Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma showered praise on Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav after they registered a six-wicket win against Punjab Kings at the IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali on Wednesday. MI was able to chase down the target with ease with seven balls as SKY and Kishan scored blistering fifties.
After Rohit Sharma was dismissed early for a duck, bagging the unwanted record of most ducks in the IPL, Kishan gave the much-needed impetus to the MI’s innings in the powerplay overs while chasing a huge score of 215 runs.
Kishan smashed seven fours and four sixes in his knock of 75 runs from 41 balls. The left-hander, who hasn’t batted at his absolute best in the ongoing season for MI, proved his mettle as he batted at the top of his game.
Suryakumar Yadav also continued his good show as he scored a whirlwind knock of 66 runs from 31 balls. After MI scored 54-2 in the Powerplay overs, SKY and Kishan added a fine alliance of 116 runs off just 55 balls as they kept finding the boundaries at regular intervals.
Subsequently, Tilak Varma (26 off 10) and Tim David (19 off 10) added the finishing touches to help MI chase down the huge total.
Rohit Sharma said that they want to keep backing the aggressive batting approach and is hopeful that results will take care of themselves if they bat to their potential.
Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation, “When we started the T20 format, 150 was a winning score. One extra batter makes a huge difference as well. The average score is around 180 this season, I was checking. SKY has been doing that for a couple of overs. To play behind the wicket is his strength. He utilised it well. Kishan and SKY batted brilliantly. Before the start of the season, we had a chat as to how we wanted to play our cricket. Not to think of the results too much. We want to go out there and just express ourselves.”
He added, “You will lose games here and there. We want to stick to this template. Kishan is powerful. He practises those kind of shots. He has been working really hard for the last couple of weeks. I wouldn’t say a worrying factor. But we need to think how to shut down overs. Three to four games we have conceded more than 200. When the pressure is on, you need to execute what is best for you.”
Mumbai Indians will next face Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Saturday.
