Sanath celebrates Sachin’s return

On a pitch with a bit of bounce, Jayasuriya showed the big hitters in the Chennai Super Kings line-up how even a subtle flick of the wrist can clear the fence. MS Dhoni’s men indulged in wild, fruitless swings and, more often than not, ended up missing the ball. The Super Kings needed 17.4 overs before sending the ball over the ropes — the longest time taken by a team to hit a six in the IPL. Jayasuriya, on the other hand, needed just seven balls. A sublime short-arm jab off Albie Morkel that went over the mid-wicket fence gave an indication of things to come.

The Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings game was hyped as Sachin Tendulkar’s first IPL game, but Jayasuriya ensured that his captain, returning after a long injury lay-off, didn’t have to hit the ground running. The way Jayasuriya started, it seemed as if the presence of his fellow batting great at the other end had motivated him to make a point. Woefully short of runs in the IPL, with jibes about his expensive price tag becoming louder, Jayasuriya wouldn’t have wanted to be seen as a spent force in esteemed company. His international career might be over, but not once today did he look like a cricketer over the hill. Jayasuriya’s getting his second wind, and that’s not a good sign for the rest of the teams.

There is another interesting aspect of Jayasuriya scoring his 45-ball 100 against the Chennai franchise. The reason for Jayasuriya’s unusually high $9,00,000 price tag was the bidding battle between Mumbai and Chennai at the auction. Chennai, with Murali already on their side, wanted Jayasuriya as well. One of the reasons for this was that the Lankans were available all through the tournament. More importantly, the popularity the Islanders enjoy in Chennai would have helped them create a fan base. But with Mumbai adamant on buying Jayasuriya, Chennai dropped out. Considering Jayasuriya proved to be the one-man demolition squad today, it can be said that Mumbai won...