Rohit, Suryakumar sizzle as MI beat CSK by 9 wickets
Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI): Skipper Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav struck fluent half-centuries as Mumbai Indians defeated Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Chasing 177, Rohit (76 not out off 45 balls) and Suryakumar (68 not out off 30) shared an unbeaten 114-run stand for the second wicket to take MI home with ease.
Ravindra Jadeja (1/18) was the lone wicket-taker for CSK.
Earlier, Shivam Dube and Jadeja cracked half-centuries and shared a 79-run partnership for the fourth wicket as five-time champions Chennai Super Kings made 176 for 5.
Dube struck 50 off 32 balls, while Jadeja made an unbeaten 53 off 35 deliveries to offset a none-too-impressive start by MS Dhoni's struggling side.
Ayush Mhatre, who came in place of Rahul Tripathi for the match, struck a valuable 32 runs (15 balls) coming in at one-down.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings: 176 for 5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 32, Shivam Dube 50, Ravindra Jadeja 53 not out).
Mumbai Indians: 177 for 1 in 15.4 overs (Rohit Sharma 76 not out, Suryakumar Yadav 68 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 1/28).
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
