IPL 2018, CSK vs MI: Rohit Sharma coming in at one-down is SK Turning Point of the match
Rohit Sharma's batting position in the Mumbai Indians' batting line-up has been a conundrum of sorts this season. Although the right-handed batsman opens for the Indian cricket team and is one of the most consistent batsmen at the top of the order in the international circuit, his numbers in the IPL are far greater when he bats in the middle order. However, coming in at number 4 sometimes requires him to accelerate to the fourth gear immediately. Hence, the opening slot and the two-down position pose quite a dilemma for the MI skipper, more so this season.
He found the best of both worlds against the Chennai Super Kings at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Monday (April 28) though, as he promoted himself to Number 3 in a tight and testing chase. His decision bred gold for the Mumbai franchise and proved to be the SK Turning Point of the match.
The elegant batsman scored 56 runs off just 23 deliveries, powering his side to an 8-wicket victory against MS Dhoni and Co. His batting on the day looked effortless and classy, as it always does when he is on song.
Right from the toss, everything went right for the MI skipper, as he decided to field first against the mighty CSK, who are sitting pretty at the top of the table. The bowling changes he brought about at the death of the chase worked to pinpoint perfection, as his side managed to restrict the Men in Yellow to just 169 for 5 at the end of the first innings.
Mumbai started off the chase in an emphatic fashion, putting up 69 runs for the first wicket in less than 10 overs. Sharma came into the fray midway through the innings, after Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh for a well-made 44.
The captain led from the front and remained unbeaten through the chase to take his side home in a match where they needed avictory under any circumstances. His effort has now kept the MI in contention for the playoffs. They pulled one over their arch-rivals in the last over of the chase, when Hardik Pandya played the winning runs against Imran Tahir, who was rendered ineffective on the day.
The 19th over of the innings decided the outcome of the match, though, as Shardul Thakur, who had bowled pretty well up until then, was taken to the cleaners by Sharma's tireless and electric shot-making. The seamer was hit for a quadruple of fours in the over, giving Tahir just five runs to play with, for the last over of the day.
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