Special Sharma Role in Mumbai Matinee

Thanks to experienced opener's eye-catching 81, Mumbai Indians beat Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in Eliminator

- GOMESH S @ New Chandigarh

IT was the sixth over of Mumbai Indians' batting innings against Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh on Friday. Having opted to bat first on a surface where the grass had been shaved off, the scoreboard read 65/0 after five overs with Jonny Bairstow and Rohit Sharma, especially the former, going bonkers. Bairstow had smashed 39 off just 14 balls, catches were dropped for Rohit, and captain Shubman Gill was already beginning to lose his temper in the middle of a 26-run over from Prasidh Krishna. MI were off to a flyer and looking to do further damage. But not all was lost for GT. At least not at that point where Gill turned to R Sai Kishore for a desperate breakthrough.

When the left-arm spinner came on to bowl, Rohit was on 13 off 10 balls. The former MI captain had already been dropped twice and had one well-timed boundary against Mohammed Siraj in the previous over. He was not necessarily in the zone that Bairstow was in.