Just Jassi things
That Jasprit Bumrah bowls a mean yorker is no surprise. That Jasprit Bumrah continues to dismiss even well-set batters who know full well that a mean yorker is always around the corner, is the stuff of genius. Brought back into the attack when Delhi were stitching together a decent partnership, Bumrah produced one of those heat-seeking missiles from his armory. It’s like his brain has a radar and the ball is programmed to hit the base of the stumps when he demands it to. Shaw was batting on 66 off 39 balls, and was starting to find the gaps more regularly. But the gap Bumrah needed was just millimeters between the bottom of the bat and in front of the stumps. The ball was angled in, nearly took Shaw’s toe off his backfoot, then completely took the leg stump off the ground. And in complete contrast to the delivery, as per usual, the celebration was once more just a leap and a gentle smile.
Battle of the Sharmas
Rohit Sharma and Ishant Sharma have known each other for a long time. They were part of the senior Indian set-up as early as the mid-2010s. They would have faced off countless times in the nets, and though their international commitments may have curtailed their engagements at the domestic level, there’s a level of familiarity as both have been part of the IPL since its very inception. That familiarity worked for Rohit, at least at the start of the second over of the Mumbai Indians innings. After a wide down the leg-side, the India captain rightly predicted what was coming next. It was a length ball outside off, and Rohit got down on one knee to sweep it over short fine-leg. The next ball was lofted, quite easily, over mid-off. As there was no one back, another boundary ensued. The next delivery would have reminded Delhi Capitals of the nightmare in Visakhapatnam a few days ago, as a wayward delivery down legside went for five wides. But the experienced pacer made an impressive comback after conceding 14 off two legal deliveries. Three of the four subsequent deliveries went past the outside edge, while the other one was ushed tentatively to cover. In the final analysis, it was a good over for Mumbai Indians, but the individual clash between two veterans didn’t have a clear winner.
No fairytale comeback
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. That was the case with Suryakumar Yadav, who had been out of action since December. The return of the No.1 T20I batsman in the world was awaited not just by the Indian team, but also by Mumbai Indians, who had suffered a hat-trick of defeats to open their campaign. But Yadav’s comeback to the IPL lasted a mere two deliveries, as his ring-rust became obvious. He had had a few practice matches at the National Cricket Academy, but that would not prepare anyone to face high-quality pace in a competitive game. Anrich Nortje is himself finding his way back from injury. The South African speedster welcomed Yadav with a yorker at pace, which the batsman struggled to pick. It thudded into his pads, prompting an appeal from the bowler. But it was clearly sliding down leg and there was a hint of an inside edge as well. Yadav has made his name taking the bowling on, and decided to do the same. He tried to hit Nortje over the infield, but got nowhere near the middle of the blade, as substitute fielder Jake Fraser-McGurk timed his leap to perfection at mid-on to grab the chance on the edge of the circle. Yadav was back for a two-ball duck and would have to wait to make an impact.
Capitals on a slippery slope
At one stage, it seemed that Delhi Capitals had already started preparing for next season, in only their fifth match. After a thrashing by more than a 100 runs in their previous game, they conceded another huge total, but showed scant urgency in making a match of it. The batting line-up they put out against Mumbai Indians showed how thin their resources look on paper. David Warner is key to their ambitions, but advancing years and an absence of game-time in longer formats don’t let him be the destructive force he was in his prime. Prithvi Shaw is still hit-or-miss, but what brings forth their lack of firepower is young Abhishek Porel at No.3 when the team is chasing 235. Other sides have much more pedigreed and experienced batsmen coming at that vital position. Their net run rate took a big hit against Kolkata Knight Riders, and needed another of their big guns up front to make a match of it. They had Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs to come, but Axar Patel at No. 6 seems a bit high, and Kumar Kushagra as an Impact batsman shows that the squad has its limitations. If things don’t turn around quickly, this season could be another write-off.
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