DURBAN: The Mumbai Indians are not out of the Champions League T20, at least not yet, but they sure are down. It's not the results alone that tell the story, one look at skipper Sachin Tendulkar, addressing a rare post-match press conference on Tuesday night, and the agony was clear.
Put yourselves in Tendulkar's shoes. Here is one of the greatest ever cricketers that have graced the earth, captaining the richest (the two new IPL teams are yet to get going) cricket club in the world, owned by a man who in a few years from now is expected to become the richest person in the world and who flies in on match days in his private Boeing 737. And here he is, Tendulkar, not knowing what else he can do to get his side to win against provincial sides, one of whom has had even forced to part with its professional player ( Kieron Pollard).
It is not the money alone that is a factor, yes when you get paid exorbitant amounts you want to justify it with your performance - at least someone like Tendulkar thinks that way - but it is also about representing the cricket-mad city of Mumbai, the winner of as many as 39 Ranji Trophy titles.
Poor fielding combined with ordinary bowling was what did the Mumbai Indians in at Kingsmead on Tuesday and Tendulkar was offering no excuses. "Yes you do get upset at the full tosses and the fielding lapses but you also know that these things happen at times. It shouldn't but it does," said Tendulkar.
He was quite harsh at the catch he dropped himself, the first of at least four let offs by the team. "I thought I had it covered but then it got away. Again these things happen but we have to adjust accordingly," Tendulkar said.
He didn't use the cliché 'catches win matches' but did say: "It is always important to get breakthroughs for that is the only way to stop a side. But with both openers being dropped ( Michael Klinger and Daniel Harris), the breakthroughs didn't come. This nullified the fantastic bowling opening we were given (by Lasith Malinga and Zaheer who conceded just 27 from the first five overs).
Perhaps the dew played its part but it was a factor Tendulkar talked about only on being asked. "Yes, perhaps it didn't allow the bowlers to get the yorkers right as they would have liked, some resulting in full tosses but even then until the 18th over, we still had things in control. We have to win the next two games, win them convincingly and then see," Tendulkar explained.