IPL 2018: Hardik Pandya's bowling spell made the difference for Mumbai Indians in win over Kolkata Knight Riders
Against a batting line-up consisting of big-hitters like Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, Hardik bowled a magnificent spell where he conceded just 19 runs in his four overs, picking two wickets in the process.
After the completion of the match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya came out and said something really interesting about his batting. "I am not doing anything (different). It is just that someday it comes off. I have stopped practicing it (batting). I am someone who thinks differently. I am actually just being positive. It's all about one hit, to be honest. You score one six and all of a sudden the momentum shifts and everything changes," Hardik said.
Hardik Pandya celebrates a Kolkata Knight Riders wicket with Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. AFP
The bit about hitting one six which can change the momentum holds true in T20 cricket. Also, Hardik knows a thing or two about batting and hitting big sixes. He came to the limelight by smashing those big sixes for Mumbai Indians. So it does make sense when he says he has stopped practicing batting. On Sunday, his batting showed no signs of him not having enough practice as he played an unbeaten 35-run knock off 20 balls.
But what stood out in Mumbai's 13-run victory over Kolkata on Sunday was his bowling.
Against a batting line-up consisting of big-hitters like Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, Hardik bowled a magnificent spell where he conceded just 19 runs in his four overs, picking two wickets in the process. He bowled the crucial 18th over when Kolkata needed 43 runs from 18 balls and skipper Karthik and pinch-hitter Sunil Narine were at the crease. Considering Hardik's reputation is not so good in the death overs, Karthik would've fancied Hardik bowling to him at that stage of the game. But the Mumbai player was up to the task, bowling slower ones and changing his lengths, to concede just six runs from six balls. It was that over which took the match away from Kolkata.
At the moment, Hardik is the Purple Cap holder thanks to his 14 wickets from nine matches. This shows that Hardik is consistent when it comes to taking wickets. But the problem with his bowling is that he gives away too many runs. Yes, it's T20 cricket, a format which is especially hard on medium fast bowlers.
But Hardik takes his bowling seriously and he shows desire to improve after every game. If he gets hammered in one game, Hardik comes back stronger in the next. Like in Mumbai's match against Kings XI Punjab, where his figures read 1/44 after four overs, which was followed by a match-winning spell against Kolkata on Sunday. Similarly against Chennai Super Kings, his four overs gave away 39 runs. But he performed better in the next match against Royal Challengers, picking up three wickets for 28 runs.
Credit should also go to Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma for keeping faith on his all-rounder to do the job with the ball. On Sunday, when Kolkata were chasing, Rohit used Hardik's bowling wisely. After bowling two overs in the Powerplay, Hardik was introduced into the attack in the 14th over. At that stage, Kolkata had just lost a key player in Uthappa and Rohit probably sensed that this is the right time to sneak in an over from Hardik. The Baroda boy exceeded expectations by removing the well-settled Nitish Rana for 31. Moreover, he just gave away five runs in that over.
Mumbai depend a lot on their all-rounders to win matches in the Indian Premier League. Much is riding on the performances of players like Hardik, his brother Krunal and Kieron Pollard. This season, Pollard has been not at his best and Mumbai have already lost six matches from the 10 they have played.
But things have started changing for them. In the match against Punjab, it was Krunal who played a vital role in taking his team home. This time around, it was Hardik's contribution with the bat and ball that helped Mumbai big time in clinching the game. It took some time but looks like Mumbai have finally found the momentum. Their chances of entering the playoffs looks thin, but it's not over yet for them yet. If Mumbai want to pull off something extraordinary, then they need players like Hardik and Krunal to perform in every match.
After the completion of the match between Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik Pandya came out and said something really interesting about his batting. "I am not doing anything (different). It is just that someday it comes off. I have stopped practicing it (batting). I am someone who thinks differently. I am actually just being positive. It's all about one hit, to be honest. You score one six and all of a sudden the momentum shifts and everything changes," Hardik said.
Hardik Pandya celebrates a Kolkata Knight Riders wicket with Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. AFP
The bit about hitting one six which can change the momentum holds true in T20 cricket. Also, Hardik knows a thing or two about batting and hitting big sixes. He came to the limelight by smashing those big sixes for Mumbai Indians. So it does make sense when he says he has stopped practicing batting. On Sunday, his batting showed no signs of him not having enough practice as he played an unbeaten 35-run knock off 20 balls.
But what stood out in Mumbai's 13-run victory over Kolkata on Sunday was his bowling.
Against a batting line-up consisting of big-hitters like Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Dinesh Karthik, Hardik bowled a magnificent spell where he conceded just 19 runs in his four overs, picking two wickets in the process. He bowled the crucial 18th over when Kolkata needed 43 runs from 18 balls and skipper Karthik and pinch-hitter Sunil Narine were at the crease. Considering Hardik's reputation is not so good in the death overs, Karthik would've fancied Hardik bowling to him at that stage of the game. But the Mumbai player was up to the task, bowling slower ones and changing his lengths, to concede just six runs from six balls. It was that over which took the match away from Kolkata.
At the moment, Hardik is the Purple Cap holder thanks to his 14 wickets from nine matches. This shows that Hardik is consistent when it comes to taking wickets. But the problem with his bowling is that he gives away too many runs. Yes, it's T20 cricket, a format which is especially hard on medium fast bowlers.
But Hardik takes his bowling seriously and he shows desire to improve after every game. If he gets hammered in one game, Hardik comes back stronger in the next. Like in Mumbai's match against Kings XI Punjab, where his figures read 1/44 after four overs, which was followed by a match-winning spell against Kolkata on Sunday. Similarly against Chennai Super Kings, his four overs gave away 39 runs. But he performed better in the next match against Royal Challengers, picking up three wickets for 28 runs.
Credit should also go to Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma for keeping faith on his all-rounder to do the job with the ball. On Sunday, when Kolkata were chasing, Rohit used Hardik's bowling wisely. After bowling two overs in the Powerplay, Hardik was introduced into the attack in the 14th over. At that stage, Kolkata had just lost a key player in Uthappa and Rohit probably sensed that this is the right time to sneak in an over from Hardik. The Baroda boy exceeded expectations by removing the well-settled Nitish Rana for 31. Moreover, he just gave away five runs in that over.
Mumbai depend a lot on their all-rounders to win matches in the Indian Premier League. Much is riding on the performances of players like Hardik, his brother Krunal and Kieron Pollard. This season, Pollard has been not at his best and Mumbai have already lost six matches from the 10 they have played.
But things have started changing for them. In the match against Punjab, it was Krunal who played a vital role in taking his team home. This time around, it was Hardik's contribution with the bat and ball that helped Mumbai big time in clinching the game. It took some time but looks like Mumbai have finally found the momentum. Their chances of entering the playoffs looks thin, but it's not over yet for them yet. If Mumbai want to pull off something extraordinary, then they need players like Hardik and Krunal to perform in every match.
Updated Date:May 07, 2018
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