Internet Desk: Mumbai Indians batsmen displayed a great temperament to cruise to a comfortable six-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match in Kolkata. Led by captain Rohit Sharma who hit an unbeaten 84 in his happy hunting ground Eden Gardens , Mumbai Indians knocked off the total with subtle ease.
According to Rohit, “We knew we would be chasing 175+. I thought we did well at the back end. All our batters came and chased down the score. Sending in McClenaghan was Ricky’s idea as sending a left hander in against two leg spinners would counteract that. He played really well and got us the momentum. Our batting was superb. It was my duty and responsibility to bat to the end and I am happy I could do that. We’re happy to get the win.”
Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir gave credit to the Mumbai Indian batsmen for successfully chasing down the target. Gambhir scored a brilliant half century to help the Knight Riders post a formidable total, but it was his bowlers who let him down.
The Knight Riders captain in his post match presentation ceremony said, “I think if one of the top three batters bats through the innings, it makes it difficult. I think we didn’t start off well with the ball. Credit goes to Mumbai Indians. We thought we were always in the game. We thought that spinners would be more useful than pacers but if someone can bat through, then you can be in trouble. Jos Buttler batted beautifully.”
Englishman Jos Buttler played a blinder to help his team chase down the total set by KKR. Butler who scored a quick fire 41 from 22 balls complimented Rohit for making his job a lot easier in the middle.
“It’s great to have Rohit at the other end. He’s a very calm character. He had everything under control, and the way he was playing he obviously had a lot of confidence that he will be there till the end and win the game.That obviously rubbed off on me that he was in such a good form and was so calm, I think that got the adrenaline going.It really settled me down,” Buttler said at the post-match media conference.
Buttler had faced heartbreak when England lost to West Indies in the World Twenty20 summit clash in Kolkata earlier in the month but he said that he was happy to be back 10 days after in the colours of Mumbai Indians.
“Thanks for reminding me. It’s nice to come back and win (the IPL match). Obviously it was a huge disappointment. We were determined to bounce back well after the first game (against Pune), that was a fantastic run chase,” he said.
Playing in his maiden IPL after an excellent World T20, Buttler scored a duck in his debut against Rising Pune Supergiants but he turned it around in style against KKR on Wednesday in a crucial 66-run partnership with Rohit.
Butler also gave credit to Aussie legend Ricky Ponting for his knock on Wednesday. “You pinch yourself that someone like Ponting is throwing balls to you. It’s obviously one of the great things of IPL.To meet these guys, have a specific routine that I would like to go through before I bat is a key part. It builds my confidence. To have a guy like him doing that, passing on some information obviously makes you feel good and comfortable and is key to perform the next day.”