Mumbai Indians secured a thrilling final-over victory against Punjab Kings on Thursday as the two sides squared-off in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 league match. While it looked like Mumbai’s total of 192/7 would be enough for Punjab, heroic performances by young batters Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma too the game too close to anyone’s comfort. In the final over, with power-hitter Kagiso Rabada in the middle, Punjab were still in the game, needing 12 runs to win, before MI’s former skipper Rohit Sharma decided to step in.
In a video that is spreading like wildfire on social media, Rohit could be seen engaging in an intense discussion with MI pacer Akash Madhwal, with captain Hardik Pandya also present.
The discussion, over field placement, also drew inputs from Hardik but it was the chatter between Rohit and Akash that seemed to be the focal point. Here’s the video:
The discussion paid its dividends, with securing the victory on the first ball itself, as Rabada was run-out while trying to steal a double. His dismissal resulted in PBKS being all-out for 183 runs, hence losing the match 9 runs.
It was Mumbai Indians’ marquee pacer Jasprit Bumrah who was named the player of the match for his 3-wicket haul in the match. After the game, Bumrah admitted that the game came too close to MI’s comfort.
“This was a close game. Much closer than what we thought it would go. Of course you want to make an impact when the ball does something. In this format the ball swings two overs. When I want to bowl more, I play Test cricket. That fulfills my desires. This format is a little difficult for bowlers, with time restrictions and impact player rules. Batting lineup becomes deeper and deeper. But that’s not in your control. I do relay the message to the bowlers whenever I can. But you also don’t want to deliver too many messages in the heat of the moment,” he said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
