Chennai Crushed

Happiness is breaking out all over Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar is at last over his injury, and the Indians are now firing on all cylinders. Chennai batted first, and Shaun Pollock was his normal brilliant self, bowling 4 overs for just 9 runs. Dhoni did his best to rescue the innings, but 156 looked a bit short of what would be needed. As it turned out, it was absurdly short. The Little Master opened the innings with Sanath Jayasuriya. He took things easy, holding up one end while his partner did the big hitting. Tendulkar was eventually out for 12, but by that time Mumbai already had 82 runs and looked certain to win the game. While Robin Uthappa continued the anchor role, Jayasuriya accelerated. He made 114 runs, including 11 sixes, and hit 26 off five balls from the unfortunate Kapugedera. Mumbai won by 9 wickets with 6 overs to spare. That’s a massacre in anyone’s book. Chennai, it seems, are falling apart, though thanks to the early wins they got when Hayden and Hussey were available, they are still third in the table.