IPL: Tendulkar Ton, But No Respect

When you go up against Mumbai in an IPL match, you know you have your work cut out for you. In Tendulkar and Malinga, they have two of the most dangerous players going around. Tendulkar might not be the most explosive batsman in the competition, but who else has made 200 in an ODI? If Kochi fans, yet to taste victory in IPL4, had been told that Tendulkar was going to make an unbeaten century, and that Malinga would disturb the woodwork of both opening batsmen, they may well have given the proceedings at unbeaten Mumbai a wide berth. However, they would have missed a stunning win by their side if they had done so.

Mumbai batted first, and only lost the wickets of  Jacobs, for an uncharacteristically slow 12 off 21, and Rayudu for a well made 53 from just 33 balls. Tendulkar dominated proceedings, reaching an even hundred in the last over, off just 66 balls. Despite neither Pollard or a finally fit Andrew Symonds facing a ball, Mumbai set an imposing 2/182 for Kochi to chase down. And after just eight runs came from the first two overs, Kochii's fans must have been concerned.

But then the third over came, and changed the complexion of the match. Malinga bowled his second over, and the belligerent New Zealander Brendon McCullum hit three of the first four balls to the boundary. Jayawardene did the same to the last, and with 17 from the over, the chase was on. Malinga was to return later and hit the stumps of both openers, but by then both had fifties. McCullum led the way with 81 from 60, but Jayawardene's 56 from 36 was even faster. And by the time Jayawardene left, there was only 54 needed from 37 and Jadeja's unbeaten 25 from 11 made easy work of that. There would have been some nerves when MCullum was cleaned up by Malinga at the start of the 18th over, with 27 still needed from 17, but Brad Hodge is an experienced figure to be coming in at that stage of proceedings.

 Two dot balls were followed by two boundaries from the last three, and with 19 required off 12, the odds were in Kochi's favour. As it was, only half of those were needed as Jadeja finished the match with a flourish - back to back sixes off Murtaza. McCullum was named man of the match, and Pune were left as the only unbeaten side in the competition. In Tendulkar, Pollard, Symonds, Harbhajan and Malinga, Mumbai might have plenty of star power on display, but Kochi reminded us that there are plenty of matchwinners spread through this competition.