Youth, inspired captaincy fuel Mumbai dreams

Harsha Bhogle is very impressed with the youngsters stepping up for Mumbai Indians in their quest for IPL glory.

Even though these are early days, Mumbai Indians are looking seriously good. In my pre-tournament assessment, I had felt that Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore would jostle for semi-final spots and Mumbai are suggesting that this might be the year to fulfil promise.

There have been two major talking points about them in the past. One, that they always seemed to be tense and played laboured cricket and two, that Sachin wasn’t the most inspirational captain. In the first two games, both concerns seem to have been addressed.

Against Rajasthan Royals, two young men came out and played free cricket and it was thrilling to watch. Neither was assured a place in the team, indeed one (Rayudu) was returning from the ICL and an unfulfilled nomadic existence while the other (Tiwari) had only been used, occasionally, as a slogger. But clearly they were given the licence to play like that. As someone who has watched them closely, it was a welcome change.

But Tendulkar did one better. He backed them in the next game. Most people would have had them batting below Bravo and Pollard but he told the young guys that the stage belonged to them and they delivered yet again. It is little acts like these that shape young players and Tendulkar is clearly doing that.

In course of time, that batting order will change for there is nothing settled in this form of the game. Also, Abhishek Nayar will return and who knows, there might only be place one day for one of those two. But they are making it mighty difficult to leave them out.

Meanwhile, the Royals need to win a game somewhere for their IPL is going downhill very fast. The captain is going to be tested like never before for he is like the anchor in a tug of war. If he moves, the team slides.