Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav ignite fireworks with the cricket ball to massacre Chennai Super Kings

By K.R. Nayar
From Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 

It was sheer massacre of the Chennai Super Kings' attack by Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. A packed crowd of 32,000 watched in awe as the cricket ball was transformed into rockets and shot all around the stadium. Rohit Sharma cracked an unbeaten 76 off 45 balls, packed with mighty and well-timed shots, while Suryakumar Yadav hammered 68 off just 30 balls with unbelievable, out-of-the-book strokes. They launched sixes that soared through the air and landed repeatedly in the stands amidst a roaring crowd, and their boundary shots flashed like lightning to the ropes.

 

Sharma’s 76 included six sixes and four boundaries, while Yadav’s 68 featured five sixes and six boundaries. This pair, who can be called the modern-day cricket’s assassins of bowlers, put on a 114-run partnership in just 54 balls to chase down Chennai’s challenging total of 176 for 5, winning by nine wickets and 26 balls remaining. They were together for 49 minutes, and for the fans, every moment was pure joy as they witnessed the art of hard-hitting with immaculate timing.

Rohit Sharma's hits one of his sixes into the crowd. Photo: Mumbai Indians twitter 

Mumbai Indians fans had thronged the stadium wearing Rohit's No. 45 jersey, eager to see their hero at his best. In contrast, Chennai Super Kings fans were donned in Dhoni's iconic No. 7 jersey. 

 

Chennai fans with Dhoni's iconic No.7 jersey. Photo by K.R. Nayar  

Rohit delivered in style, while Dhoni managed just four runs. In fact, Chennai's performance highlighted the fact why the five-time champions sit at the bottom of the IPL table this season, with only two wins from eight matches. Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, are at No. 6 with four victories from eight matches.

 
It was a sad Sunday for Dhoni fans. They had to watch Dhoni, captaining his side, helplessly see his bowlers being thrashed on the very ground he’d won the 2011 ICC World Cup for India. Every bowler he introduced was thrashed ruthlessly for boundaries and sixes. Yadav ended the demolition act with two consecutive sixes off Matheesha Pathirana. This pairs’ batting will remain a nightmare to all those who bowled at them.  Their batting show will surely inspire batters but surely not the bowlers. 

 

Sharma began his innings in full flow. His first six came off Jamie Overton, soaring into the second tier of the backward square leg stands in the second over. In the third over, he hit Khaleel Ahmed for a six over deep square leg and picked up two more boundaries. Overton was also dispatched for a six by opener Ryan Rickelton to deep square leg. The 50-run partnership came up in just 4.5 overs.

 

Sharma celebrated the 50-run stand, built in just 29 balls, with another six off Overton. Rickelton and Sharma’s partnership of 63 runs off 40 balls ended when Rickelton was caught by Ayush Mhatre at the boundary line for 24. That dismissal was the only moment for Chennai fans to celebrate with their famous whistle.

 

Sharma continued his six-hitting spree, lifting Ravichandran Ashwin over deep mid-wicket. Yadav, meanwhile, maintained the tempo, hitting Jadeja for a boundary and a six. At the halfway mark, Mumbai were 93 for 1, needing just 84 more runs to win. Sharma reached his fifty off 33 balls, laced with two fours and four sixes. The pair’s fifty-run partnership came off 35 balls, with Yadav contributing more than 32 runs of that. When Yadav struck three consecutive boundaries off Noor Ahmed, Mumbai needed just 50 more runs from 42 balls. Yadav’s half-century came up in only 26 balls.

 

Chennai's Ayush Mhatre who hails from Mumbai  

Chennai’s batting was rather ordinary after they were put in to bat. Their opening partnership lasted just 16 runs before 23-year-old left-arm pacer Ashwani Kumar struck with the first ball of his first over, having Rachin Ravindra caught behind by wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton for 5.

The 17-year-old batting sensation from Mumbai, Ayush Mhatre, played a quickfire knock of 32 runs off just 15 balls before he hit Deepak Chahar into the hands of Mitchell Santner at long-on. The next wicket to fall was that of opener Shaik Rasheed, who was forced to drag his back leg out of the crease by Santner and was brilliantly stumped by Rickelton for 19.

 

However, Shivam Dube (50) and Ravindra Jadeja (53 not out) gave Chennai a fighting total. In fact, but for their 79-run partnership, which came off 50 balls, Chennai’s total might not have crossed the 150-run mark.