IPL 2018 Of DRS's entertaining IPL debut and Bumrah's tattered reputation

Even though Even Lewis had a debut to forget, Mayank Markande had one to remember, albeit in a losing cause. © AFP

                                               A debut to forget

If practice sessions a day before the game was anything to go by, Evin Lewis seemed like a party fish in his water. He was hammering the monster blows all around the ground. Some of them went deep into the stands some even hit the glass chambers. How none of them broke remains a mystery! But Lewis seemed all smooth in his glory, bringing his big-hitting reputation to IPL. Unfortunately, his debut innings in the tournament lasted only two balls as he was trapped leg-before-wicket by a superb inswinging delivery from Deepak Chahar.

He got out for a duck, but to save some embarrassment, it isn't a premier list that he is a part of. He has the company of as many as 57 other players who have been dismissed for a duck on IPL debut.

                       Mumbai's prodigal son returns

Such was the make-up of the Mumbai Indians' squad that the most confusing piece of the jigsaw was the No 4 position. Would it have been an all-rounder or a frontline batter? With the likes of Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard, would they be needing a player solely for his batting ability? And if yes, who from the sea of domestic talents they have in their pool?

Suryakumar Yadav, surely, was a favourite in that battle, but not a certainty. The Mumbai local, who had played for the franchise before being bought by KKR, returned to his home city and displayed vintage form - the kind of batting that had escalated all the talks around his talent as a teenager. The easy aggressor, who had altered his natural game in the last three seasons in between, had revived it in the last one year. A lot of it was not on mass display and often missed in domestic and local competitions due to his failures to throw his wicket away after good starts. The big scores were missing. But on Saturday, it was his blitz which provided Mumbai Indians with the early momentum - the push drives, the pulls - clean and effective hitting en route a 29-ball 43.

He was again dismissed after looking set for a big innings. But for the brief while that he was there, the chants of 'Surya, Surya' echoed in the stadium.

         The Pandya without the jazz

With Krunal Pandya, there are no fancy hair-dos, no over-the-top excitement in body language and words far more grounded and measured. Even the talk of cricketing talent around him isn't anywhere close to that of his brother Hardik Pandya, who holds aloft with pride the distinction of being arguably the best allrounder in Indian cricket. But he has been mighty effective and even more consistent than Hardik for Mumbai Indians.

In the IPL opener, the elder Pandya held the spotlight in Mumbai Indians' death overs. He took on CSK's fastest bowler - Mark Wood - and hammered him for 38 runs off his last two overs. He held strike for 22 of the 32-ball partnership with Hardik and stroked 41 runs to provide the late flourish.

It is surprising how a player, who has been just over ordinary for his state side, manages to up his game every time he plays for Mumbai Indians.