Sams, Meredith lead rout of Chennai Super Kings
Nervy Mumbai complete a small chase to snuff out Super Kings' hopes of sneaking into the playoffs
Nervy Mumbai complete a small chase to snuff out Super Kings' hopes of sneaking into the playoffs
Scorer: @Thilak_Rama | Commentator: @PeterDellaPenna
10.42 pm Well I don't think anyone will be posting highlights from this match on their Instagram stories when they get back on the team bus to the hotel. Even Daniel Sams, who had a magnificent spell in the first innings, took the sheen off his performance with a very forgettable innings at No. 3 in the chase. Two points for Mumbai means they still have an outside chance of avoiding the wooden spoon for this year's IPL, but they still remain in last place two points behind CSK with just two matches left.
Elsewhere, the Indian men's badminton team scripted history when they secured their first-ever medal at the Thomas Cup with a thrilling 3-2 win over Malaysia.
CSK captain MS Dhoni: "Irrespective of how the wicket is, anything below 130 is difficult to defend. I asked the bowlers to show a lot of character, put the opposition under pressure and forget about the result. I feel both the young fast bowlers bowled really well. As far as their contribution is concerned, I feel a game like this really helps them. It's something that they start believing in themselves. Whenever we start, we need the same kind of attitude and that's what is needed in the shortest format. [On domestic fast bowling depth in the IPL] It's good to have them. We have gone through a period where we never had extraordinary bench strength with fast bowlers. Also what happens is fast bowlers, they take their time to mature. If you're lucky, you get somebody who in six months time can feature in all the different formats, whether Test cricket, one-day or T20. I feel that's what IPL is doing. It's an opportunity for them and a lot of them become slightly more bold and a bit more courageous which is important in a format like this. They want to take the opposition head on and that has been the difference. You see a few who are not those types, who shy away initially but as they play more games, they get more and more confident and are able to execute their plans better. [Looking to the future] The fast bowlers, to have both of them bowling really well is a big positive. Not to forget we'll have two more fast bowlers coming in to the next season and we have a few more up our sleeves. We just want to give them ample time to prepare for what the IPL holds for them. So we have a few positives that we'll take into the next season but what is important is that whatever gaps are there, to try to fill in those gaps so that leakages don't happen. [What to say to his partners at the end of the first innings] What was important is that when you're batting under that kind of pressure, it's the first few deliveries that are important. I said to be themselves. If they want to hit the first delivery, then go for it. It's a chance for survival. If they pass those first few deliveries, then they can be themselves. It didn't pay off but at the same time the opposition bowled really well and a bit of application was needed from our side. A few of our batters got out on good deliveries. We can't really help that but other than that these are the kind of games where you learn a lot so hopefully they are learning from each and every game."
Mumbai Indians staff member/director of cricket operations Zaheer Khan: "Every game is important. You're out there to experience the thrill of winning a match. That's something we've been talking about, especially after the beginning of the season. But we've tried really hard to keep everyone together, to keep the processes going, the approach toward the game very pure. So it's great to see things coming together, great to see swing from the bowlers and pacers dominating. [Same question about Indian domestic pace depth in the IPL] Overall, I felt this IPL was very exciting. To start with, a lot of the players who have been part of different teams and franchises, they got opportunities so that was great to see, and great to see the bowlers putting things together, putting batters under pressure. Overall you see that speedometer going higher and higher. That's something very exciting to see overall. Every team has got one or two which are really making that impact. [Goals for the final two games] We did try to have a different kind of approach and develop personnel, rest a few seniors, and also seeing different players in different positions. That's something which we never get the opportunity. If you've had a tough season, towards the back end the conversation was giving different players a go, seeing how they're reacting, giving them some feel of the pressures of a tournament like the IPL so they can play better. [On Kieron Pollard's omission] He's been a real force and one of the main contributors to the success this franchise has seen over the years, has been an impact player through and through. He was involved in the process through and through, has been part of the think tank for a long time. So like I mentioned, the last leg of the tournament it was a conscious effort. As a member of the core group, he was on board. It was not easy on him but he for sure made it easy for us. You've seen he has been a great team man and you saw the kind of interest he had supporting the team has been phenomenal. The contribution from him over the last 12-13 years has been immense for this franchise."
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma: "Looking at how the pitch was playing and to lose wickets up front, there was a bit of tense moments, but it was just about keeping calm and getting the job done. I thought after losing those wickets at the start, we were calm and got the job done in the end. [Asked about the pitch] We've played a lot of cricket in Mumbai especially at Wankhede, so I do understand. On so many occasions we've had pitches like this. It's always nice to get bowlers into the games at times. It's been batting friendly pitches all over, so it was good to see some bounce and swing up front from both sides. [Selection and batting order changes to see players for the future] We're keeping one eye on that but we want to win games. That's the bottom line. But at the same time we want to make sure that we try certain players and give them certain roles and try to see if they can live up to that. It'll hold us in good stead for the next year. There are options that we want to try. There are still two more games to go so you might see us try certain things. [On Tilak Varma] He's been brilliant. Playing for the first year, having such a calm head is never easy. In my opinion, I feel he is going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon. He's got the technique. He's got the temperament, which is the most important thing when you play at the highest level. So I think a lot of things are looking bright for him and there is hunger when you speak to him. There is hunger to do well, to finish games and to have some success as well. I think he is in the right path. He just needs to keep growing and see how he can improve and get better as a player and as a person as well. [On Bumrah the last few games] I have seen enough of him so I don't really need to talk to him about what he needs to do. He exactly knows what he needs to do and what the team expects him to do which is the most important thing. The roles are different when he plays for India and when he plays here. But he's been playing for a long time now and so he does understand. A magnificent spell up front and we saw what he did in the last game as well. [On Pollard being left out of the lineup] He's been a stalwart for Mumbai. There's no doubt about it. I said it at the toss as well. It was him who came out and spoke about he was okay with that because obviously we are looking at players. Had we been in a situation where we had a chance to qualify, probably this wouldn't have happened. But we're keeping one eye on what are the holes we need to fill for the next year. So keeping everything in mind, we had to make that call and Kieron was the one who actually came up and said, 'Absolutely fine by me.'"
Player of the Match is Daniel Sams for his first innings bowling spell: "The first few games didn't go to plan and I had a little bit of time to reflect on those performances and the performances in the past when I've played really well. I just figured out that I was focusing on the batter too much and not focusing on my strengths. That was something to work on at training and it was more about reflection of when I come out here, I'm going to do what I do really well. [Plans for Moeen Ali dismissal] We always talk about each batter and have different plans for each batter. Some batters have more specific plans than others. But with Moeen, he's obviously a really nice player. The short ball is something that he can either hit for six or he can get out to. That's one of the things we also spoke about a lot, using the bouncer more to all batters really so that the batter feels a little bit more uncomfortable and they can't just get on the front foot and smack us for sixes like we see in T20 a lot. [On batting at No. 3.] I was really excited to get the opportunity. It was something that MJ spoke about to me today. Any opportunity with the bat, I'm more than happy higher up. I'd love to. [Bowling on wickets like today] The whole T20/IPL this year has been beautiful wickets to bowl on. There's some that have been flat, but there's been some that have some nice pace, nice bounce and a little bit more grass. So it's been really enjoyable. Obviously today's pitch was bowler friendly so it's good to see a T20 game where the bowlers dominate."
That's it for today's live coverage. Come back tomorrow for more live IPL action. On behalf of my tag-team partner Ekanth, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!
One more hit will do it now.
Nervy Mumbai complete a small chase to snuff out Super Kings' hopes of sneaking into the playoffs
Dhoni also hails the performance of seamers despite CSK suffering an early exit
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