Bowling wide to Dhoni worked, says delighted Mumbai pacer Mitchell McClenaghan

Mitchell McClenaghan

Rohit Sharma's heroics might have led Mumbai to an important win over Chennai on Saturday, but it's not just about the skipper alone to take his side on a winning streak, feels the Mumbai's Kiwi pacer Mitchell McClenaghan.

McClenaghan made a more than a useful contribution in Mumbai's eight-wicket win over Chennai at the MCA stadium here by removing a well-set MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo in the space of three balls towards the death overs. Those two blows helped Mumbai to restrict Chennai below the 170-run mark, something that looked unlikely at the half-way stage of the Chennai innings.

'Mumbai not about individuals'
When asked later if Rohit was the key for the Mumbai Indians to climb their way up the ladder after having lost five of the first seven games, the Kiwi pacer replied in the negative. "As a unit, we lose together, and we win together. It's not about individuals. If you look at our records from the past, we have won titles without an individual winning the Orange or the Purple cap," McClenaghan said.

And a team performance was the reason behind Mumbai Indians' win over Chennai on Saturday, to whom they had lost on the opening night of this season. "I felt we bowled well in the powerplay without getting many wickets. Then, to come back at the death and restrict them to 170 [169] was a great effort," McClenaghan added.

The Dhoni factor
McClenaghan had a smart plan for Dhoni, who was beginning to look dangerous. He had a straight mid-off inside the circle, with a man back at sweeper and deep point. The left-arm pacer then bowled over the wicket, and had Dhoni caught at sweeper cover off the very first ball of a new spell off a wide full-toss. "Look, it wasn't the greatest of deliveries, but that was the plan. I wanted to bowl wide and have him target that off side boundary [with two men back]," the Kiwi pacer explained.

McClenaghan finished with figures of 2-26 from his four overs to walk away with the accolades. But the contribution of his new ball partner - Jasprit Bumrah - can't be ignored. Having bowled just one over upfront, Bumrah was brought back to bowl the 13th, with Dhoni still new at the crease. Bumrah bowled four dot balls on the trot to the opposition skipper and conceded just one run.

The over was part of a four-over period where Chennai were able to score just 15, and that took away some momentum from their batting. Bumrah's overall figures of 0-25 from four overs were as important, as the contributions from Krunal Pandya (2-32), Suryakumar Yadav (44) and Evin Lewis (47). Mumbai won as a team, indeed.

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