Before Yusuf Pathan came onto bat, the Rajasthan Royals did not look like they had a chance of winning the match against the rampaging Mumbai Indians. But once Pathan was done, it was the Mumbai Indians who were heaving a sigh of relief in the second match of the 2010 IPL 3.
Yusuf Pathan slammed the fastest century of the IPL tournament, scoring his century off just thirty-seven ball in a blast that hit the unsuspecting Mumbai Indians.
However, his dismissal came at the wrong time for the team that really did not look like having a chance of winning all day. A freak run out while he was backing in the crease spelt what had once again become a difficult situation for the Royals, trying to chase down a handsome total raised by the hosts.
Earlier in the day, the Mumbai Indians fed off the impetus of Sanath Jayasuriya even though Dmitri Mascarenhas struck two crucial blows. But really it was the partnership between two young recruits, Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu, that had the Mumbai Indians roaring against the champions of the IPL 2008. 53 and 55 runs respectively off just 33 balls meant that Mumbai Indians were plundering the Royals and no Shaun Tait or Ryan McLaren could stand in the way.
And it did not appear as if the Rajasthan Royals would have threatened the Mumbai Indians, let alone win, after being reduced to 4 down for 62 off the first ten overs.
But then came the man who has been in form in the domestic circuit, Yusuf Pathan, and his nine boundaries and eight blistering sixes put Mumbai on the backfoot to the extent that for the first time, the Mumbai Indians actually looked under pressure and in danger of losing the match.
Yusuf brought the match alive and Mumbai Indians wondering whether they had just met their match. Yusuf’s batting could have sealed it on a high note. But his dismissal made the task difficult once more again and Lasith Malinga, with his two wickets in the final over, ensured that the 12 runs in the last over would be an impossible dream for the Rajasthan Royals.
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