For most of this match, it was Rajasthan’s to lose. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored one of the most assured and polished centuries any Indian youngster has ever scored in the IPL, and R Ashwin then bowled a wonderful spell to tighten the grip. But Mumbai Indians stayed afloat, and Tim David pummelled 45 off just 14 balls to pull off the most sensational of run chases in the IPL’s 1000th game. It helped that Jason Holder dished out three juicy full tosses in the final over, with 17 needed. Here are our takeaways from a game fit for a special occasion.
Give it to Jaiswal
Come to this first. This boy called Yasashvi Jaiswal is cut out for big things. Yes, his team Rajasthan Royals, lost to the Mumbai Indians. Make no mistake about this. He pulls off almost everything he wants, hits the ball wherever he wants to. That’s the difficult part of cricket. One can have the intent to hit the ball here or there, but it does not always come off. With Jaiswal the left-hand batter, there are no such second thoughts. He clobbers, connects and finds placement. This is batting of the most sublime quality and he is pulling it off, day after day, match after match. An India call-up is very much on the cards.
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SKY is back
Suryakumar Yadav is back. Yes, there was talk about the run of ducks he had to endure, but there is no doubt that he is very much back in reckoning for a place in the India side as far as white-ball cricket is concerned. He can time and place the ball wherever he wants. He is very much the guy who touched the SKY in the recent past. Yes, he went through a bad time but he is back and doing his best. Some of the shots he played were stupendous, demoralising for the opposition and morale-boosting for his team. This was a super effort, which brought Mumbai Indians back from the brink of disaster.
Jason couldn’t hold it
Holder had a horrible outing. One should not use such words about sportspersons because this is a crazy world, where strange things can happen. But what did you do, Mr Holder? Bowled three full tosses in the last over! All that was needed was to pitch one ball up. Land it on the surface. Instead, you bowled one of the most horrendous last overs in the history of the IPL after Yash Dayal. It was terrible because Holder is one of the most experienced players in international cricket at the moment. He is supposed to know what is to be done, and how. So, to see him dish out such rubbish was awful.
David, not Goliath
Go to Tim David and Tilak Varma. This match was practically out of their grasp when they got together. Most watching thought that the team batting second had no chance. But, hang on. Enter David. What was that? Such blitzkrieg in no time? We all know he can hit the ball, but to do it at such a crunch moment was phenomenal. Think about this. Every ball had to be connected. There was no time or delivery to lose. And he middled almost everything. This was his match, even though Jaiswal played the innings of the match.
Spare a thought for Ashwin
We must also talk about Ravichandran Ashwin, a bowler you cannot stop talking about. He was superb on a day his team lost. This was craft of pretty high order. He was getting the ball to grip on a surface somewhat conducive to spin bowlers. Even then, he had to get his act right. And there, he was on the money all the time. It is his bad luck that his team could not defend that big a total. Come on, Ashwin. Greater days lie ahead.