Flawed tactics cost Mumbai

A series of flawed tactics, both by the team management and certain individuals, cost Mumbai Indians their match against Kings XI Punjab earlier today.

Here's a look at all those moves that perhaps played a role in depriving Mumbai of a win:

Flawed tactic #1: Including two spinners in the team

In three of the five matches that Rohan Raje has played in the tournament, he finished his spells with economy rates between 6 and 7 - acceptable by all means in Twenty20 cricket. Raje had used good variations in pace to keep the runs down in crucial stages. But local lad and Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar seemed to read the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium wrong; he thought the pitch had slowed down, and included two off spinners in his playing XI. The move backfired - the two spinners conceded a total of 83 runs from their two overs.

Flawed tactic #2: Introducing the two spinners in tandem, bowling outside the leg stump

With the two Western Australians Shaun Marsh and Luke Pomersbach scoring runs with ease, Tendulkar turned to his spin twins in an effort to stem the flow of runs. The mistake though, was to bring them on in tandem. The off-spinning duo, brought onto bowl for the first time after five overs, conceded 23 runs in the next two overs, and conceded a further 41 runs in the next four overs they bowled from opposite ends. It would have been wise for Tendulkar to keep pace at one end and bring on his spinners from the other end.

Further, the ploy to bowl outside the leg stump, and bowl full, also didnt seem to bring about the desired results.

Flawed tactic #3: Not giving Shaun Pollock his quota of four overs

One of the top three most economical bowlers (regular bowlers) in the IPL, and with a career economy rate of 3.67 in one-day internationals to add to his reputation, Shaun Pollock certainly deserved a fourth over. This for sure, considering the first three overs he bowled in the match cost his team only 14 runs.

But for reasons unknown, Tendulkar decided not to hand the ball to the South African allrounder.

Flawed tactic #4: Giving Ashish Nehra the ball for the last over

With the ever so miserly Shaun Pollock having one over left in his quota of four overs, Sachin Tendulkar threw the ball to Ashish Nehra to bowl the final over of the innings - a move that certainly left most experts perplexed.

Nehra started the last over with a wide delivery down the leg side, but came back with two good full length deliveries. The next four deliveries cost the Mumbai Indians fourteen runs - and that, in the context of the match proved costly.

Flawed tactic #5: Ashish Nehra taking the risky third run

The Mumbai Indians started the last over needing 19 more to win the match. The pendulum swung in favour of the Mumbai Indians when VRV Singhs first two deliveries cost his team 11 runs. Next ball, the pendulum was back in the balance when Siddharth Chitnis, who had a six and a four previously, was run out trying to take a risky second run. The Mumbai Indians at this juncture needed seven runs from four balls.

Ashish Nehra stole a bye off the next delivery and got to the non-strikers end, but was back in the thick of action in the next delivery. Dilhara Fernando played an elegant cover drive for a couple of runs, but Ashish Nehra decided that he would take the risk of a non-existent third run and was caught well short of the crease. Crucially though, Dilhara Fernando had crossed, and number eleven Vikrant Yeligati, who was yet to bat in representative cricket, would be exposed - this time the Mumbai Indians needed four runs of two balls to win, and one less to tie.

As will be documented in history now, Yeligati only managed two runs and the Mumbai Indians fell one short of levelling the scores.

If only Ashish Nehra hadnt taken that risky third run, Fernando would have continued to be on strike - and while that wouldnt guarantee the Mumbai Indians of those four runs, Fernando certainly has the skill to bat, as is evident from his highest score of 21 in Twenty20 Internationals.

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Anonymous
Posts: 5

Re:
Reply #1 on : Wed May 28, 2008, 11:36:10

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please update this column regularly for god's sake or atleast have the common sense to add the date of the article... u cant irritate users by posting such outdated news stories !!!

bikash
Posts: 5

on the article
Reply #2 on : Wed May 28, 2008, 16:33:44

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exactly ..........i felt the same thing after nehera ran for the 3rd run.......

Herman
Posts: 5

Re:
Reply #3 on : Sat May 31, 2008, 19:57:46

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With all due respect to the great Tendulkar, I'm sorry to state that I feel he loss the plot on more than one occasion in the final Mumbai games. His bowling changes, just like the crucial game against Punjab left much to be desired. We have yet to see him in true form and may never until the next IPL tournament. I feel Tendulkar should not be burdened with the Captaincy.

ujwal siddam
Posts: 5

flawed tactics cost mumbai
Reply #4 on : Fri June 06, 2008, 12:52:24

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Just wanted to make one comment. i am sure you didnot listen to sachins interview after the game or you conviniently ignored his statement regarding pollock not bowling the 4th over. He sai " we wanted shaun to bowl his 4 th over but he had a stiff back". That explains why he didnot bowl his 4th over.

ujwal

Chirag Mittal
Posts: 5

flawed tactics.....
Reply #5 on : Thu June 12, 2008, 05:44:49

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with due respact to concerned author of the article...i wud like to tell him that...when MI won 6 matches in tandem u guys said..it was a team effort and captaincy was gud...and when the lost the disastrous match against punjab...why blame only sachin...did Mr.tendulkar told his team to underperform...this is utter rubbish to blame sachin solely....