A lot of eyebrows were raised when Rising Pune Supergiant named two foreign leg-spinners in their playing XI for the their IPL-10 opener against Mumbai Indians
Ajinkya Rahane. Pic/PTI
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Pune: A lot of eyebrows were raised when Rising Pune Supergiant named two foreign leg-spinners in their playing XI for the their IPL-10 opener against Mumbai Indians yesterday. It was a bold move, considering the way the wicket helped stroke-makers from either side, and there was hardly any turn on offer. The move paid off though as Imran Tahir removed the Mumbai Indians' top order to help Supergiant win their match in Pune.
Together, Tahir and Adam Zampa bowled seven overs and got four wickets for 54 runs at just under eight per over. Any captain would, perhaps, take that in good batting conditions. "Both of them are attacking and they both look to actually take wickets. That is very important in a T20 game," Supergiant opener Ajinkya Rahane said after the match, explaining the thinking behind playing two leg-spinners and leaving out Faf du Plessis.
Tahir came in with Mumbai Indians at 41 for no loss after the first four overs, and dismissed Parthiv Patel, Jos Buttler and Rohit Sharma in his first two overs. It took the momentum away from the visitors and allowed Supergiant to score 184, described by both skippers as par for the course.
"We all know Tahir is a world-class bowler. The kind of start Parthiv and Buttler had given them, his spell was quite crucial. The way he bowled, the kind of confidence he showed on his face and with his body language, is a big thing. If he hadn't got those three wickets, we probably would have been chasing 200-plus," Rahane pointed out.
Rising Pune Supergiant leggie Imran Tahir celebrates after the dismissal of Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma during the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Rising Pune Supergiant and Mumbai Indians at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Thursday. Pic/AFP
Rahane himself did a superb job of giving the hosts' chase a good start with a 34-ball 60 at the top. "I had a good feel after facing the first ball. So I didn't want to stop my momentum. I knew if we score 50-60 runs for one wicket in the first six overs, we'd be in a good position," he said.
Rahane's 42-ball 58-run stand with Man-of-the-Match Steven Smith laid the platform for the Supergiant to chase down a challenging 185-run total. "I was batting well, so I knew, chasing a target of 180, that I shouldn't lose the momentum after the first six overs. Smith was new at the crease at that time. I wanted to take my chances and play my normal shots. I didn't take any risks. It was important for us to rotate strike and hit a boundary every over," the 28-year-old said.
Rahane explained that Smith took advice from MS Dhoni, the franchisee's skipper last season. "Dhoni was giving Smith inputs. Dhoni is a world-class captain. Smith was taking advice from Dhoni. I was watching that and I am sure he will keep learning from MS," he added.
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