Had we applied our strategies a little better and taken some more responsibility, the result against Pune Warriors could have been different, says Mumbai Indians skipper Harbhajan Singh.
“Targets like 129 in T20 format are always tricky. Teams often get confused as to what approach one needs to take to reach this kind of a total. Every chase has to be managed and the best way to manage it is to never allow the pressure to build on you. At times you have to play your natural game and at times you need to surrender the same for the greater cause of getting the right result,” writes Harbhajan in a column in The Times Of India.
Writing about his decision on bowling first against Warriors, the skipper says he fully backs his decision and he has his own logic to support it. “If we had given away 170 runs, I would have thought bowling first has backfired. But we restricted Pune to 129 and thought that things were very much under control. We bowled and fielded really well to get this kind of total to chase. At the mid-innings if you had asked people, nine out of 10 would have said Mumbai should sail past this total. So basically, we faltered in the second half of the match,” opines Bhajji, adding that they are ready to take on Team Hyderabad on their home turf.
Meanwhile Lasith Malinga in his column in TOI writes that Steve Smith’s innings was a turning point in Mumbai Indians shocking loss to Pune warriors. “He managed to put together a Power Performance right at the end. Smith’s 32-ball 39 was a good knock and it gave Pune a fighting total. We backed ourselves to win, chasing just 129 for 9. However, in the space of just 12 deliveries as we slumped to 5 for 3, Pune were suddenly the favourites. After that we were on the back-foot,” writes Malinga, adding that they are ready for the next challenge: Team Hyderabad at Visakhapatnam.
“It will give me a chance to renew my friendly rivalry with Sanga. It’s always fun playing against your teammates and a challenge too because he is one of the best players in the world right now. Hopefully, I’ll come out on top this time. We’ll be seeking to raise our game several notches and must make sure that we make less mistakes than the other night,” adds Malinga.
Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that for more than six years, Pune supporters were deprived of watching international cricketers in action and their wish was eventually fulfilled on Sunday as the Pune Warriors India hosted Kings XI Punjab at the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s (MCA’S) Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium on the outskirts of the city.
“When the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium hosted an ODI between India and Sri Lanka on November 3, 2005, it was marred my chaos. As a result, after the match, the MCA president Ajay Shirke had announced that the Nehru Stadium had hosted its last big match. And once Shirke and his colleagues zeroed in on the 50-odd acre plot, around 30 km from the heart of the town, it took more than four years for their dream to realise. The total cost of the project rose every day, but since Shirke did not want to compromise when it came to “delivering an ultra-modern, spectator-friendly stadium that will give an unobstructed view from every seat in the stands”, the owners of the city’s IPL franchise stepped. All that Sahara group asked for was for the stadium to be named after its boss. Once the financial front was taken care of, there was no stopping Shirke and Co as they came up with one of the best cricket venues in the country.”