IPL 2021 Expert's Corner: 'His performance was the turning point': Manjrekar names gamechanger in MI vs KKR
Mumbai Indians made a tremendous comeback in their game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday, beating Eoin Morgan's side by 10 runs in a thrilling contest in Chennai.
After being bowled out on 152, MI held KKR to 142/7; thanks to superb bowling performance from spinners Rahul Chahar (4/27) and Krunal Pandya (1/13).
In India TV's post-match show 'Cricket Dhamaka', former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar said that he was "shocked" by KKR's batting performance in the game.
"KKR should've won this game. It was shocking. It's very rare that the bowling team makes a comeback in the game. Normally, we see the batsmen winning the games for the side," Manjrekar said.
Former India women's cricketer Anjum Chopra, too, expressed her surprise at the Knight Riders' batting collapse, adding that such a result could potentially hurt Morgan's men in the long run.
"KKR have a good depth in their batting, from Nitish Rana at the top to Andre Russell in the lower-middle order. Even Pat Cummins and Harbhajan Singh can bat. So it was simply unbelievable that they lost while chasing a target like 152. They scored 170-odd runs in the previous game," said Chopra.
"This loss could potentially hurt Kolkata Knight Riders in the long run."
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai assisted spinners throughout the game, and Manjrekar pointed out that Chahar's performance was the turning point in the game.
"Eoin Morgan bowled 10 overs of spin in the first 15 overs of the game. Pitch influenced the decision, there was a bit of turn in the initial few overs. We thought that as the match would go on and ball gets old, the condition would suit the batsmen more, but it didn't happen. Instead, it started to turn more.
"For the first time in Chennai in this edition, the ball did turn. Rahul Chahar's performance was the turning point of the game, taking four wickets for only 27 runs. It iks very rare in the IPL at the 18th and 19th over went for three and four runs respectively," Manjrekar said.
"It was brilliant bowling for MI and equally poor batting from KKR. Their self-confidence would've been sky-high after the win in the first match, but this loss would deeply hurt them," the former Indian cricketer further added.
