‘He used strong words’ – Karn Sharma reveals how Mahela Jayawardena motivated the Mumbai Indians in the 2017 IPL final
In the final, Sharma returned with figures of 4-0-18-0.
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Karn Sharma, the veteran Indian spinner, has revealed how Mahela Jayawardena infused life into the Mumbai Indians during the final of the 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL). The match between MI and the Rising Pune Supergiant wasn’t a high-scoring affair by any means, but it turned out to be a thrilling affair. In the end, Mumbai won the game by one run after scoring only 129.
Sharma, who was a part of the Mumbai franchise back then, said that Jayawardena, their head coach, used some strong words to motivate them. In the end, MI, led by Rohit Sharma, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat despite Steve Smith’s 51 and Ajinkya Rahane’s 44.
That motivated all of us: Karn Sharma
“We had made only 128-129 runs in that game so, Mahela Jayawardene (Mumbai Indians’ coach) made sure that the entire team was on their toes. He used some strong words like- We have to win this game anyhow. Whether you win it by 10 runs or 1 run, I don’t care. But, you have to win it,” Sharma told Dr Yash Kashikar on Say Yash To Sports show.
Sharma didn’t have the best times to start with as he scored only one off five balls being run out in the 15th over. However, then he went on to make amends with the ball in hand. The leg-spinner couldn’t pick up a wicket, but made sure that he kept a check on the run-scoring.
In his four overs, Sharma gave away only 18 runs to go with 12 dot balls. He conceded only one boundary and two wides. Remembering that game, Sharma said how the spell was a crucial one for Mumbai in their road to glory.
“That motivated all of us & it was one of the best games I have ever played. My spell of zero for 18 in 4 overs was extremely important as well since me & Krunal (Pandya) were the only spinners in the side in that game,” the tweaker added.
For Mumbai, it was the fast bowling duo of Lasith Malinga and Mitchell Johnson that did the job of picking up wickets. They picked up five wickets and didn’t Smith’s Pune to go over the line.
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