Arjun did all that was asked of him against Gujarat: Shane Bond

Mumbai Indians succumbed to their fourth loss in seven games after going down by 55 runs in Match 35 of the Indian Premier League against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, April 25. 

After opting to field first, the five-time champions conceded 94 runs in the last six overs that powered the defending champions to 207 for six in the first innings. 

In the post-match press conference, Shane Bond rued lack of discipline showcased by the bowlers in the pressure situation as the reason for their downfall in this high-voltage clash. 

"It was like a repeat from the last game, and it is a combination of things. We're not executing what we need to, and we have got pretty simple plans. Watch how we bowled in an area. We got hit and immediately resorted to some changes. It's disappointing when we can't distinguish plans when we are on the back foot," he said.

"Like in the last game, I think it was 100/4, and then we just dished up freebies. We gave Miller and Manohar free hits, and once you give good players a chance to get runs, they take the game away."

"And that's the disappointing thing from our point of view because we talk a lot about making it hard for the batters for their runs. So we just have to be better in our decision-making and execution," he further added. 

Despite a dismal performance with the ball, the bowling coach of the side was pleased with the comeback by Arjun Tendulkar after conceding 31 runs in one over against Punjab Kings in the last encounter. 

"He (Arjun) did well today, obviously after what happened in the last game. It's never easy to step out onto the ground that is a colosseum with a big crowd. We will work on increasing his pace, but he did all that was asked of him today."

"It's never easy on the back of a bad day. A few of our bowlers had bad days over the last few games. And that's the thing with T20 cricket, where you got to have thick skin and a short memory and must come out. We must execute all our plans to find ourselves in the playoffs at the back end of the tournament. We just have to be better at what we do." he said. 

While the batting unit failed to put an inspired performance in the run chase, Bond stated that chasing over 200 was always going to be a tough ask for the batting unit, especially with the ball moving around in the powerplay. 

"When you chase 208, the only plan is to keep going. We tried to ride the storm as the ball was swinging and moving around a bit. Look at the way Hardik and Mohammed Shami bowled, not giving us free balls to hit."

"We had to try to manufacture something. Thus, the score at the end of the powerplay reflected how they bowled on a wicket, which they did the same to RR."

"The first six overs were tough for both teams, as it would get difficult for the bowling team because of the dew factor. We were trying to stop the damage to our run rate, which has taken another big hit tonight, which does not help us," he concluded. 

Mumbai Indians are currently placed seventh in the points table and will face Rajasthan Royals in an evening encounter on Sunday, April 30, at the Wankhede Stadium.