Mumbai seal Delhi’s fate

Stitching together a partnership of 87 runs in 9.2 overs,Rayudu top scored with 59,while Rohit scored 10 runs lesser than his batting partner. But nobody in the Mumbai camp,or in the stadium,seemed to be complaining about the missed fifty,as the hosts set a daunting target of 179 runs for Delhi to remain in contention for a play-off spot. But soon after the early dismissal of Virender Sehwag (for just two runs) and having been reduced to 7/4 in reply,Delhi did well to lose the match by just 32 runs.

Even then the relatively narrow loss didn’t help their cause on the points table,as they crashed out of the race for the fourth season’s title. At the opposite end of the spectrum,Mumbai became the first team to advance,having notched eight wins in 10 games so far.

Broken promises

While Mumbai’s league stage hurdle has been crossed with mathematical success,the journey of two of their brightest talents had just started. Rohit and Rayudu have shared a similar career graph,peaking during their age group days,before fading away just when India came calling. While Rohit at least managed to play a few matches for the country,Rayudu was left to fend for himself in the wild,almost completely losing his way during his time with the rebel ICL. But things have changed,and how.

Rayudu was the first to take charge,cutting James Hopes in the eighth over through backward point to notch his first boundary of the innings. The Andhra lad unleashed his fury on Hopes again in the 10th over,clobbering a leg side ball past backward square leg before punishing him with a textbook drive through the covers for fours. And soon after he brought up his first maximum off Ajit Agarkar,Rohit woke up for the show.

Beyond the boundary

Dancing out of his crease,Rohit threw the kitchen sink over Morne Morkel’s bent head for a straight six,before raising the Wankhede roof with two full-blooded hoicks into the adjacent hockey stadium past cow corner. Rohit was dropped in his 40s by David Warner off Irfan Pathan,one that cost his team four runs,but was dismissed off the very next over,caught of an edge at third man off Morkel’s bowling.

The Rayudu blitz though continued for a while longer,as he made left-arm spinner Shabaz Nadeem and Hopes pay for some terrible bowling with more sixes and fours. But going for one too many,Rayudu clipped his stumps with a slipping foot,ending the knock with a hit-wicket.

No way out

Too much depended on Sehwag during the chase,and it showed when the team collpased in a heap after him. Hopes made up for his lacklustre bowling by dragging Delhi out of the 7/4 hole with 55 runs. But the trench that Delhi had dug for themselves right through the tournament was a lot deeper to climb out of.