An explosion of talent.
Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an all-important clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday. The defending champions, having lost four of their five matches in the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), will look to get a win under their belt on home turf.
Even before the match could begin, though, fans at the Wankhede were treated to a special sight. Tuesday marked legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s 45th birthday. The atmosphere in and around the iconic stadium in Mumbai was joyous, as fans chanted ‘Sachin… Sachin’ to celebrate the Master Blaster’s special day.
Before the toss, there was a sight to behold out in the middle. Sachin got together with the great Sunil Gavaskar and MI skipper Rohit Sharma to have a little chat. The beauty of the moment wasn’t lost on the crowd in the stands as they cheered on. After all, how often does one get to see the three finest batsmen produced by Mumbai in the past three generations stand in one frame.
Sunny will always be the original little Master, with Sachin taking over the mantle a few years later. And, while Rohit can’t be put in the same bracket as the stalwarts of the game, there’s no doubt that he is the best batsman Mumbai has produced in this generation.
Looking at the laughter among the trio as they stood next to the wicket, it was quite evident that the discussion wasn’t strictly about cricket. It was wonderful to see the warm camaraderie between three of Mumbai’s greatest.
Rohit won the toss on Tuesday and had little hesitation in electing to bowl first. The home team went in with the same playing XI that lost to Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday.
SRH, on the other hand, went in with three changes. Shikhar Dhawan, who missed the last game due to an elbow injury, made a comeback. However, the 2016 champs were dealt a serious blow. Australian fast-bowler Billy Stanlake was ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2018 owing to a fractured finger. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar too missed out with an injury.
Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians: Suryakumar Yadav, Evin Lewis, Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul.
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 "Three generations of Mumbai's finest")
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