target with rain threatening. Except for a wayward Hardik Pandya over that was 11 balls long and went for 18 runs, there were no big overs, up until the 13th over. After Buttler’s fall, Sherfane Rutherford as Impact Player reminded Will Jacks that he was just a parttime spinner. Swinging hard with the spin, Jacks was taken down for a 15-run over. In a low-scoring game, such overs make the difference.
But there was a quirk of fate in the form of a rain interruption that allowed MI to regroup at the 14-over mark. GT were still 49 runs away.
Jasprit Bumrah was pressed into action, and as he usually does the speedster delivered, uprooting Gill’s stumps on 43 with a sharp incoming delivery. Trent Boult followed up, halting Rutherford’s march on 28 (15b) in the next over. Bumrah got another in the next over, dismissing Shahrukh Khan. In three overs, with the crowd having found their voice again, the visitors were five wickets down, still 30 runs to get in three overs.
Before the rain stopped play again, GT were 24 runs away to get in 12 balls, five runs short of the DLS par score.
But 30 minutes past midnight, rain gods offered GT a final chance by relenting, leaving them to get 15 runs in one over. Rahul Tewatia was there at the end to guide GT to victory, by three wickets under the DLS method. Deepak Chahar finished second best as Arshad Khan got the one run required to win off the final ball after one over was reduced for the rain break. GT climbed to the top of the points table with 16 points in 11 matches. It ended MI’s run of six straight wins, leaving them with work to do to make the playoffs.
Minutes after the innings break, there was a dust storm in Mumbai. With assistance from the Arabian Sea, as wind swirled, Boult ran in hard and got one to shape away from Sai Sudharsan, catching the outside edge on 5. Aware of the possibility that one could bring more wickets, MI used up two overs of their trump card Bumrah. But GT batters were equally aware of what MI were after. They did not take the bait. Without undue risks in the Powerplay, they settled for 29/1.
There are days when you think of the significance of luck in sport. This was one such day. MI could have been four wickets down inside the Powerplay, the kind of horror start that kills a T20 contest. Suryakumar Yadav could have been out twice. Twice, Jacks got a reprieve too. Three dropped catches from GT fielders meant it was not to be.
GT were still able to dust off the disappointment and stick to their guns. They restricted MI to 56/2 after the first six overs. These were two in-form teams. MI had made a habit of winning at home. GT came with a top order in form and one of the most well-rounded bowling attacks in the tournament.
After Arshad Khan got the big wicket of Rohit Sharma early, the real brakes were applied by GT’s spinners. Rashid Khan, off-colour in the IPL so far, creating chances. He bowled better lengths than he did throughout the tournament on a Wankhede pitch, providing just enough grip for spinners, finished with figures of 4-0-21-1.
Rashid was the ideal foil for Sai Kishore, who did little wrong apart from dropping Suryakumar early. Bowling with varying speeds and control, the left-arm spinner from Tamil Nadu made amends by getting the Indian captain out caught in the deep on 34, while he tried to play one of his trademark inside out hits over covers.
Kishore also got the crucial wicket of Hardik Pandya (1), again beating him in flight. Kishore has bowled with guile throughout this IPL. Often under bowled against left-handers. Against a right-hand heavy MI batting order, he got to bowl his entire quota. With returns of 2/34, he proved his worth.
But it was the Jacks-Suryakumar third wicket stand of 71 (43b) that gave MI a fighting chance.
