Quick guide:
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings
“IPL resumes on 19th September 2021 in UAE!”– was one of the best news to receive for the cricket fans across the world. What better than having the tensest game in the opening game of the second half?
With masks on, fans in the stand, the festive season of cricket was back! The blockbuster game of Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings was back!
Quick Summary
In the 30th game of the IPL 2021, Mumbai and Chennai looked ready to give us nothing but a thriller of a game. Chennai won the toss and chose to bat first. With Rohit and Hardik not in the playing 11 due to injury concerns, MI unit seemed to be on a bit on backfoot before the game started. The bowling unit of MI seemed to be in a different mood in the opening game with Boult picking up a wicket of Faf du Plessis in the very first over!
While it may look like the teams were getting into the groove, MI bowling unit looked all set to put the pressure early on in the game. CSK on the other hand struggled in the powerplay overs as Boult and Milne struck early on in the innings. At the end of the powerplay CSK were 24-4 with Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, M. S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina back into the dressing room.
It felt like MI had the game in their favour and CSK needed a special innings to set up a decent total. Well, the young gun of CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad, was silently watching from the other end and preparing to roar the loudest. Ruturaj along with Jadeja build a strong partnership and silenced the attack from MI in the middle overs. The sixes and fours galore had begun. Ruturaj’s 50*was one of the beautiful sights to witness for anyone who watched the game.
WATCH : RUTURAJ GAIKWAD’S CLASSY 88*
Bravo’s 23 (8) was another special innings along with Ruturaj’s 88*(58) and some crucial addition of 26(33) from Jadeja which helped CSK put up a defendable total on board of 156-6 in 20 overs.
The first innings was a proper thriller and the MI batting unit had a lot of work to do under the pressure! Anmolpreet Singh, who made his MI debut in the game, made a mark with some excellent shots.
However, his stay was short lived as Deepak Chahar picked up another wicket in the powerplay after dismissing Quinton de Kock for 17 (12). With both openers back in the dugout, the onus was on the middle order to steady the innings. What looked like a good start for CSK bowling unit, the game turned highly in their favour with Thakur dismissing the key batter Surya Kumar Yadav for a cheap 3 (7). Soon Pollard and Ishan Kishan were dismissed for 15 in 14 and 11 in 10 respectively.
The MI batting unit looked vulnerable under pressure that CSK managed to sail through in the middle overs. Like the silent batter Ruturaj for CSK, MI has Saurabh Tiwary who was 50* and helped MI stay in the game from one end. Saurabh and Adam Milne build a good partnership to take the game till the last ball. What looked like a good game to win for MI at the start, had now turned tables and it was CSK on the winning side.
WATCH : SAURABH TIWARY’S STEADY 50*
CSK recovered from the early fall of wickets, put up a good total to chase and made sure to pick wickets time to time and not let MI batting unit settle in well on the crease. They won comfortably by 20 runs ad started the second half of the season with a great win against their greatest opponents.
Key Takeaway
Performing under tough circumstances:
Chennai Super Kings were thrown under the pressure pendulum from the very first over of the game. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s innings was a good representation of being calm and performing under pressure. He took his time to settle down and hold the fort for his team. Not being so affected by the external factors (injury/quick wickets/attacking field set) and focusing on how you can do your best for the team is something worth learning in our daily lives too.
Another player who gave us a glimpse of being steady and playing your best under pressure was Saurabh Tiwary from Mumbai Indians who batted till the end and stayed 50 not out. His innings was not only a crucial one but also a steady one. He tried his best to score runs and add to the tally while also making sure the wickets don’t fall quickly. Taking up the responsibility and playing steadily was another aspect to learn from while performing under pressure.
No matter how the circumstances stand, it is important to let the storm pass and sail through it to come out victorious. This can only happen when we learn from our past experiences, failures and focus on how to respond better under pressure.
In competitive games(team sports), in order to have an upper hand, it is important that the players perform as a unit and put the opponent under pressure. Mumbai Indians did that pretty well at the start of the innings. It did not seem to be enough as the CSK players were ready to push through that pressure and give their best.
The pendulum of pressure kept swinging at both ends throughout the game and the better side came out victorious.
~Urvi Shah (Author, Beyond the Matches)
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