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It was sheer emotion and drama, says Dravid
There were contrasting emotions at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.
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Rajasthan Royals’ mentor Rahul Dravid wore a dejected look as he explained how his bowlers failed to execute plans in the exhilarating Indian Premier League match against Mumbai Indians.
The Royals lost the last available IPL play-off berth to title-holders Mumbai Indians on net run-rate.
"It was pretty disappointing to finish like this. But credit to Mumbai Indians. They batted really well. To chase 190 in 14.3 overs, in fact make 195 in 14.3 overs, is a phenomenal achievement. It was a good wicket but we did not execute our plans very well. We did not bowl our areas as well as we should have," said the former India skipper.
According to Dravid, there was a period of less than two overs when the game swung in favour of Mumbai, who won by five wickets in 14.4 overs, with Aditya Tare dispatching James Faulkner for a six over square leg.
"They had a batsman in red hot form (Corey Anderson, who scored 95 not out off 44 balls), who kept connecting. We could not bowl a couple of good overs. If we had given away 7-8 or even 10 runs the game would have gone out of (their) hand, but they kept getting 15-16 an over kept and stayed in the game.
"After (Mumbai Indians captain) Rohit (Sharma) got out and when (Ambati) Rayudu and Anderson batted there was a period of 12-15 balls when we suddenly gave away 50 runs. That was a critical phase. We could have bowled a couple of better overs. But the boys tried their best."
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'I am disappointed that I was on the wrong side of the result'
Dravid described how both teams got emotional and confused about won at the end of 14.3 overs when the scores were tied at 189.
"We thought we won the game at one stage. We had to bowl one ball and they hit a boundary.
"You can just imagine the emotions; there was sheer disappointment in their camp, joy in our camp (when the scores were tied) and then suddenly a ball later that was completely reversed," Sharma said.
"For sheer emotion and drama, it was one of the best games I had been involved in. I am just disappointed that I was on the wrong side of the result," he added.
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'We did not really have a home venue'
Dravid defended the team's strategy of leaving out Ajinkya Rahane for their first leg game against Mumbai Indians, on May 19, which the Royals lost by 25 runs and gave a lifeline to the title-holders, saying the batsman was carrying an injury.
"We were carrying some injuries. We can't play people when they are not 100 per cent fit. Ajinkya Rahane was injured in that game. We could have played a better game there (after making three changes). Even today we made three changes in a must-win game and missed out (on the play-off berth) on marginal net run-rate," Dravid said.
He felt that the Royals, who could not play a single game at their home base of Jaipur after the IPL authorities allotted them to Ahmedabad, missed out on that huge advantage which Mumbai enjoyed at the Wankhede.
"One of the disappointing things was the incredible home advantage made in a place like Mumbai Indians (home venue). They had that; we did not really have a home venue. We have had fantastic results in Jaipur, but this season, home advantage was lacking. We tried to make Ahmedabad our home venue as best as we could."
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'Sanju and Karun Nair were exceptional'
Dravid said the dip in his team's performance towards the end of the round-robin stage was crucial to missing the bus.
"We did not play well in the last three games. We batted beautifully today but have not bowled well in the last three games."
About the changed batting order in Sunday’s game, he said the team felt it needed some more power upfront and that was the reason for skipper Shane Watson to open the innings with Sanju Samson.
"We probably needed a little bit more runs and power upfront and thought we will go with (Shane) Watson and bat Karun (Nair) and Ajinkya (Rahane) later against spin.
"Sanju and Karun batted really well so that (James) Faulkner and (Brad) Hodge could come in and blast away from 14-15 overs just after the spinners had finished their quota. It worked well for us."
He looked at the plus points from the 2008 winners' unsuccessful campaign this year.
"There were a lot of positives. The performance of Sanju and Karun Nair were exceptional. Ankit Sharma and Rahul (Tewatia) showed potential for future. Even (Australia's) Steven Smith showed he can be a force to reckon with in future."