In the highly anticipated IPL Qualifiers 2 clash between the Mumbai Indians and the Gujarat Titans, it was a late introduction of Mohit Sharma into the game that completely changed the momentum. Despite the Mumbai Indians posting a challenging first innings score of 233 runs, the Gujarat Titans seemed to have a firm grip on the match. However, it was Mohit Sharma’s exceptional spell of bowling that turned the game on its head.
Hardik Pandya made a crucial decision to bring in Mohit Sharma in the 15th over of the game, and it proved to be a masterstroke. Sharma immediately made an impact by taking two crucial wickets in a single over, leaving the Mumbai Indians’ dugout ecstatic and the Gujarat Titans in a state of disbelief.
The first victim of Sharma’s onslaught was the dangerous Suryakumar Yadav, who had been in sublime form throughout the tournament. Sharma delivered a gutsy full delivery that shattered Yadav’s stumps. It was a big blow for the Mumbai Indians, as Yadav was considered the man who could lead them to victory. The entire Mumbai Indians team realized the significance of the wicket, and Sharma himself looked towards the heavens, grateful for the breakthrough. Suryakumar Yadav departed after scoring a well-fought 61 runs off 38 balls, including 7 boundaries and 2 sixes.
In the same over, Sharma struck again to dismiss Vishnu Vinod. With a clever variation of pace and length, Sharma deceived Vinod, who ended up mistiming his shot and chipping the ball straight to Hardik Pandya at covers. It was a soft dismissal, and Vinod looked visibly disappointed. Sharma’s double blow left everyone questioning why the Gujarat Titans had held him back for so long. Vishnu Vinod departed after contributing just 5 runs off 7 deliveries.
Sharma’s heroics didn’t end there. In his comeback over, the 17th of the innings, he continued his wicket-taking spree by claiming two more scalps. He bowled a slower delivery to Chris Jordan, who failed to capitalize and ended up providing a simple catch to Sai Sudharsan at long-off. Sharma then enticed Piyush Chawla to play a big shot, but the only result was a catch taken by David Miller, who showcased excellent fielding skills throughout the match.
