India take low-scoring humdinger

India 213 for 9 (Rohit 72, Roach 3-46) beat West Indies 211 for 9 (Bravo 60) by one wicket

Nos. 10 and 11, Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav, managed to string together the 11 runs India required to take a 1-0 lead in the series © AFP

For the second time in four days, India and West Indies showed that big hits aren't crucial ingredients in absorbing cricket. As in the Mumbai Test, the final delivery of the match was punched to long-on, but this time there were no tears for the home fans as last man Umesh Yadav's drive went for four to end a pulsating match.

It wasn't the highest quality of cricket, but there was no shortage of entertainment for a voluble Cuttack crowd watching its first international match in two years. Rohit Sharma seemed to have sealed the game with a mostly level-headed half-century after India slipped to 59 for 5, but his dismissal 11 runs short of the target provided an extra dollop of suspense to an already tumultuous match.

Watching tailenders bat ranks high among the enjoyable sidelights in cricket, and watching a panicky No. 10 Varun Aaron and Umesh, with all of 10 ODI caps between them, negotiate the final passage was a heart-warmer. The two came together after Vinay Kumar, a relatively more skilled batsman, lost his head and his wicket by charging out and holing out to mid-off, and that five deliveries after Rohit's dismissal.

Eleven runs were needed from the final pair, off 23 deliveries. It was to be expected that the predominant mood in the middle wouldn't be calm-and-collected, but it was still hard to explain the thinking behind Aaron declining a single off the fifth delivery of the 47th, so that he could take strike in the next over. A visibly stricken Rohit couldn't believe that decision, and substitute Ajinkya Rahane muttered under his breath.

A spell of 15 dot balls was finally ended by Aaron thumping the ball to long-off for a single. More headless-chicken stuff followed as Umesh nurdled the fifth ball of the 48th, with Aaron this time desperately wanting a non-existent second in another attempt to face the start of the next over.

In Aaron's defence, Umesh wasn't exactly the most confidence-inspiring of batsmen, regularly planting his front foot across the stumps and poking at the ball. Umesh managed to sneak a single towards square leg off the first delivery of the penultimate over, for which the pacy Andre Russell might have been a better choice than the innocuous Darren Sammy. An on-target yorker at Russell's pace could have been the game, but Sammy perhaps feared the edged boundary to third man or fine leg.

In any case, Sammy's second delivery was a hit-me short-and-wide delivery that was dispatched for four by Aaron, to bring India within four of victory. He guided the next ball towards point for a single, and in his enthusiasm to look for yet another unlikely second, he slipped and had to settle for one. Umesh coolly shouldered arms to the next delivery, before punching a length ball past mid-on for the boundary that extended India's winning streak in home ODIs to ten. It also ended Aaron's mad scramble for the second run, something he famously did, without delivering victory, off the final delivery in the Mumbai Test.

At the other extreme when it comes to taking the second is R Ashwin, who was mildly criticised after delaying setting off for the potentially winning-run in Mumbai. This time he will receive a lot more criticism, after staying put for too long though his senior partner Rohit was running to the danger end, and was confident of making it.

Before that run-out, India were 54 away with plenty of overs to go, with Rohit and Ashwin - fresh from a Test century - in the middle. A fairly comfortable state, which India reached due to a 83-run stand for the sixth wicket between Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja. That stand administered CPR to a chase that was fast fading at 59 for 5.

Rohit played the more expansive strokes - a stylish six over the bowler, a textbook cover drive for four off Russell, followed by a controlled pull for another boundary. Jadeja was more content playing the no-frills role, picking up several of his boundaries through glides behind point. It was crucial innings for both players - Rohit, returning after several months out due to a finger injury, is looking to secure a spot in the crowded middle order, while Jadeja is still to emphatically prove he deserves a spot as high as No. 7.

All the drama seemed unlikely when India's openers galloped to 37 four overs into the chase. The dew was expected to play a huge role in the evening, and a chock-a-block crowd was probably one of the biggest many of the West Indians had played in front of. Kemar Roach didn't let any of that affect him as he pulled West Indies back into the match by removing Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir in the fifth over, and adding the scalp of Virat Kohli soon after.

When Russell snuck one past Virender Sehwag's bat, and Suresh Raina chipped a catch to mid-off, it was West Indies who were in control, particularly as India's most reliable middle-order finishers, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, were absent.

Rohit and the bowlers clinched it for India at the end, but the inexperienced attack had been hugely impressively in the afternoon as well. India had none of the regular members of their World Cup-winning line-up but that didn't prevent them from limiting the visitors to a small total. Umesh and Varun showed off the pace for which they have made a name, Vinay 's patented away-swinger was on display, and the spinners continued to give the selectors no reason to think of Harbhajan Singh.

West Indies' batting had had a reviving stand of its own between Darren Bravo and Danza Hyatt after the top-order stumbled. Bravo doled out his usual share of easy-on-the-eyes boundaries as he extended his rich form from the Tests to make 60, while Hyatt was more controlled after starting problems, due to which he has reached double-digits only twice in six ODI-innings so far.

Some amateurish running from Hyatt took away any semblance of momentum from the West Indian batting, and the dismissals of Bravo and Kieron Pollard within a short span, meant the final third of the innings was slow going.

The 211 they posted seemed far from substantial, especially as the pitch wasn't playing too many tricks - the curator had boldly predicted 300-plus ahead of the match - but they again showed an encouraging ability to fight. That may not have translated into results on this trip so far, but it has resulted in the home side being forced to dig very deep in most of the matches. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

What is talent in sport?

Harsha Bhogle

Commentator, television presenter and writer

Is it just natural ability or the consistency that comes from perseverance?

Rohit Sharma fascinates and frustrates because we invoke the yardstick of consistency to judge his talent© Associated Press

My father believed - as was the norm with respectable middle-class families in the years gone by - it was important that his children were good at mathematics. If your child was good at mathematics, you had imparted the right education and fulfilled one of your primary duties as a parent.

He often quoted to us what his friend, a respected professor of the subject, used to say: "There should be no problem that you encounter in an examination for the first time." It meant you had to work so hard that you had, conceivably, attempted and vanquished every situation that could find its way into an exam paper. It begs the question: if you did achieve 150 out of 150 in an exam (which my wife very nearly did once, much to my awe), was it because you were extraordinarily intuitive or because you had worked harder than the others, so that you didn't "encounter any problem in an exam" for the first time?

In other words, is getting a "centum" (a peculiarlyTam Bram expression) a matter of genius or a matter of perseverance? It is an issue that many intelligent authors around the world have been debating for a while, and one that is at the heart of sport. Would anybody who solved a certain number of sums get full marks? Would two people, each of whom put in 10,000 hours (Malcolm Gladwell's threshold for achievement) produce identical results? Or are some people innately gifted, allowing them to cross that threshold sooner?

We pose that question a great deal in cricket when we argue about talent. Players who play certain shots - the perfectly balanced on-drive for example - are labelled "talented" and put into a separate category. They acquire a halo, and in a near-equal situation they tend to get picked first. "Talent" becomes this key they flash to gain entry. And yet it is worth asking what talent really is.

Is it the ability to play the on-drive or, more critically, the ability to play that on-drive consistently? It is a critical difference. Consistency brings in an element of perseverance that you do not normally bracket with talent.

Let me explain. I have often, while watching Rohit Sharma bat, said "wow" out loud. I probably said it because I saw him play a shot I did not expect him to. Or maybe it was a shot very few players were able to play. Just as often, I find myself going "ugh" with frustration at him. It is probably because, having had the opportunity to go "wow", I now expected him to play the same shot again. And so, without explicitly stating it, I am invoking the assumption of consistency to assess talent. The old professor of mathematics would have said, "Play the shot so often that it is no longer a new shot when you play it."

It is while I was debating this in my mind that I became aware of why Sachin Tendulkar paid such high compliments to Gary Kirsten for throwing him balls. Tendulkar wanted to perfect a shot and needed someone to throw him enough balls to attain that perfection, so that when he attempted it in a match he wasn't doing it for the first time. And in a recent conversation he said he was at his best when he was in the "subconscious", not distracted by the "conscious", and able to play by instinct - which he had perfected through practice.

Now we often call Tendulkar a genius, and yet, as we see, the talent that we believe comes dazzling through is, in essence, the product of many hours of perseverance. Is Tendulkar, then, the supreme example of my father's friend's theory of doing well at maths? And assuming for a moment that is true, shouldn't we be honouring perseverance because that is what it seems "talent" really is?

And so it follows that when we complain that all talented players don't get to where they should, we are in effect saying that they didn't practise hard enough to be consistent. Maybe it means we should all use the word "talent" more sparingly; not bestow it on a player until ability has been married to hard work long enough to achieve consistency.

This is also the starting premise of a new book I hope to continue reading - Bounce by the former table tennis champion Mathew Syed. I am delighted by its opening pages, one of which said "talent is overrated". It is something I have long believed.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Bravo, Sarwan set up West Indies' win

West Indies 255 for 3 (Bravo 86, Sarwan 75* retd) beat India 251 (Kohli 94, Rohit 57, Russell 4-35) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Darren Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan were the key men in West Indies' chase © Associated Press

In 12 balls Darren Bravo went from being cheap imitation to being a decent impression of Brian Lara, setting up West Indies' win with 34 off 12 after his rather strange go-slow seemed to have countered Ramnaresh Sarwan's 75, leaving them 80 to get off the last eight overs. This was the second time this season that West Indies won two matches after losing the series, but it was also a complete role reversal: usually known to fluff their lines in the end, they pulled this back in the last overs of both innings. Andre Russell and Anthony Martin facilitated the comeback with the ball as West Indies took the last seven wickets for 62, and Bravo's effort transformed the seemingly intentless innings.

The Sabina Park crowd danced its way to a din. Sir Viv Richards watched coolly from a box; the discarded Chris Gayle, sporting a new Afro, celebrated in the stands; and the current captain Darren Sammy jumped for joy after what seemed like hours of pensive silence in the players' balcony. Immediately after the winning runs were hit, with an ultimately comfortable eight balls to spare, Samuels ran straight towards Gayle, jumped the fence, and shook his hand.

That West Indies could hit so well in the end was also down to the best pitch of the whole ODI season in the West Indies. It had pace, it had bounce, it tested the batsmen, and it also offered value for shots - a welcome change from the slow and low affairs in Trinidad and Antigua. In the first half of the match, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma passed the test even as their team-mates struggled, and also managed to play the shots that got them runs.

Smart Stats The unbeaten 103-run stand between Darren Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan is the fifth-highest third-wicketstand for West Indies against India in ODIs Bravo's 86 is his fifth half-century and his highest score in ODIs. His previous best was 79 against Sri Lanka in Colombo earlier in 2011 Sarwan is third on the list of highest run-getters for West Indies in ODIs against India behind Desmond Haynes and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. His average of 61.66 though, is thje highest among all West Indian batsmen who have 1000 or more ODI runs against India Andre Russell picked up his second four-wicket haul in eight ODIs. He now has 15 wickets at an average of 20.06. In three matches in the series, he has picked up eight wickets for 110 runs at an economy rate of 4.48 This is the 25th time overall and the sixth time against India that West Indies have successfully chased a 250-plus target in ODIs The 110-run stand between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma is the fourth highest for India for the fourth wicket in ODIs against West Indies

After Kemar Roach and Andre Russell had hustled the Indian openers out, Kohli hardly looked at unease. He saw Manoj Tiwary look a bit uncomfortable, and then try to hit out, at the other end, but he never needed to resort to taking risks. For a man who favours the front foot a touch, Kohli didn't show too many problems transferring the weight back, and more impressively wasn't troubled when the bowlers tried the surprise full ball.

There were edgy moments as was expected on a juicy pitch, but there were quite a few loose ones on offer too. And Kohli waited for them, taking full advantage. Rohit, at the other end, seemed to carry from his good form, ending as the series' highest run-getter. He hit only two fours and a six in his half-century, but the duo still went at a brisk pace, adding 110 in 20 overs.

Kohli's run-out, a mix of an ill-judged second and a special bit of fielding by Sarwan at fine leg, started the turnaround. Martin was the first to capitalise on that, bowling Rohit in the first over the Powerplay. Russell then came back and went for broke. He bowled bouncers of different pace, didn't mind the odd wide, and ran through the lower order with three wickets in eight deliveries.

If Russell bowled like there was no tomorrow, the batsmen seemed to be leaving the chase for some other day. Adrian Barath and Bravo were the early culprits even as Sarwan played the best innings since his comeback. Barath benefited from two dropped catches and two run-outs in his 46-ball 17, and Bravo struggled with the same trait of either hitting shots straight to fielders or defending with hard hands. He took 58 balls to cross the strike-rate of 50.

That meant Sarwan had to take risks. He pulled Ishant Sharma from wide outside off, backed away and cut over cover, and had to go big at the first sight of the part-timers. In the 33rd over, with the asking-rate having reached 7.38, he lofted Suresh Raina for a four and a six, and it seemed that finally the real Sarwan was ready to replace the pretender we have been used to over the season.

With that six, though, he started cramping up, and after a struggle for five overs and more than a few raised eyebrows from the umpires, he walked off. Samuels came in, took his time to settle in, and Bravo too hardly seemed to be taking the initiative. Sixteen came in the first four overs of the partnership, and Bravo then asked for the Powerplay.

Boom. The game changed. As inexplicable as his first 51 off 84 were, there was a ridiculous ease about his hitting in the Powerplay. R Ashwin was the first one to suffer, going for sixes over wide long-on and cow corner. Mishra for the first time in the series was out of his comfort zone, and he dished out a high full toss, which Bravo deposited into the grass on the other side of the boundary. The next ball was a regulation sweep, but it carried over square leg for another six. In the next over, he lofted a Vinay Kumar slower delivery over long-off. All three had respectable figures until then; not only were they rearranged, West Indies now needed just 42 off 33. Mishra came back to have Bravo stumped with a googly, but Samuels and Kieron Pollard showed enough sense, skill and power to turn the rest into a cruise. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Rohit shows willingness to change

Rohit Sharma's little 'big moment': his matchwinning knock in Antigua could well herald the start of a much-needed turnaround © Associated Press

"He is a lot more disciplined now," was what Suresh Raina had to say after Rohit Sharma played one of the most mature knocks of his international career to help India win the third one-dayer against West Indies in Antigua. It wasn't the pitch, or the attack that Rohit conquered today - there wasn't much venom in either. Instead it was an on-going inner battle with himself that he finally won. For some time now the battle has been: Rohit v Rohit. He has always given the impression of man who gets bored easily. He will lace a couple of pretty drives, play a big shot, make it all look easy before suddenly and, inexplicably, throw his wicket away. Perhaps the game came too easily for him.

He usually starts his innings a touch edgily but he flowed from the start on Saturday. The intent was still the same; he usually goes for couple of big hits early in his knock and he did so again. In the past, those attempts have threatened to derail him. Even in the second ODI, there was an expansive heave against Devendra Bishoo when he was yet to get off the mark and the ball just about cleared mid-off. On Saturday, he hit a six and a four against Sammy early on but in a more controlled arc, in the V.

The thing that stood out, though, was how well he controlled the chase. We have seen it from him in the IPL where he has earned his name as a finisher. He has rarely displayed that skill at the international stage but he did it in Saturday's game. India coach Duncan Fletcher was lavish in his praise. "It was a tremendous innings," Fletcher said. "I thought it was a great innings. It's not easy to finish like that. It shows the quality of this team that a player like him is not in [the] Test [squad]. He can probably make most Test sides but there is such quality in Test side now- there are such great players in there …"

Rohit seems to be in a hurry to erase the blots in his CV. He is a lot fitter now and by his own admission, a lot hungrier for success. He had played over 60 one-dayers for India with little to show. At the start of the tour he said that he was a changed man, desperate do well and represent India for long. He has done most things right in the series so far.

However it is a touch early to say that Rohit has turned the corner and has finally arrived. He has definitely taken the first step but more proof of that will come on tougher pitches and against tougher attacks. It wasn't all that long ago when he struggled against the bounce and movement that Morne Morkel extracted in the ODI series in South Africa early this year.

And there were a few technical problems that ailed him even before that. He would often drive without quite leaning forward fully and the short cover was almost omnipresent in most opposition plans. He worked on this shortcoming in the nets by using a shorter bat which forced him to lean forward as otherwise you couldn't connect with the ball. However, in the recent times, he started to develop an initial forward-and-across movement with his front leg which helped him to lean into the drive but threw up other complications: if the delivery cut in at pace, he often found himself having to play around the front pad and became an lbw candidate. If the ball, as Morkel repeatedly did, bounced from short of length and held its line outside off, Rohit would get a touch squared-up and stab out at it.

These are technical kinks but the most important criticism leveled against him was about his mindset. Rohit has shown the willingness to change and the third ODI was further proof of that. He has fans in the opposition camp as well. "He is a wonderful player," Ramnaresh Sarwan had said earlier in the series. "He has a way of sneaking up on you. He seems to be flow quietly and suddenly you realise he has reached 40."

Even as the ball that brought up the winning runs sped towards the midwicket boundary, Rohit turned to collect a stump for a souvenir. This knock could well be the one that he will look back later in his career as a little "big moment". © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

This is a very important phase in my career, says Sharma

Port of Spain: Rohit Sharma made a successful comeback into the Indian cricket one-day team by hitting a match-winning half century against the West Indies here Monday and now wants to carry on with his good form in what he calls a "very important phase of my career".

Sharma: Top-scored in India win

Sharma showed patience in his 68-run knock that steered India to a four-wicket win in the first One-day International. The gifted batsman said he has moved on from the disappointment of not being part of the World Cup winning squad and is focussed on cementing his place in the side

"This is a very important phase of my career. I have to keep scoring now. I am glad I could do the job today when the chips were down," said Sharma at the post-match press conference.

"I had a good IPL and whenever you are in good form, you have to carry on. Today was a perfect day. It wasn't an easy track; it was very slow and turning a bit. You need a lot of time to keep the innings going. Till 35 I didn't score a single boundary or a four."

"Yes I was very disappointed in not being part of the World Cup but I have to move on," Rohit said after top-scoring for India in the win against West Indies.

Sharma, hailed as one of the most talented batsmen on the international circuit by current and former players, made his ODI debut in June 2007 but has not been able to establish himself in the team. Australian spin legend Shane Warne recently said Sharma has the talent to become one of the greats of Indian cricket.

When asked about his career graph, the 24-year-old said: "Somehow I have not done really so well in the middle order in the past but it's part and parcel of being a cricketer. You have seen many good players who have struggled initially and later on matured as a player. I am maturing as a player; I understand the game very well these days. I now know what to do and what not to do as a batsman."

Sharma rubbished that he had an "attitude problem" early on in his career.

"There was nothing wrong about the attitude. People have their opinions and I am not bothered about it. People will talk if you play international cricket. The more people talk, more confident I get. My job is not to lose focus, remain calm and you can learn from so many players. There have been many people who have come up from being down. I am young still and have a long way to go. I don't need to lose heart and focus. I just need to keep playing and keep doing the right things," he said.

Sharma has scored 1,316 runs at an average of 28.60 in 62 ODI appearances. — IANS

Rohit helps India prevail in battle of attrition

India 217 for 6 (Rohit 68*, Dhawan 51) beat West Indies 214 for 9 (Sarwan 56, Samuels 55, Harbhajan 3-32) by four wickets

	Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma played key roles in India's win © Associated Press Enlarge

In a contest of ordinary batting line-ups, India had the extra bit of quality to successfully chase an under-par West Indies total. West Indies seemed to lack enterprise and skill to handle India's bowling, but their bowlers and fielders were spirited in the defence, dragging India down. The top order faltered after a quick start, but Rohit Sharma and captain Suresh Raina steadied India from 104 for 4.

It was a slow and low track all right, fast becoming the norm in the West Indies now, but wasn't treacherous enough to justify either West Indies' total or the struggle India went through before getting there. The only batsmen that seemed at ease were Marlon Samuels, Raina and eventually Rohit. Samuels' half-century injected some life in West Indies' limp innings after early wickets and an extra-cautious Ramnaresh Sarwan had left them crawling to 74 for 3 in 25 overs.

Raina did much the same for India with a busy effort, but it was Rohit who was the most interesting study. There were two Rohits on display. The first came out, saw Devendra Bishoo spin one across him, and started slogging at everything. That Rohit refused to work hard, and looked to slog his way out. That Rohit batted alongside Shikhar Dhawan, who scored his maiden half-century in unconvincing manner and looked liked he could get out any moment.

West Indies' brightest phase came when legspinners Bishoo and Anthony Martin kept a tight leash on the scoring, with Darren Sammy and the alert fielders providing the support cast. For 13.2 overs India didn't get a single boundary. The edginess was apparent. S Badrinath played 11 straight dots before edging Bishoo to make it 61 for 3. Rohit's ways rubbed off on Dhawan, who started trying to hit every ball for four, finding either an edge or a fielder. His wicket, through a slog sweep that gave Martin his maiden wicket, was a freight train coming.

Rohit, though, was over the self-destructive period by then. And also a critical moment in the 24th over when a close lbw shout was ruled in his favour. He played Bishoo for the turn, and the straighter one kissed his back pad before hitting the bat. And it was right in front. The umpire couldn't really be faulted for not being completely sure it had hit the pad first, but West Indies could claim that the DRS would have got them their man.

Those early hiccups negotiated, the other Rohit was the one batting in a sweat-drenched shirt, running hard, looking to convert ones into twos, scoring his first 30 runs without a boundary. Raina came in and nudged a couple of boundaries to calm things further. Rohit's first boundary was a treat: an inside-out chip for six off Sammy. He added 80 in 14.3 overs with Raina without looking hurried at all. Raina perished looking to finish the game in the batting Powerplay, and a physically struggling Rohit would have had to dig much deeper had Martin held on to a simple return catch from Yusuf Pathan at 189 for 5.

Another half-centurion in the match, Sarwan, got off to a much better start than Rohit did, but played himself into a shell, during the other critical passage of play in the game. West Indies had got off to a start similar to India's, losing two wickets after a quickish opening, but Sarwan's 63-ball stand with Kirk Edwards featured 38 dots. Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh - who went for 108 in their 30 overs for five wickets - bowled well, but not least because the batsmen allowed them to. Neither of the two batsmen looked to drop and run a quick single, nor was a single fielder put under pressure. Harbhajan reaped the rewards as Edwards top-edged a straighter one.

Samuels, though, brought in the urgency, attacking Yusuf, becoming the first batsman to have a strike-rate of over 50. After a spell of 12 overs for 56, at 130 for 3, they asked for the Batting Powerplay. Forty-three came off the five-over block, but West Indies also lost Sarwan to a tickle down the leg side. The real blows came after the Powerplay as Raina snuck a short delivery through Samuels' legs, and Harbhajan did Bravo in with a doosra that dipped and kicked. The rest could add only 23 to the 191 for 6 in the 45th over, providing India with a seemingly easy chase. As it turned out, it took a dehydrated, cramping-up, and a slightly fortunate Rohit to pull it off. © ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Innings Dot balls 4s 6s PP1 PP2 PP3 Last 10 overs NB/Wides West Indies 184 13 3 36/2 13/0 43/1 58/5 2/12 India 144 13 4 48/2 10/0 37/1 28/1 1/3

Rohit, Malinga lead Mumbai to impressive win

Mumbai Indians 172 for 4 (Rohit 56*, Symonds 44*, Mishra 2-14) beat Deccan Chargers 135 for 8 (Sangakkara 34, Malinga 3-9) by 37 runs

	Rohit Sharma continued to operate in the elevated plane he finds during the IPL © AFP

Deccan Chargers had the chance to retain Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds, but let both of them go, and paid the price on Sunday. The pair came together with Mumbai wobbling at 70 for 4 in the 10th over, having lost three wickets for the addition of no run in six balls, and proceeded to pulverise their former side in a 102-run stand that came off just 65 balls. Mumbai followed the pyrotechnics of their Deccan imports with a typically clinical show in the field, to surge to a four-point lead at the top of the IPL table.

Match Meter MI Jacobs opens well: Davy Jacobs begins with a series of innovative blows against the new ball DC Deccan surge through spin: Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha snare three wickets in six balls for no run MI Rohit and Symonds blaze away:Mumbai's Deccan imports plunder 40 runs off the last 2 overs to put their side on course MI Malinga murders the stumps: Malinga produces a yorker to send back Dhawan, a direct hit to dismiss White, and a full toss to end Sangakkara's stay. Game Mumbai Advantage Honours even

Having galloped to a strong score, Mumbai seized control with three pieces of brilliance, all of which involved Lasith Malinga slinging the stumps down. The first was a stunning yorker that the aggressive Shikhar Dhawan did well to save his toes from, though his leg stump was not so fortunate. Cameron White came in at Dhawan's fall and sucked the momentum out of the chase after struggling to get bat on ball in his short stay. It ended when he pushed his seventh ball to mid-off and set off on an ambitious single. Malinga swooped on the ball and fired in a throw that clattered into the stumps at the non-striker's end to catch White short. Kumar Sangakkara fought hard against the tide, before Malinga returned to blow his middle and off pegs out with a superfast, low full toss. The chase was as good as over when Davy Jacobs stumped Daniel Christian while standing up to Munaf Patel.

In reality, Deccan never recovered from the Rohit-Symonds show, especially the last two overs that bled 40 runs. Symonds began the closing brutality by smashing Dale Steyn's length bowling for two fours and a six in the penultimate over. Rohit then took over, flaying Christian for three sixes and a four in the 20th. Christian invited trouble by serving up two full tosses and two length balls at a hittable pace. Rohit, who finds a new plane when he is batting in the IPL, tucked in with huge blows down the ground, the last of which left Christian floored in his follow through.

Mumbai's innings followed three distinct phases. The first was guided by Jacobs' enterprise against the new ball, while Sachin Tendulkar played the support role. It's not easy to take the spotlight off Tendulkar, especially so on his birthday, but Jacobs managed it for the first five overs. He began with a reverse slap off Amit Mishra in the opening over, before thumping Pragyan Ojha for a straight six. He proceeded to shred Ishant Sharma's shoddy lines for fours on either side of the wicket, and scrambled Christian's lengths with quick feet to loot two more boundaries.

Tendulkar survived a close shout for lbw in the first over before trotting inside the line to Steyn's first ball to whip him through midwicket. Thereafter, Tendulkar seemed almost over-eager to impose himself by charging out to Ishant and Steyn, who both hit speeds around 145 kph and gave him nothing to drive. Still, Mumbai managed to reach 47 in the first five overs, before Deccan hit back.

Jacobs fell attempting an ambitious heave off Ishant, but Tendulkar counter-punched with two boundaries in the same over. However, the advent of spin with spread-out fields stalled Mumbai's progress. Mishra struck twice in three balls, beating Tendulkar in the flight and enticing Ambati Rayudu to hole out. Soon after, Kieron Pollard miscued an against-the-turn paddle off his first ball, to leave Mumbai reeling. It was time for their middle-order muscle to rescue them.

Symonds and Rohit checked in cautiously as Mumbai went boundary-less for 40 balls, but switched gears rapidly thereafter. Rohit began the assault by sweeping Ojha for four before Symonds forehanded a short ball from Christian through long-off. With Rohit timing his drives particularly well, Ishant kept trying to tuck him up, but Rohit responded with a couple of strong pulls. Around that time, the owners of the Deccan Chargers franchise must have begun wondering if they had got it horribly wrong at the auction. By the end of the game, they must have been kicking themselves. © ESPN EMEA Ltd