RAIPUR: Tilak Varma scored a tenacious 57, but a splendid 4/23 from Bhuvneshwar Kumar helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru restrict Mumbai Indians to a scratchy 166 for seven in their Indian Premier League match Sunday.
On a pitch replete with cracks and uneven bounce for fast bowlers, senior Indian seamer Bhuvneshwar returned 4-0-23-4 while making the most of the conditions on offer, which included a three-wicket burst to put his side on top.
Bhuvneshwar ran through MI’s top-order, dismissing Ryan Rickelton (2), Rohit Sharma (22) and stand-in skipper Suryakumar Yadav (0) to leave them tottering at 28 for three early on.
But to their credit, Tilak (57 off 42 balls; 3x4s, 2x6s) and Naman Dhir (47) dug in deep for a resolute 82-run stand for the fourth wicket to lay the foundation for an at-par total on a pitch which forced the batters to work hard for their runs throughout.
Tilak also had Suyash Sharma to thank for dropping a sitter when he was on nine in the sixth over, since another wicket might have completely derailed a struggling MI.
Tilak was beaten by an off-pace delivery from Rasikh Salam, and a top edge flew to Suyash at midwicket, where the ball went through the fielder’s hands for an embarrassing drop.
Coming together in a perilous situation, both Tilak and Dhir showed great resolve during their fourth-wicket stand in rotating the strike and playing the ball as per merit.
While he was undone by a cross-seam delivery which kept low, Dhir struck five fours and two sixes to make 47 off 32 balls.
