Mumbai Indians, with six wins in seven matches so far, are on a roll at the moment. They are comfortably sitting on the top of the points table.
Their recent performances have been phenomenal. The major credits for this super showings have gone to the batsmen who have made merry of the opposition’s bowling attack. But, it has been the bowling attack who has the unsung heroes.
Their recent win over Delhi Daredevils is a perfect example of it. The bowling attack was led by Mitchell Johnson who made a return to the MI set-up after being a part of the title winning team in 2013.
But, while Johnson was economical with figures of 0/23 in his four overs spell, McClenaghan did the most of the damage with three wickets for just 24 runs. Johnson, the senior pro, was pretty happy to see his bowling partner, who idolises him, to perform this way.
“He did an exceptional job with the ball tonight. We backed each other up with the ball. You got to work in partnerships and we were able to do that. I always say its good bowling with another left-armer. So I think we should be doing that more often,” he added.
Opening the bowling with your idol is always thrilling and McClenaghan also had the same feeling running through his mind when he got the opportunity, says Johnson.
“He was really keen to bowl with me throughout this tournament and was really excited. So I was quite pumped today to get out there and it was nice to bowl with a fellow left-armer. I think in his first game for New Zealand or his first state game for New Zealand, I think he had the same action as me, he kept telling me. That makes you feel quite special,” Johnson told the IPL website.
The South African duo of Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris made Mumbai worry a bit. The pair stunned the opposition with a superb 91 runs stands for the seventh wicket.
Delhi Daredevils initially were brought down to a losing position straightaway after McClenaghan and Pandya destroyed the top order, reducing DD to 24/6.
However, just when it seemed that Mumbai was heading of a simple one-sided win in front of the home crowd, Morris and Rababa sprung a surprise that made MI little nervy.
“There was no stress when we came out, we just wanted to bowl really well and keep to our plans. I don’t think we felt any pressure (when the partnership was growing), to be honest. I think we bowled pretty well throughout that whole time and they had to take some risks through that time.”
“We bowled extremely well as a unit, especially on that wicket which was different than what we’re used to. We did a great job as a team and there was no panic in the camp really. We stuck to our guns and stuck to our plans. The partnership was going along well. Once you get in on that wicket it was a little easier to score but we still bowled well,” Johnson added.
Johnson also reveals that the match day made him nervous, as he was playing for MI after a long time. This certainly tells a lot about the match day pressure that accompanies cricketers all the time. And, the words of Johnson clearly indicate that even highly experienced players are vulnerable to such feelings.
“It’s nice to be back playing in Mumbai, at Wankhede. It’s a great stadium to play at, great fans, a sea of blue, something I was very excited about. In the team meeting today I was starting to get a few nerves. It doesn’t matter how many games you play, I still have those nerves and it was a really good sign for me because it meant something to me, to be playing here today. It was really nice to get out there and have an opportunity to play,” Johnson said.