Jayasuriya blasts Chennai Super Kings

Pundits who continue to call T20 a young man’s game need to rethink. Sanath Jayasuriya, a veteran approaching his 39th birthday left the Wankhede crowd delirious and the Chennai Super Kings dejected and in shock. Nine wickets was the margin as the Indians chased down 157 and notch up their fourth win on the trot.
It will remain a mystery on how bowlers around the world fail to sort out a select few batsmen irrespective of the numerous technological aides they have at their disposal. Jaysuriya’s breathtaking 114 off 48 balls (9x4, 11x6) hurried Mumbai home with 37 balls to spare, a huge number in this format.
It was a murderous assault by Jayasuriya that made it a no-contest. The Chennai bowlers were guilty with their plans, lines and lengths. Albie Morkel pitched it full to encourage the flick while Manpreet Gony dug in short to invite the cut over point.
A half a dozen sixes flowed from Jayasuriya while Sachin picked one as Mumbai raced to 78 in their first six overs. Chennai had managed 28 in their first six. The match was well and truly decided in that phase. The Mumbai Indians lived by the power play while the Super Kings died by it.
Dhoni paid the price for reposing faith on Morkel and Gony with an extra over when the field restrictions were on. As many as 41 runs leaked in thosee two overs. The lone success Chennai enjoyed was when Sachin played over a close delivery from Joginder Sharma who had come in for Amarnath.

Jayasuriya ambushes Super Kings

Sachin Tendulkar kept Sanath Jayasuriya away from bowling duties. And the hungry Sri Lankan feasted on the Chennai Super Kings bowlers, lashing 11 sixes in an awesome display of crisp, clean hitting as Mumbai Indians cruised to a nine-wicket victory in the DLF-Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.
Jayasuriya’s unbeaten 114 came off just 48 deliveries and he hit nine boundaries apart from the 11 sixes. Mumbai Indians, chasing 157 for victory, reached 158 for one in the 14th over in a one-sided encounter. Alarming regularity
Walking out to bat with Tendulkar — a sight straight out of fantasy — the Lankan played out the fantasy part by picking the line early against Manpreet Goni and Albie Morkel, clearing the ropes with alarming regularity.
Jayasuriya began the assault with a flicked six to mid-wicket and then stepped out to scoop the ball in the same region.
The Super Kings fielders watched in awe and dismay as the Lankan rocked on to the back foot to balls pitched around the off-stump and slashed effortlessly over point and cover. Goni went for 20 in one over, while Morkel appeared helpless as one over yielded 21.
Jayasuriya’s bat-speed and timing were so good that he had to just connect the ball to send it soaring into the stands.
Tendulkar rotated the strike, scampered across to admire the ‘sixes shower’ from the non-striker’s end. Joginder Sharma broke the reverie by castling Tendulkar, but by then the damage had been done. Mumbai Indians was so far ahead that even Muttiah Muralitharan, twirling the ball at the bowling crease, was no cause for fear.
Earlier, the stranglehold exerted by a collective effort from the Mumbai Indians bowlers continued under Tendulkar who took over from Shaun Pollock. A fifth-wicket stand of 95 in 61 balls between Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (43 n.o., 35b, 6x4, 1x6) and the in-form S. Badrinath (53, 33b, 7x4, 2x6) pulled the visitors out of trouble.
Pollock set the tone with a controlled first over, bowling to the field and denying the openers — S. Vidyut and Stephen Fleming — any liberties. He showed admirable mastery over swing and control with a maiden over against Dhoni to walk away with fantastic figures of 4-1-9-1.
The wily Dwayne Bravo (two for 37), well supported by the young Dhaval Kulkarni (three for 33), kept the batsmen in check before Dhoni joined Badrinath at the crease. The two negotiated some awkward moments and cut loose towards the end. Kulkarni, feeling the jitters when asked to bowl the 20th over, sent down three wides in a row.

Simmering Jayasuriya finally boils over

Sachin Tendulkar's return from injury was the biggest draw in the build-up to the clash between Mumbai and Chennai. He was expected to bring further luck to a team that had strung together a hat-trick of wins after enduring four straight losses and his partnership with Sanath Jayasuriya at the top of the Mumbai Indians' batting line-up was a much awaited spectacle. However, he was completely overshadowed by his partner Jayasuriya, whose scything blade cut Chennai down swiftly.
Jayasuriya has had a quiet tournament, getting off to starts but failing to carry on. His seven innings preceding the blitz against Mumbai read 29, 20, 1, 18, 18, 34 and 18. The 34 against Delhi's Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif was filled with intent but he disappointed. You could see him walking back each time with discontent writ large across his face because he knew he hadn't even got started yet .
Perhaps the presence of Tendulkar at the other end gave him comfort for Jayasuriya expressed himself fully against Chennai. "It's the best day of my life to open with Sachin," Jayasuriya said after the game. "The advantage he lends is that he lets me play my own game." In previous matches, Jayasuriya had paired up with the Australian Luke Ronchi and the local man Yogesh Takawale. The partnership with Ronchi was unsuccessful and although Takawale managed to provide a couple of decent starts, the responsibility fell on Jayasuriya for he was the senior player and perhaps that had an impact on his stroke-play.
Today Jayasuriya cut loose and the effect of his approach was devastating. Mahendra Singh Dhoni strove to curtail his progress but he might as well have just admired the spectacle unfolding in front of him.
Jayasuriya had already shut Chennai out by the end of the Powerplays for Mumbai had scored 78 after six overs. He caused severe damage with the short-arm jab, both over point and square leg, and scored majority of his runs behind square: 33 on the leg-side and 31 on the off. He struck as many as 11 sixes and won his duels with every bowler.
Even Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan team-mate and long-time friend, caused no problems for Jayasuriya. When Dhoni, desperate for a wicket, placed two slips for Murali who was spinning the ball across the left-hander, Jayasuriya chose to hit the ball towards the gaps on the leg-side. He even attempted to reverse-sweep Murali, twice.
Murali's introduction into the attack, though, was well after the game was up. When Chennai's inexperienced new-ball pair of Manpreet Gony and Albie Morkel were bleeding runs, Dhoni seemed reluctant to take them off. He would have done well to remember how Tendulkar had made frequent bowling changes to unsettle the batsmen. Only Shaun Pollock was given three consecutive overs while the rest were rotated constantly.
Chennai's medium-pacers, on the other hand, allowed Jayasuriya to settle by feeding him in his favourite areas - short and wide outside off, or full on his pads. Dhoni admitted that the inconsistent lines and lengths had proved extremely costly. "They either bowled too full or too wide and against a batsman like Sanath if you do that you will get badly hit", Dhoni said.
For batsmen like Jayasuriya, the hunger to succeed comes from the occasion. Mumbai needed to keep their momentum going into a crucial match against Kolkata on Friday, a game that is vital to their semi-final aspirations. Pollock was the inspiration behind their hat-trick of wins, and today it was Jayasuriya's turn. Even Tendulkar acknowledged that "It was nice to watch him."

Sizzling Jayasuriya pounds Chennai

Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings, IPL, Mumbai

May 14, 2008

Sachin Tendulkar's return dominated most of the pre-match buzz but it was the eruption from Sanath Jayasuriya that Mumbai toasted at the end of a comfortable nine-wicket win, their fourth in a row, at the Wankhede Stadium. Chennai appeared to have cobbled together a fighting total, in conditions that assisted swing bowling, but Jayasuriya's sizzler, the second-fastest IPL hundred that was punctuated with 11 sixes, put an emphatic end to the contest.
Mumbai's bowlers set-up this win with a fine new-ball exhibition that knocked off the top order. Shaun Pollock wasn't leading Mumbai today but his immaculate early spell (4-1-9-1) led an impressive effort that justified their decision to field first. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and S Badrinath stitched together a 95-run stand but 156 was never going to be challenging if even one batsman got going.
It was inevitable. Jayasuriya, who had made a short trip home during Mumbai's extended break, was yet to explode in the IPL and there was nothing Chennai could do once sixes began to drip off his bat. Nonchalant short-arm jabs sailed over the midwicket fence and a few powerful slashes soared over third man. The bowlers were rattled - they leaked wides and drifted on the pads too often - and fed Jayasuriya in his favourite areas. The fact that 102 off his 114 runs came in boundaries, told a story.
It was an innings reminiscent of the mid-90s, a time when Jayasuriya filled bowlers with a sense of fear. In fact it was at the same ground when he hammered an unforgettable 151 not out in the Independence Cup in 1997, an innings that was appreciated in hushed silence. This, though, was a celebration in power-hitting, with the crowd getting fully behind Jayasuriya in his fiery mission. One can only imagine the possibilities if Tendulkar had decided to bat first, allowing Jayasuriya a full 20 overs.
The manner in which he treated his fellow Sri Lankan bowlers was interesting - he attempted a couple of audacious reverse-paddles against Muttiah Muralitharan before blistering Chamara Kapudegera for 26 runs in five balls. He rushed to his hundred with two pulled sixes off Kapugedera - celebrating like a schoolboy who reached his maiden ton - and capped it off with one more that landed on the roof of the Wankhede. It was an unforgettable innings and Mumbai's response to what Adam Gilchrist did to them a few weeks back.
The bowlers deserve an honourable mention. It was a slew of medium-pacers who propelled Mumbai to an upset win over the Rajasthan Royals in the previous game and they utilised bowler-friendly conditions here too. The ball swung around through the innings and six medium-pacers shaped the ball either way to make life difficult for the batsmen.
Pollock turned in a typically miserly spell, including a maiden to finish off against a relatively new Dhoni. Dhoni, who said he would have fielded first had he won the toss, watched his side slump to 46 for 4 with the top order struggling against the accurate medium-pacers.
Pollock should have had Stephen Fleming in the first ball of the second over - when an edge fell just short of first slip - or even in the third - when Jayasuriya muffed a skier at point - but he had to settle for S Vidyut's wicket two balls later when Rohan Raje clung on to another skier at mid-off. Suresh Raina fell poking to an away-swinger from Dwayne Bravo before Kapugedera, the right-hander, did exactly the same to Dhawal Kulkarni's nippy away-cutter.
Dhoni and Badrinath redressed the balance somewhat. The pair improvised when the opportunity presented but it was Dhoni's fierce hitting that gave the bowlers no chance - even if he wasn't in position, the power behind the shots was always going to take it to the boundary ropes. Badrinath, who repertoire ranges from the square drive on the back foot to the paddle over short fine leg, brought up his second successive fifty. It appeared as if it could be a defendable total but Jayasuriya's blitz sunk them in a trice.

Jayasuriya helps Tendulkar register a win

The Mumbai Indians team – and in all probabilities, all the Indians – would have been pleased as a punch when the maestro Sachin Tendulkar declared himself fit for today's match against the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium. Incidentally, this was one of the two matches that was shifted from the picturesque Dr. D.Y. Patil cricket ground to Wankhede. The Mumbai team was also playing in its first match after a five day break, which was like a double edged sword; in a tournament this long, the cricketers could do well to switch off mentally and physically, from the game, however, it may also take that edge off their game. Tendulkar came into the side at the expense of Saurabh Tiwari - an under 19 World Cup player - whereas Mahendra Singh Dhoni got his talisman bowler, Joginder Sharma, in place of the a slightly under fire, Palani Amarnath. Sachin Tendulkar also managed to win the toss and quite expectantly elected to field first. This has been the tactic that most captains have been glad to use, bar Sourav Ganguly - who has preferred to set the target - and Dhoni made the same point at the toss, he would have fielded too. Chennai Super Kings have been struggling for runs at the top of the order from their openers, and Stephen Fleming has not quite been able to fill in the big boots of Mathew Hayden – both literally and figuratively if one may add – and tonight was no different. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan hit three boundaries in Ashish Nehra's first over, and was even dropped off Pollock's next, but perished in the same over, where as Dwayne Bravo's first over had enough bounce to take care of Suresh Raina. Dhawal Kulkarni has been quietly making some waves in the tournament, where he has been very successful is because most of the batsmen have played him with rather complacence. With Shaun Pollock off the attack, the Chennai batsmen tried to go after this Mumbai bowler without having a reasonable look at him and both Fleming and Chamra Kapugedera departed in the same over. Captain Dhoni joined S. Badarinth at the crease, and for starters, he could not get bat to ball. In fact, he faced a maiden off Pollock and took nine deliveries to get off the mark, and after 11 overs, the Chennai team had scored only 66/4 – way below par by T20 standards. The positive side to this was that the pair got a sighter in the first couple of overs they played, once they were set, they went after the bowling. With a slightly older ball, and the 4th and the 5th bowlers getting their overs out of the way, Dhoni targeted some of them, as the last five overs went for 67 runs, and Chennai managed to get to a respectable 156/6 in 20 overs. Badri scored his second fifty in as many matches, where as the skipper managed a 35-ball 43, after such a sedate start! No total looked unachievable in the 1996 World Cup when Jayasuriya got going, and the today, it looked like Jayasuriya of those old days. Opening with Sachin Tendulkar, he tore into the Chennai bowling, treating both the opening bowlers, Manpreet Gony and Albie Morkel with equal disdain. In fact, Mumbai Indians set the record for scoring the most runs in the first six overs, 78/0, out of which Tendulkar’s contribution was only 11, and Jayasuriya scored 59, such was his power. Morkel went for a four and a six in his first over, two sixes in his second and as if to prove an algebraic progession touch to it, two sixes and two fours in his third before Dhoni got him out of the attack and brought in Joginder Sharma. Sharma did get the wicket of Tendulkar sending the Wankhede into a stunned silence, but the damage was too little, too late to affect the Mumbai chase. Jayasuriya quietened down a little after the fielding restrictions were lifted, but that was more of an aberration than habit. Again, as if to prove he was only waiting for Muthiah Muralitharan, Jayasuriya went after his comrade-turned-foe, Murali leaking for twenty runs off his two. Chamara Kapugedera was given a chance to pluck a miracle out of thin air, what he only got was a spanking from the Islander, his first five balls going for three 6s and two 4s, in turn ending the match and getting Jayasuriya to his first hundred of the IPL! Incidentally it was the fifth one of the tournament as well. Mumbai Indians had achieved their target of 157 in the 14th over, losing one wicket only, which not only gave them two invaluable points, but also improved their run rate to within 0.3 of Delhi's NRR, with one lesser match played. It would be a needless waste of print space; yet he deserves one further mention. Sanath Jayasuriya's eleven sixes not only won him the DLF Maximum Sixes award, but also the Man-of-the-Match. This win takes Mumbai Indians to eight points from eight, just behind Delhi (8 off 9) and Kolkata (10 off 9) .

Sanath Jayasuriya ,Mumbai Indians cream Chennai Super Kings

Riding on Sanath Jayasuriya's swashbuckling, unbeaten knock of 114 that contained an amazing eleven sixes and nine fours, Mumbai Indians outclassed Chennai Super Kings by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.The Sri Lankan veteran flicked, slashed and pulled the short-pitched balls served to him on a platter by the visiting team's bowlers as the home team, chasing Chennai's total of 156 for six, surged to a comprehensive win in only the 14th over.Jayasuriya finished the match with a flourish by slamming Lankan compatriot Chamara Kapugedara for 26 runs in five balls, with three sixes to boot.

It was the 'Marauder from Matara' who stole the honours of the day with clean hitting as he took the match away in the first six overs when 78 runs were made, mainly through his efforts.He ran away to his fifty in 25 balls and his hundred came from just 45 balls. Jayasuriya and fit-again Mumbai Indians skipper Sachin Tendulkar, who made 12 in 16 balls with a six and a four, put on 82 for the first wicket in only 44 balls to condemn the visitors to a comprehensive defeat, their fourth in 10 games.The Lankan lost Tendulkar in the eighth over, bowled through the gate by Joginder Sharma when the champion batsman tried to play an on-drive, but carried on relentlessly to ensure that the home team came out victorious

Chennai new ball bowlers Manpreet Singh Gony and South African Albie Morkel erred in trying to bounce out the great left-hander on a helpful pitch but just did not possess the much-needed accuracy and went for plenty.Gony went for 31 in his first three while Morkel conceded a whopping 44 from the same number of overs. Jayasuriya struck three sixes each in one over from both the pacers.The Lankan ace's initial pyrotechnics sealed Chennai's fate much before the end came. Earlier, Subramaniam Badrinath and Mahendra Singh Dhoni revived the visitors with a 95-run stand after the hosts' pace attack had taken early control.Badrinath, struggling initially before picking up pace, struck his second successive half century in the IPL when he made 53 off 33 balls with seven fours and two sixes while his skipper Dhoni made an unbeaten 43 in 35 balls with six fours and a six as the fifth wicket pair pulled Chennai out of the hole with their near-century stand in 61 balls.

What Sanath Jayasuriya does off the field.....

On the cricket pitch, he’s as serious as the game needs him to be.

But we caught Sri Lankan cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya in a chilled out mood at a suburban five-star the other night. It was the eve of May Day, and DJ Amann Nagpal decided to party till the wee hours, “since it’s a holiday the next day!” So he called a couple of his close friends over and promised to entertain them from the DJ console.

And he kept his promise! For the guests were seen hotting up the dance floor and how! Dipsshikha, in fact, wanted to learn DJing and joined Amann in the console. Shahwar Ali and Zulfi Syed took to bartending, and did a pretty good job of it.

The theme of the night was ‘Bollywood Mayhem’ and Jayasuriya was certainly enjoying the Bollywood beats as were Sandhya Shetty, Amisha Khanna and Kiran Bawa.

Top class fielding made the difference: Jayasuriya

Top drawer fielding by the entire team in their last two matches had made a huge difference to the fortunes of the Mumbai Indians outfit, feels one of its key players Sanath Jayasuriya.

“The key difference in the last two games has been the fielding. It was of a very high standard and lifted the confidence of the players,” said the 38-year-old veteran Sri Lankan ace who played a significant role in their shock 29-run victory last night against Delhi Daredevils.

Mumbai Indians had lost four straight games before turning around their fortunes against the Sourav Ganguly-led Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens and then defended their small total of 162 against the high-flying Daredevils with vigour and verve.

Jayasuriya said that still the batting of the squad has to click in unison and especially the start needed to be better now that all the top batsmen looked in good nick.

“The start has to be good. I thought I played well in the last game but could not take it further. All our batsmen have shown good form. The key in T20 cricket is that one batsman in the top four needs to play for 15 overs or so,” said the former Sri Lanka captain known for his flamboyant batting.

Jayasuriya, who redifined one-day batting at the top of the order during his country’s victorious run in the 1996 World Cup, said that the junior cricketers in the team were learning a lot from the other international players.

On Shaun Pollock’s captaincy in the last two games, Jayasuriya said, “he’s got vast experience having captained South Africa for long. His captaincy was very good,” he said.

‘Polly’s experience helping team’ - Jayasuriya

05 May, 2008 04:29:48

Mumbai, May 5: After opening their IPL campaign with four losses on the trot, Mumbai Indians’ Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya feels that the last two victories have had a morale-boosting effect on the team.

Fielding has been the key to success in the last two matches felt Jayasuriya, who said it strengthened the bowling as well as the batting department.

"Fielding was bang on target and it gave a lot of confidence to every member of the side. The Kolkata win gave a kick start to our confidence," said Jayasuriya.

Asked how difficult it was to handle the youngsters and guide them under pressure, the former Sri Lankan skipper said, "The seniors discuss a lot with the young boys about the game plan and other aspects. The exposure they are getting is fantastic."

Jayasuriya also heaped praise on stand-in skipper Shaun Pollock, who brings with him a vast experience of handling pressure at the international level.

"Polly is a very experienced captain. He has learnt a lot while captaining his national team at the big stage. His experience is immensely beneficial to the team," said Jayasuriya.

The Sri Lankan opener was of the opinion that playing in the IPL will not make any difference when the same players line-up against each other for their respective national teams.

"As players we all know each others’ weaknesses and strengths, so sharing the same locker room in the IPL and then playing against them in international matches will not cause any hindrance. In fact it will be challenging for everyone to compete," added Jayasuriya.

Mumbai Indians defeat Delhi DareDevils