Consistency hallmark of Markande’s success

Mayank Markande didn’t try too hard. All he did was bowl good lengths and vary his pace, which was enough to outdo the likes of Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Wriddhiman Saha, Shikhar Dhawan, Manish Pandey and Shakib Al Hasan – his seven wickets so far in two games. Albeit Mumbai Indians losing both their games against Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad by one wicket, Markande’s reward is the purple cap that he now wears proudly for the time being.

What Markande’s brilliant performances in the two games has done is silenced the concern that Mumbai would’ve had at the end of the Indian Premier League auction 2018 of the absence of a mainstay Indian spinner. Bought at just 20 lakh, it has been an investment that has punched above its billing, so far at least.

“I think that’s why he deserves this opportunity in the first place is he’s taking the form from the nets and the practice games into the games,” said MI’s bowling coach Shane Bond. “We’ve talked a lot about the length that he bowls. We know he’s difficult to pick, so if he just bowls that length and pace where he asks batsmen to make decisions, we know it’s going to be difficult for them and he’s bamboozling very good players at the moment.

“He’s being very consistent, that’s his real strength – consistency. That’s underrated in this game – putting the ball in the same spot, particularly when you’ve got variations like him, you’re going to get wickets. He’s got a great temperament. I’m excited for his start so far. He’s been brilliant for us.”

It was Markande’s first over that sparked SRH’s collapse from the position of strength they were in following a 62-run opening stand between Saha and Dhawan. Umpire Nigel Llong turned down the leg-before appeal against Saha. But Mumbai thought otherwise and reviewed it. The wicketkeeper didn’t pick the quicker googly; the result – three reds. The leg-break in his next over saw the back of a well-set Dhawan for a 28-ball 45, which was crucial at the juncture where it seemed like SRH were running away with the game. It was little surprise that Rohit persisted with Markande and have him bowl out his four overs in a single spell. And it turned out to be a master move with him once again bringing back Mumbai into the contest, exposing a rusty SRH middle order.

Pandey’s shot, in the situation of the game, was disappointing. In an absolute case of lack of match awareness, Pandey, who was acquired by the franchise with the view of taking on the mantle of leading its middle order, charged down for a big hit. He was done in by flight as Markande had his third scalp as SRH slipped to 89 for 4. Shakib Al Hasan, who is a very experienced middle-order bat, and a match-winner on his day, chopped a googly back onto the stumps after being caught in the crease.

“He is wonderful to watch,” said fellow legspinner Rashid of Markande, who now has six wickets from 19 googlies so far in the tournament. “I watched him in the first game; he bowled really well in Mumbai. Today, the way he bowled was amazing, really impressed by him. Legspinners are like that, once they get their line and length right – that is what he did – you can bowl against any batsman in any condition. I think the way he bowled was really impressive. It is a hard when you are defending a low total, it is difficult for you to take wickets and not give them runs. But he did really well.”

While Markande’s brilliance shone through, SRH’s middle and lower-middle order, that looked solid on paper, was exposed. The openers falling in quick succession meant the onus was on the middle order to pick them up. Pandey failed to play out Markande, with him having just the one over left. Seeing him through, and with those two extra wickets, would’ve given the SRH batsmen a cushion of comfort with Jasprit Bumrah and Mustafizur Rahman coming in for their spells.

But Pandey’s fall and Shakib’s soft dismissal meant Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda were the last recognised pair who would have to take SRH through. Yusuf adapted to the situation to don a hat which was unlike his natural self with a run-a-ball 14. But the sixth-wicket stand between him and Hooda took their side closer to the finish line.

While Mumbai had the luxury of two of the best death bowlers in Mustafizur and Bumrah, who together conceded just four runs for four wickets in the 18th and 19th overs with two apiece, Sunrisers had 22-year-old Hooda, but for whose calm and composure, SRH would’ve fallen short. The Baroda skipper was impressive, playing to the game situation, and holding his nerve even as wickets tumbled at the other end as they slipped from 136 for 5 to 137 for 9. SRH were saved from the blushes on the back of Hooda’s unbeaten 25-ball 32.

While SRH will be pleased to have scraped through over the line despite the collapse, they will be concerned with their unstable middle order, which may prompt them to reconsider their strategy going forward in the tournament. If they’re dealt with another blow like Markande’s, what looked like a well-balanced side on paper, could just as well be undone by ghosts from its past.