Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], May 2 (ANI): Following Mumbai Indians (MI) win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Jaipur, former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja hailed opener Rohit Sharma for his “adaptive approach” against the Royals, saying that MI would love to see their premier batter score consistenly.
Hitman’s century partnership with Ryan Rickelton set the tone for MI’s sixth successive win of the season over RR at Jaipur on Thursday. The team continues to display ominous form, with its key players peaking at the right time.
One of them is Rohit himself. After managing just 56 runs in the first five innings, he went on to score three half-centuries in his next five innings, scoring 237 runs at an average of 59.25.
Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live’ on JioHotstar, JioStar expert Jadeja said about Rohit, “Mumbai would love to have Rohit Sharma scoring consistently. Today, he showed great experience — he took a few balls to settle in and built a steady partnership. Despite a cautious start, they were 58 for no loss in six overs. This was a more adaptive approach from Rohit, who usually pushes hard early on. It was smart cricket based on pitch conditions. And when you have a base of 100-plus, imagine bringing in Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, or Tilak Varma.”
Jadeja also recalled that RR offered fans a “glimmer of hope” with a dominant win over Gujarat Titans (GT), with their 14-year-old star Vaibhav Suryavanshi scoring a century.
“But apart from that, there has not been much. Sanju Samson has been injured, and no one else has stepped up. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians looked like a champion side with the team they played today. Now they are at the top of the table, and this is how they should have been playing from the start,” he concluded.
Coming to the match, MI was put to bowl first by RR, who chose to field first. The Men in Pink were soon made to regret their decision, as openers Ryan Rickelton (61 in 38 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (53 in 36 balls, with nine fours) launched an assault that lasted 116 runs. After both openers were dismissed, Suryakumar Yadav (48* in 23 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and skipper Hardik Pandya (48* in 23 balls, with six fours and a six) stitched a 94-run stand, taking MI to 217/2 in 20 overs. Maheesh Theekshana and skipper Riyan got a wicket each.
During the run-chase, RR looked helpless against a top-class MI attack right from the powerplay, sinking to 47/5. It was Jofra Archer (30 in 27 balls, with two fours and two sixes) who top-scored as RR were bundled out for 117 in 16.1 overs, losing by 100 runs.
Karn Sharma (3/23) and Trent Boult (3/28) were the pick of the bowlers for MI, with Jasprit Bumrah also delivering a pressurising four-over spell of 2/15. Skipper Hardik also got a wicket.
Rickelton was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award.
MI is at the top of the table with seven wins and four losses, giving them 14 points. RR is out of the playoff race, sitting in eighth place with three wins and eight losses, which gives them six points. (ANI)
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