Mumbai Indians looked on the brink of their 4th defeat in the last 5 games as Karun Nair rallied Delhi Capitals’ charge in the hunt for the target of 206 runs. Karun’s knock of 89 runs off 40 balls laid the foundation for DC’s run-chase, but his departure resulted in what was the start of a collapse. Though Delhi had the likes of KL Rahul, Axar Pate, Tristan Stubbs, and Ashutosh Sharma left in the batting unit, Impact Player Karn Sharma spun his web around the batters to shift the game in MI’s favour. Many feel that Rohit Sharma‘s instruction from the bench to opt for the new ball changed the course of the game. Spinner Karn has broken his silence on the matter
Karn was the biggest beneficiary of the change in ball, grabbing three important wickets of Porel, Stubbs, and Rahul, with the last two coming with the new ball.
It was at the start of the 14th over of the chase that Rohit, with consultation from MI’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and head coach Mahela Jayawardene, asked skipper Hardik to take up the new ball. Hardik did so and handed the new ball to Karn Sharma.
The ball change came in sync with the new IPL rule, introduced at the start of this season, which allows bowling teams in a night game to change the ball after 10 overs in the bid to counter the dew factor. After the game, Karn admitted that the ‘change in ball’ was the moment that turned the game in Mumbai’s favour.
“They were cruising at 10-11 runs per over. So it was important for Santner and me to chip in with crucial wickets,” Karn Sharma said in the post-match press conference.
“The change of ball can be termed as the game-changing moment. The old ball was getting wet due to dew. The new ball gives you that ‘purchase’ from the wicket, which Santner and I were able to extract,” he added.
While the world of social media didn’t shy away from crediting Rohit for Mumbai Indian’s victory, former cricketers like Sanjay Manjrekar and Sanjay Bangar stressed on the need for skipper Hardik to be given the verdict.
Amid this debate, Karn did confirm that the ‘new ball call’ was indeed the ‘game-changing moment’ for MI against DC.
Karn called KL Rahul’s biggest as the biggest one of the lot, considering the form that the wicket-keeper batter has been in this season.
“DC were on the front foot in the run chase. We were a bit under pressure until Karun Nair’s wicket, after which 2-3 wickets fell in quick succession. Thereafter, KL Rahul got dismissed, and we were right back in the game. He [KL Rahul] performed well in the previous match [vs RCB], so his wicket was pivotal,” the spinner concluded.
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