Rohit Sharma’s 50 Goes in Vain as Pune Defeat Mumbai by 3 Runs
Rising Pune Supergiant beat Mumbai Indians by three runs at Mumbai on Monday.
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Rising Pune Supergiant ended Mumbai Indians' six-match winning streak with a three-run victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Mumbai on Monday.
Captain Rohit Sharma cracked his second half century of the IPL season but could not prevent Mumbai Indians from suffering a nail-biting defeat at the Wankhede Stadium.
Sharma smashed 58 off 39 balls, studded with 3 sixes and six fours, and got out in the last over to Jaydev Unadkat, who took another wicket and effected a run-out to stop MI at 157 for eight while chasing 161.
There was lot of drama towards the end with Mumbai needing 17 in the last over from Unadkat after being at 144/5.
Ben Stokes took a brilliant catch in the deep to pack off Hardik Pandya in the first ball of the final over, the second delivery was heaved over long-on for a six by Sharma and the third, bowled wide of the stumps, disappointed the Mumbai captain as the umpire did not declare it a wide.
He had a word with the umpire and then presented a high catch in the fourth ball, which Unadkat caught off the second attempt, to leave Mumbai at 150 for seven.
Mitchell McClenaghan was run out off the fifth ball after failing to complete the second run to end MI's hopes. Harbhajan smashed the final ball for a six to bring them closer to the target.
Rohit, who had been troubled by leg spin in the first few games and had lost his wicket cheaply to South African leggie Imran Tahir in the first leg clash, tried to hit his way out and struck him for two fours.
Pune made another inroad at the other end when the promoted Karn Sharma dragged a Ben Stokes delivery on to his stumps.
Still troubled by Tahir, Rohit decided to take him on and carted the bowler for a six over mid-wicket one ball after he had dispatched him for a four to bring up the innings' 100 in the 14th over.
MI required 48 from the last five overs with Rohit and Kieron Pollard at the crease, but the latter departed by looping a catch (off Tahir’s bowling) to rival captain Smith in the deep with the hosts requiring 39.
Hardik Pandya smashed Jaydev Unadkat for two fours, on either side of the wicket, in the 18th over to bring down the equation as Mumbai needed 24 runs off the last 12 balls.
A brilliant over from Stokes, in which only seven runs could be scored, left MI with the task of scoring 17 in the last over.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians came back strongly after Rising Pune Supergiant's sound start and restricted them to 160 for six in their 20 overs.
Openers Ajinkya Rahane (38 in 32 balls) and Rahul Tripathi, who top-scored with a 31-ball 45, gave the Pune innings a solid launchpad by putting on 76 runs in less than 10 overs, but once the partnership was broken Mumbai had things under control.
Skipper Steve Smith made 17, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had cracked a 34-ball 61 not out in a last-ball win two days ago, struggled in making 7 while another big-hitter, Stokes, too fell for 17.
Manoj Tiwary struck a breezy 22 off 13 balls with four boundaries towards the end, but the final total appeared below par.
For Mumbai, leg spinner Karn Sharma was easily the pick of the bowlers with the wickets of both the openers at a crucial time, while Harbhajan arrested the early run-flow to finish with fine figures of 1 for 20. Jasprit Bumrah bowled well again at the death to finish with 2 for 29.
Meanwhile, Harbhajan got to his 200th T20 wicket when he dismissed Smith in the 13th over.
(With inputs from PTI)
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