Tiredness is the reason Ishan Kishan was not sent to bat in the Super Over between Mumbai and Bangalore, skipper Rohit Sharma has revealed.
After Monday's exciting Indian T20 League fixture between Mumbai and Bangalore headed into a Super Over that Mumbai eventually lost, a lot of questions were raised about not bringing Ishan in to bat after the 22-year-old had so superbly produced a 58-ball 99 to anchor the chase for his side.
"He (Kishan) was drained out and was not comfortable. We thought we could send him but he was not feeling fresh," said Rohit.
Instead, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma went to bat and managed seven runs from the Super Over, which was soundly beaten by Bangalore with a 11-run haul consisting of a boundary apiece by captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.
"Seven runs, you have to have luck on your side and get a wicket in the first two balls. And that unfortunate edge over fine leg made it two-in-two for them," Rohit recounted.
"Ishan there and then Pollard was brilliant as usual for us. It is just that we couldn't start well, I thought we could chase 200 with the batting power we have."
A far cry from his previous match against Kolkata where he produced a stellar 54-ball 80, Rohit struggled against Bangalore, getting out after scoring only eight runs from eight balls. With the rest of the top order also collapsing, it looked bleak for Mumbai until Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard's 119-run partnership levelled the scores at the end of their innings.
"We were not in the game at all when we started with the bat. Great innings by Ishan to get us back. Polly was brilliant as usual. Just that we didn't start well, I thought we could have got 200 with the batting we have. With Polly being there, anything can happen, and Ishan can hit it," Rohit surmised after the game.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter.com / Indian T20 League
