BENGALURU, India – Ravi Rampaul bowled impressively to take three wickets for 17 runs from four overs, inspiring a stirring Trinidad and Tobago fight-back, but Mumbai Indians out-lasted the Caribbean Twenty20 champions, winning by one wicket in a heart-stopping, low-scoring Champions League T20 match yesterday.
The West Indies fast bowler earned the Man-Of-The-Match award, as Trinidad and Tobago obstinately defended a victory target of 99 in their opening group match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The visitors bowled and fielded with immense purpose before a tactical move by their long-standing captain Daren Ganga on the very last ball of the match backfired.
Ganga’s flawed judgement to set fielders deep and concede a single in the hope of a tie allowed last-man Yuzvendra Chahal to work a low full toss from off-spinner Sherwin Ganga, the Trinidad and Tobago captain’s younger brother, through mid-wicket for the winning two runs.
Crest-fallen Trinidad and Tobago fielders either stooped, bowed, or lay flat on their faces on the field in agony following the outcome, forcing team officials to come onto the field and usher them to the typical post-match hand shakes with Mumbai.
It was the second tense victory for Mumbai after they prevailed over the Chennai Super Kings last Saturday in their opening match.
Trinidad and Tobago had suffered an inexplicable batting meltdown, crashing to their lowest T20 total ever of 98 all out in 16.2 overs, after they chose to bat on a slow pitch.
Jason Mohammed topscored with 23, and Lendl Simmons made 21, but no other Trinidadian batsman reached 20.
Harbhajan Singh was the most successful Mumbai bowler with three for 17. Leg-spinner Samuel Badree made an early strike, when he was caught at short third man for two in the third over.
This sparked a collapse with Rampaul removing Tirumalasetti Suman, James Franklin and Andrew Symonds, leaving Mumbai 16 for four in the sixth over.
This brought Kieron Pollard, Mumbai’s Trinidad and Tobago import, to the crease, and his compatriots gave him little room to play a typically explosive innings before off-spinner Sunil Narine bowled him off the under edge, essaying a cut, in the ninth over, setting Mumbai further back on 33 for five. But Ambati Rayudu, whose 36 led the Mumbai batting, and Rajagopal Sathish nursed Mumbai’s chances back to life with a stand of 32 for the sixth wicket.
Narine got the breakthrough for Trinidad and Tobago removing Sathish and the run outs of Harbhajan in the 18th over and Lasith Malinga, who had struck a crucial six in the final over, with two balls remaining tightened the screws on Mumbai.
Lendl Simmons’ throw to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin off the penultimate ball, running out Rayudu, put Trinidad and Tobago on the brink but Ganga’s gamble failed as Ramdin missed the stumps in trying to run out Chahal. (CMC)
