Sanath celebrates Sachin's return |
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Thursday May 15, 02:35 AM
It is said that the greatness of master batsmen lies in their ability to make batting look easy. One begs to differ after watching Sanath Jayasuriya at the Wankhede Stadium today. After watching any of the 11 sixes hit by the Matara/ Mumbai Mauler during his innings of 114 from 48 balls, it can safely be said that batting is rocket science.
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 today's battle at the auction stage itself.
The moment of the match was Tendulkar giving a child-like high-five with a jump to Jayasuriya after one of his many big hits. Watching his famous opening partner bat, Tendulkar got a reassuring feeling that there were others in his team to play Atlas. First, his bowlers did the job of restricting the Super Kings to 156 and then, Jayasuriya's blitz got them there in 13.5 overs. Tendulkar has played knocks like these in the past. And he would know that it isn't easy - that is is something that resembles rocket science.
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