Jayasuriya has finished the match with 37 balls to spare and nine wickets in hand. That’s a massive massive margin considering that they were chasing a target of 157. The crowds came to see Tendulkar but it was Jayasuriya who was simply irresistible. He scored his hundred off 45 balls, the second-fastest 100 of the IPL, and hit 11 sixes and nine fours. 102 off his 114 runs came in boundaries.
Indeed he may have, this was Jayasuriya at his finest, vintage 1996. He pummeled the bowlers with short arm cuts over point and flicks over square leg. I think Dhoni missed a trick by bringing Murali on well after the game was finished as a contest.
Dhoni gets booed as he comes up for the presentation. He’s not fussed and says they [the Wankhede crowd] will cheer him when he plays for India. There’s a wry smile on his face. He says they bowled in the wrong areas - either too full or too short. He wants more consistency from his bowlers.
Massive cheers for Tendulkar, he scored only 12 but they love him. It’s good to be back he says, and credits Jayasuriya with a “special innings”. He says the game against Kolkata on Friday is very crucial and that the team is up for it.
Jayasuriya walks away with two awards today, one for hitting the most sixes - 11 - and he’s also the Man of the Match of course. Pollock’s spell of 1 for 9 off four overs was terrific too.
Jayasuriya says they needed the win really badly and is thrilled that they’ve made it four in a row now. He says that opening with Sachin allowed him to play is natural game and he enjoyed the experience.
