Sachin was his true self against KKR

It was a perfect outing for Mumbai Indians on Monday night. When Sachin Tendulkar dictates terms - it is a fan’s delight. The straight drive, back foot drive, pull, hook and the punches – one can’t set a fielding for such an array of shots all over the ground. Sachin was his true self against Kolkata Knight Riders. Coming into the match after the defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sachin knew that he had to play the match-winning role and make sure that his team win this tie on the home ground and top the points table.

When on song, it is difficult to restrict Sachin. I think in a way he dictated the bowlers to bowl to his strengths after he started scoring on good deliveries.

I was really surprised to see [Ashoke] Dinda not featuring in KKR’s Playing XI. He bowled pretty well in the last game against Rajasthan Royals and his presence would have surely given more teeth to Kolkata’s bowling department. Murali Karthik has been the standout bowler across all squads so far and his economy rate provides enough evidence to prove the fact.

Although the bowling line was not in accordance with the field positions when Mumbai Indians were bowling, overall it was a perfect day at the office for the home team. I was a bit surprised at Chris Gayle’s uncharacteristic knock at the CCI on Monday. The batting of Kolkata Knight Riders has been in disarray for the last couple of games and Gayle’s inclusion in KKR’s Playing XI raised expectations for a big total. I think Gayle’s strategy to bat through the innings could have been because he wanted to accelerate in the last overs, but the slowness of the wicket didn’t help him either. And by his standards, it was not a knock he would cherish for long.

Harbhajan Singh, amongst the spinners, impressed me the most in the match. He is the strike bowler for Mumbai Indians and has been effective in the T20 format. His figures of 4-0-17-1 after the match speak volumes about his performance. The wicket was slow and started holding the ball and Bhajji used it to perfection.

Saurabh Tiwary has got the best possible platform if he wants to stake a claim for a national team berth. His fearless approach has helped the team in more than one ways.

It was good to see Sourav Ganguly pull off an amazing catch off his namesake Saurabh Tiwary. It just showed that competitiveness forces even the very best to stretch their own yardsticks. He timed his jump very well and caught it.

Overall, it was a delight for Mumbai Indians’ fans as everything went their way. The team will take a lot confidence after such a professional performance. This win will also help them when they take on Chennai Super Kings on March 25.

(Guide, mentor and friend to his brother Sachin, Ajit Tendulkar uses his keen sense of cricket to analyse the Mumbai Indians’ performances in IPL 2010)