Former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma talked about the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 against Chennai Super Kings. He revealed how he told Lasith Malinga to bowl a slower delivery as he wanted to win the match.
Mumbai Indians, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, were a force to be reckoned with. The India National Cricket Team skipper guided the franchise to five title wins and made them the league's most successful team, winning titles in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
One of the famous wins of the Mumbai Indians came during the final of 2019. The franchise beat rivals Chennai Super Kings by just one run. They snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat as the majority of the game was dominated by the MS Dhoni-led side.
Chennai Super Kings needed two runs off the last ball with Shardul Thakur on the strike. Lasith Malinga, who till then had a bad day, oozed his class as he bowled a brilliant slower delivery to trap the right-hander in lbw and win the game for Mumbai Indians by just one run.
I told him to bowl the slower ball - Rohit Sharma on what he said to Lasith Malinga
While talking about that win, Rohit Sharma shared that he was well aware of what his 'friend' Shardul Thakur would do. He revealed how he changed the mind of Lasith Malinga, who was about to bowl a yorker, to deliver a slower ball which would result in the wicket. Speaking to Jatin Sapru on JioHotstar, he said:
"I want to go into the final. My friend is playing in front of me. I have seen him so many times. I know what he does. I know his bat swing. So I asked Lasith Malinga what he was thinking. He said that he will bowl a fast yorker as it is reversing a little. I told him that it was a good option. But if it hits the inside edge, it's a four. I knew that the ball was reversing and he was hitting the bat so hard.
"It could have taken the inside edge for four. So I told him to bowl the slower ball. Malli told me that the slower ball is also a good option. I told him that his bat swing is fast, bowl the slower ball. It will go up if he hits and might get caught. And, if he misses the slower ball, he will either get LBW or a bowled."
I didn't want to take it to the Super over - Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma further added that he didn't want to take the game into the Super over as his focus was to win. He stressed that he was fine with losing the game, but not giving the single. The former Mumbai Indians skipper also lavished rich praise on Lasith Malinga and said:
"I didn't want to take it to the Super over. If I had to take it to the Super over, I would have told him to hit the wide yorker. He would get a run and we would have placed a fielder at the back. I wanted to get him out. I was okay with losing the game but I didn't want to give him a single. Because the ball was in his (Malinga) hands, I could have thought that.
"The ball was in his hands, he had so much experience. He has won so many matches for Mumbai, in such a situation. He was relaxed. Otherwise, someone else would have said, no, no, let's keep the fielders up, let's send him back. He's relaxed. He knows exactly what he's doing. You won't see anything on his face. He's very relaxed."
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