Devdutt’s maturity, the inevitability of AB de Villiers and Saini’s composure - Talking points from RCB vs MI

A breathless final four overs of the game, a perfect Super over and over 400 runs scored in 40 overs. The game between RCB and Mumbai Indians will go down in IPL folklore as one that will be replayed over and over again on highlight reels. While Mumbai Indians staged a valiant comeback, nearly winning the game, RCB managed to pip their opponents in the Super over, in the process bagging two important points. We look at five talking points from the nail-biter, a game that had the many ebbs and flows we have come to expect from T20 cricket.

Finch takes the bull by the horns

Looking at the experience in the Mumbai Indians’ bowling lineup, one would not be wrong in beginning to wonder where the runs would come from. A trio of proven matchwinners at the international level amongst their ranks in Trent Boult, James Pattinson, and Jasprit Bumrah on paper has the looks of a perfect bowling combination. Aaron Finch realized that. He could not have let Devdutt do all the hitting as was the case in the first game where Finch was prepared to play anchor. The destructive Aussie opener fought off some early innings blues and blows to script an attacking half-century, one which gave RCB a brisk start with an 81-run partnership alongside Devdutt Padikkal.

Devdutt’s mature knock

Going by the first two innings Devdutt Padikkal played for RCB, it seemed quite apparent that he was someone who would not die wondering. But, in the game against Mumbai Indians, he showed he had much more in his armory than raw, blind hitting which might come off on his day. While his opening partner Finch was blazing away, Devdutt was satisfied to give him much of the strike, while he kept the scoreboard ticking along, not starving the man-in-form for strike. Once Finch and a struggling Virat were dismissed, the onus was on the Karnataka opener to resurrect the run rate which had taken a downward dive.

A few years ago, Devdutt Padikkal was watching AB de Villiers from the stands, starstruck. Cut to 2020, he was batting alongside his idol. A backfoot lofted drive over long-off to an off-cutter from James Pattinson was perhaps the shot of the day on an evening where 26 sixes were hit. He was going at just about a run-a-ball for the first 31 balls of his innings. By the time he was dismissed his strike rate had ticked up to 135. Padikkal had paced his innings perfectly, giving the perfect launchpad for the big hitters to come after him.

The inevitABility of de Villiers

Well, let’s just say de Villiers is beyond words. Another day, another surreal knock. De Villiers evokes a sort of ordinary in his surreal. Surreal are his abilities to come in and time the ball to perfection from ball one, surreal in how he manages to clear the boundary at will even against the best of bowling attacks, ordinary in how we have come to expect it of de Villiers that it does not surprise us anymore. De Villiers once again was the savior down the order with an innings which would have ranked among the top T20 innings in any other batsman’s career, but which will probably be “just another” in the archives of many such played by the Protean superman.

Sundar and Shivam make it count

In the previous game against the Kings XI Punjab, Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube’s performances had gone unappreciated. While Dube put the brakes on in the middle overs, Sundar’s defiant 30 gave a glimpse of why the team management has put faith in the two Indian all-rounders. Against the Mumbai Indians, the two all-rounders once again put on a show, the difference this time was that they performed when the team was still fighting for the game. Dube finished off the RCB batting innings with towering sixes which we expect from him, while Sundar showed just why he is a master with the new ball even at the international level. Bowling perfectly to the long boundaries, Sundar managed to snare MI captain Rohit Sharma who could not resist the temptation of hitting to deep mid-wicket.

Navdeep Saini’s composure

After his first three overs had gone for 31 runs, and the Pollard-Kishan power-hitting in full swing, one could not be blamed if they were to think Navdeep Saini would not be able to leave enough runs for Udana to defend in the last over. However, except for a mishit for a six, the other five balls yielded only singles and a wide, leaving Udana with 19 to defend off the final over. When he came back to bowl the Super over, Saini was unfazed by the prospect of having to bowl at Pollard and Hardik Pandya. A brilliant over which went for only 7 runs meant Saini had redeemed himself. The composure shown by the RCB paceman was one that showed how far he has developed as a bowler. Saini had done a mini-Tewatia.