‘Nothing to lose’ stance helps: Saha
Initially, Mohit tried a slower ball which is his strength but Pollard hit it for a six. But Mohit then moved to the team plan and bowled good yorkers.
a game where bowlers were tonked around the park, Mohit Sharma kept his cool in the last over to restrict a marauding Kieron Pollard and keep alive Kings XI Punjab’s playoff hopes with a narrow seven-run win over table-toppers Mumbai Indians on Thursday.
Pollard had hit Mohit for a huge six off the second ball to bring the equation to nine runs in four balls. In T20 parlance, that should have been a cakewalk for someone like Pollard. But Mohit bowled the best four balls of his career to keep the Trinidadian all-rounder at bay.
Wriddhiman Saha, who was adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for his 55-ball 93, hailed Mohit’s effort. “I didn’t come to bowler (Mohit) as skipper was the only one speaking to him. Pollard was playing well but he was tired in the end so if some yorkers were bowled, it will be tough for him to hit. When we were batting they bowled yorkers as well to restrict our scoring and we were tired a bit as well. Initially, Mohit tried a slower ball -- the knuckle ball -which is his strength but Pollard hit it for a six. But Mohit then moved to the team plan and bowled good yorkers,” said Saha, who opened the innings for the first time this season.
Kings XI Punjab had to win their remaining three matches to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the playoffs. They have now toppled the top-two in the table -- Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders.
Their last game is against Rising Pune Supergiant, currently third in the standings, on Sunday. Saha said approaching the games with ‘nothing to lose’ attitude and its helping them.
“In the last couple of matches we are going in with an attitude of nothing to lose. And with an attitude to execute our plans in all departments and stick to your natural game and we will see what happens. In two matches we beat Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians and the last match is against Pune. So the target will be to play it the same way as we did today and then see what happens,” said Saha.