A Bravo effort from Mumbai to clinch thriller
Bravo hit 29 off 17 balls and took two for 23 as Mumbai defeated their fellow Indian Premier League rivals to finish their Group B round robin programme with two wins from four matches. But the victory was not enough to earn Mumbai a place in the semi-finals because of inferior run rate to the Highveld Lions, who have also had two wins, and Bangalore, who have won once.
Letting it slip
Bangalore appeared to have taken control of the match when they reduced Mumbai to 84 for five after 13 overs. Fast-bowler Dale Steyn gave his team the edge after dismissing top-scorer Shikhar Dhawan for 41 and danger man Kieron Pollard for a duck.
But Bravo and Saurabh Tiwary (38 not out) helped Mumbai reach 165 for seven. Bangalore could only manage 163 for five in reply despite a sound 71 not out by Rahul Dravid and an explosive 47 off 24 balls by Virat Kohli.
Kohli hit three fours off the penultimate over from Lasith Malinga, which yielded 15 runs, leaving Bangalore needing 13 off the last over, bowled by Zaheer Khan. A boundary by Kohli off the fifth ball meant three were needed off the last delivery but Kohli mistimed a full toss and the ball sailed high in the air as wicketkeeper Ambati Rayudu held his nerve and took the catch.
Tendulkar rues inferior run-rate
“It was a wonderful game,” said Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar. “The first half was not so great but Bravo pulled us through.” Tendulkar admitted that the run-rate factor that ended his team’s chances of progressing was out of his hands.
Kumble pays tribute to Bravo
Bangalore captain Anil Kumble paid tribute to the wonderful effort from Bravo adding that the all-round performance was the difference between the two sides.
“I thought we bowled brilliantly until Bravo and Tiwary took the game away from us,” said Kumble.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 21st, 2010.
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