Tendulkar, Mumbai keep soaring in IPL 3

MUMBAI: A free-flowing, in-form Sachin Tendulkar and new-found opener Shikhar Dhawan lit up another night for the Mumbai Indians as they scored a comfortable five-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday.

The master blaster continued his amazing batsmanship, mixing caution and aggression with grace as the others simply rallied around him to enjoy the party.

While first it was the free-flowing and carefree Dhawan who ensured an explosive start, cracking a 34-ball 56 (5x4, 3x6), the tall and thundering West Indian Kieron Pollard chose the occasion to show his worth playing some ballistic hits.

All along though the Mumbaites just couldn't have enough of their beloved Tendulkar, who stood out as a shining example with the stripes on his T-shirt gleaming just as the newly-built sea link in Mumbai.

It was yet another display of sheer timing, placement and power as the Mumbai Indians skipper shaped the victory, scoring 72 runs off 52 balls (8x4, 1x6), his big shot being the six off Muralitharan over long-on in the 13th over just when the shackles had to be broken. He ran brilliant twos too. It was Dhawan, though, who picked the pace in right earnest.

Till he made a mistake, Dhawan was on song and all his hits and super drives were well directed. He slammed L Balaji for two sixes (over mid-wicket and fine leg) in the sixth over and soon reverse swept Jakati for four. He targeted Jakati again sending him to the mid-wicket fence in the ninth over but mistimed a second big hit two balls later only to sky a simple catch to Suresh Raina at short-mid-wicket. Dhawan and Tendulkar added 92 runs for the opening wicket in 8.5 overs.

Earlier, MS Dhoni's trusted lieutenant Suresh Raina batted with elegance and bravado to provide Chennai Super Kings a challenging total after being put in to bat first. Raina also shared a worthy unbeaten association of 142 runs, the biggest partnership of IPL 3, for the third wicket with Badrinath.

The southpaw Raina drove, bisected, scooped and pulled to score unbeaten 83 off 52 balls with seven fours and two sixes.

Source: times of india