The Indian Premier League is about 'fantasy cricket' coming alive.
The Indian Premier League is about 'fantasy cricket' coming alive. Ever since Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya teamed up to form the opening combination of the Mumbai Indians, the moment everyone was waiting for was when the two would click together.
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Sachin Tendulkar (left) and Sanath Jayasuriya during their 127-run opening stand against Kolkata Knight Riders yesterday. pic/AFP |
Till now they were providing brief glimpses of the havoc they can wreak, but the big show remained elusive. The dream came true yesterday. It was batting at its best from the two champions of this era when Mumbai Indians took first strike against Kolkata Knight Riders at the St George's Park yesterday.
Legends like Graeme Pollock learned their cricket at the Park here but the Sachin (68)-Sanath (52) 127-run spectacular show would match any entertainer the local cricket crowd has ever been witness to. It was champagne stuff from the maestros as strokes flowed freely off their blades.u00a0 The high-octane batting got the boisterous Port Elizabeth crowd in the mood immediately and throughout the opening blast, the fans continued a rapturous applause.
Tendulkar's six off Ishant Sharma when he pulled the ball from the off stump just took the breath away.
Another gem was the cheeky stroke he played off Chris Gayle, getting under the ball to guide it to the third man boundary. The fifty of the partnership came in 39 balls.
It was mayhem after that as the next 50 came off 17 balls. Jayasuriya slammed four effortless sixes in his 32-ball entertainer.u00a0 Overall, it was a clinical performance from the Indians. The bowlers were ruthless in their demolition of the KKR batting line-up in the 92-run win.
"It went beautifully and according to plan. Sanath hadn't spent much time in the middle, so I felt he needed a little bit of time to settle down. We decided to shuffle our plans and I took a spontaneous decision to take charge. Sanath picked up nicely and went for the big shots," said Tendulkar. KKR skipper Brendon McCullum said he doesn't remember anything more spectacular: "It was an absolute masterclass. The two bounced off each other. Some of the shots were quite unbelievable."
