‘T’ for Tiwary, not Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar dug the toe of his shoe in the crease at the Dr DY Patil Stadium and dragged it six times to mark his guard. He did not stay long at the wicket, though. But his fans need not have worried. There was the other guy with a surname starting with ‘T’—Saurabh Tiwary. With Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard, Tiwary (52 not out, 31 balls, 3×4, 4×6) saved the Mumbai Indians in the IPL semifinal against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Pollard emerged the Man of the Match because he also took three wickets. But if not for Tiwary’s innings, which straddled the doubt-ridden middle overs and the confident later ones, Mumbai would not have had a strong total to defend. What would Raj Thackeray have to say about this? But that is a debate for another day.

By taking care of Tendulkar in the second over and forcing a sluggish pace of scoring, Bangalore appeared to have immobilised Mumbai. Mumbai did not collapse, but their legs were gradually losing strength. By the middle of the innings negativity was obvious in their body language. When JP Duminy tamely top-edged Anil Kumble into the hands of Kevin Pietersen at short cover, he hung his head and shoulders and stood at the wicket. The lumbering Kumble was in command of the proceedings, animatedly making field changes, squatting and rubbing his hands in the earth before sending down a delivery, all the while a white handkerchief flapping out of the high waist of his pants.

Rayudu (40, 38 balls, 4×4) and to some extent Abhishek Nayar (a scratchy 22 from 18 with two fours) were Mumbai’s first soldiers of the balmy night, if not the most swashbuckling. They resisted Bangalore’s asphyxiating grip.

Tiwary came at No. 6, a little lower than expected. Like all players, he too cast an ‘X’ shaped shadow on the floodlit turf. Fifteen large ‘X’s (two batsmen, a bowler, ten fielders, two umpires) described different patterns on the green disc of the field throughout the match.

Tiwary is a big 20-year-old with wide shoulders. With a bat and a helmet and his long hair he looks like a character out of the Mahabharata. The willow could be his mace. As a Jharkhand boy, he is often compared to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His hair, too, is reminiscent of the young Dhoni. Importantly, their batting is similar. Brute force is the hallmark of both. Strength is their strength. There are times when Tiwary does not find the sweet spot, yet the ball reaches the ropes. Evidence of his power could be seen in the aerial but flat four he clubbed off Jacques Kallis in the 16th over and a cross-batted six over Kumble’s head in the next.

Even he, however, took time before the eyes, feet and massive muscle packs coordinated to inject blood in the veins of the so far pale Mumbai scoreboard. There was a particularly arid 28-ball spell, starting from the fifth delivery of the ninth over and ending with the second of the 13th, when Mumbai went without a boundary. But Tiwary struck water on the next ball with a six off Virat Kohli. It was the first six of the Mumbai innings. The IPL is a river where sixes are abundant. You don’t have to wait long to land one. But this match was an exception.

Mumbai were like a late blooming teenager, transforming in one remarkable burst from gawky to able-bodied and handsome. They grew by 77 runs in the last five overs. Quite a few of these were struck by Pollard, increasingly justifying his status as the most expensive buy in the tournament. In the stands, Mukesh Ambani, the owner of the Mumbai Indians, pumped his right fist. Lalit Modi was with him. At one stage, Modi even revealed a new side to his personality. He yawned. There is some truth, then, in the rumours that he is human.

Bangalore started their chase well. After nine overs they were well-placed at 80 for two. “But two wickets in two balls didn’t help,” captain Anil Kumble said, lamenting the successive departures of Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid. Mumbai were through by 35 runs.

For Tendulkar, it was a bittersweet day. He took a low catch in the slips of Rahul Dravid off Zaheer Khan’s bowling and celebrated. The experienced Dravid, though, stood his ground. Tendulkar had grounded the ball. Not only was the catch turned down, Tendulkar also suffered a split on his right palm, which immediately started to bleed. It will be a surprise if he can play the final and an irony if he doesn’t.

Sachin Tendulkar dug the toe of his shoe in the crease at the Dr DY Patil Stadium and dragged it six times to mark his guard. He did not stay long at the wicket, though. But his fans need not have worried. There was the other guy with a surname starting with ‘T’—Saurabh Tiwary. With Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard, Tiwary (52 not out, 31 balls, 3×4, 4×6) saved the Mumbai Indians in the IPL semifinal against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Pollard emerged the Man of the Match because he also took three wickets. But if not for Tiwary’s innings, which straddled the doubt-ridden middle overs and the confident later ones, Mumbai would not have had a strong total to defend. What would Raj Thackeray have to say about this? But that is a debate for another day.

By taking care of Tendulkar in the second over and forcing a sluggish pace of scoring, Bangalore appeared to have immobilised Mumbai. Mumbai did not collapse, but their legs were gradually losing strength. By the middle of the innings negativity was obvious in their body language. When JP Duminy tamely top-edged Anil Kumble into the hands of Kevin Pietersen at short cover, he hung his head and shoulders and stood at the wicket. The lumbering Kumble was in command of the proceedings, animatedly making field changes, squatting and rubbing his hands in the earth before sending down a delivery, all the while a white handkerchief flapping out of the high waist of his pants.

Rayudu (40, 38 balls, 4×4) and to some extent Abhishek Nayar (a scratchy 22 from 18 with two fours) were Mumbai’s first soldiers of the balmy night, if not the most swashbuckling. They resisted Bangalore’s asphyxiating grip.

Tiwary came at No. 6, a little lower than expected. Like all players, he too cast an ‘X’ shaped shadow on the floodlit turf. Fifteen large ‘X’s (two batsmen, a bowler, ten fielders, two umpires) described different patterns on the green disc of the field throughout the match.

Tiwary is a big 20-year-old with wide shoulders. With a bat and a helmet and his long hair he looks like a character out of the Mahabharata. The willow could be his mace. As a Jharkhand boy, he is often compared to Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His hair, too, is reminiscent of the young Dhoni. Importantly, their batting is similar. Brute force is the hallmark of both. Strength is their strength. There are times when Tiwary does not find the sweet spot, yet the ball reaches the ropes. Evidence of his power could be seen in the aerial but flat four he clubbed off Jacques Kallis in the 16th over and a cross-batted six over Kumble’s head in the next.

Even he, however, took time before the eyes, feet and massive muscle packs coordinated to inject blood in the veins of the so far pale Mumbai scoreboard. There was a particularly arid 28-ball spell, starting from the fifth delivery of the ninth over and ending with the second of the 13th, when Mumbai went without a boundary. But Tiwary struck water on the next ball with a six off Virat Kohli. It was the first six of the Mumbai innings. The IPL is a river where sixes are abundant. You don’t have to wait long to land one. But this match was an exception.

Mumbai were like a late blooming teenager, transforming in one remarkable burst from gawky to able-bodied and handsome. They grew by 77 runs in the last five overs. Quite a few of these were struck by Pollard, increasingly justifying his status as the most expensive buy in the tournament. In the stands, Mukesh Ambani, the owner of the Mumbai Indians, pumped his right fist. Lalit Modi was with him. At one stage, Modi even revealed a new side to his personality. He yawned. There is some truth, then, in the rumours that he is human.

Bangalore started their chase well. After nine overs they were well-placed at 80 for two. “But two wickets in two balls didn’t help,” captain Anil Kumble said, lamenting the successive departures of Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid. Mumbai were through by 35 runs.

For Tendulkar, it was a bittersweet day. He took a low catch in the slips of Rahul Dravid off Zaheer Khan’s bowling and celebrated. The experienced Dravid, though, stood his ground. Tendulkar had grounded the ball. Not only was the catch turned down, Tendulkar also suffered a split on his right palm, which immediately started to bleed. It will be a surprise if he can play the final and an irony if he doesn’t.

About The Author

Akshay Sawai