'We knew CSK going to bowl a lot of spin so we sent SKY at No. 3', reveals Jayawardene

Mumbai, April 21 (IANS) After Mumbai Indians (MI) roared back to form with a commanding nine-wicket win over arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene explained that the decision to promote Suryakumar Yadav to the No. 3 spot in the batting order was influenced by CSK’s spin-heavy bowling attack.

After restricting CSK to 176, MI chased down the target in 15.4 overs, riding on Rohit Sharma's 76 off 45 balls and Suryakumar's 68 off 30 balls, to romp to a nine-wicket victory with 26 balls remaining.

Speaking about Rohit-SKY’s match-defining partnership, Jayawardene applauded the duo’s approach throughout the run chase and said he knew that CSK would bowl a lot of spin therefore Suryakumar was brought in to bat at No 3 after Ryan Rickelton's dismissal.

"It was brilliant upfront. Rohit took control of the powerplay. Rickelton gave a good start before getting out. (We) knew they were gonna bowl a lot of spin, so we took the decision to send SKY.

"And when SKY got into that groove, RO probably took the back seat, which was great. We wanted that partnership to build and get to that situation. So, that's what experience does. These two guys know each other pretty well and handled that situation really well," Jayawardene was quoted by the Mumbai Indians website.

The head coach further gave a brief assessment of Rohit's terrific knock, appreciating his mindset through the rough phase. The former skipper has been facing questions over his repeated failures in IPL 2025. Though he struck three superb sixes in the previous match, his hopes were dashed soon. But on Sunday, he finally found his rhythm, playing some of his usual shots as he reached his half-century off 33 balls. He smashed four boundaries and six maximums in his 76-run knock.

"I think for a guy with that kind of experience, you literally leave them be and have those positive conversations. Polly and I had conversations with him and he was quite okay about everything.

"He knew what he needed to do. He worked on his timing and got through with the first 3-4 overs. He had a couple of shots, which he probably mistimed a little bit, but that's how the game goes. Once he comes off that, we know that he's going to change the game & the momentum.

"The intent was there from Day 1, even though he was failing. So, it was good for us that he was trying to play for the team. He's been playing this tempo for a while and he understands himself," said Jayawardene.

Expressing his satisfaction with the third win on the trot, the head coach said, "Delhi Capitals game was a good one. But even before that as well, when we had a couple of close games where we couldn't get over the line, we were playing some good cricket. So my message to the boys was just to keep their composure and emotions the same way, whether we win or lose. When we have a senior group with experience, that helps."

“As long as we are playing good cricket, we're happy. We're not taking anything for granted. We’ve areas to improve & we need to keep hitting those markers. A good win today just keeps that momentum going,” he added.

--IANS

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