Anderson comes good for Mumbai Indians, at last

MUMBAI: Till Sunday night, Corey Anderson must've wished he was anywhere but on a cricket ground. Bought for an astronomical sum of Rs 4.5 crore in the auction in February auction by the Mumbai Indians, the Kiwi had become a symbol of all that was wrong with the defending champs in the initial stages of IPL 7.
Struggling to put bat to ball, especially against the spinners, Anderson had managed 150 runs 10 games, and was eventually dropped from the team.His failure was highlighted majorly in MI's five-game losing streak in the first leg of the tournament in UAE.
Former New Zealand seamer & commentator Simon Doull felt that the pressure of his high pay packet was beginning to get to the 23-year-old.
His record 36-ball ton against the Windies and exploits against India at home were beginning to look like flashes in the pan, and it seemed his franchise had erred in going that extra mile to buy him, rather than retain the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Dwayne Smith, who kept firing consistently for their new teams.
Deep inside, though, Anderson, was waiting for that once chance to show everyone what he was all about. Luckily for him, on Sunday night, MI decided to give him that one more chance to prove himself. In a must-win big game, the hosts needed an extra batsman, and the youngster regained his spot.
It was perhaps the most important call MI have taken in this event. In an absolute thriller, Anderson blasted an unbeaten 95 off 44 balls against the Rajasthan Royals to help his team get past 190 in 14.4 overs-just in time.
"We showed today that nothing is impossible. A performance like this doesn't come every day. This is for the people of Mumbai and our supporters. Anderson was just unbelievable. The kind of shots he played was amazing," gushed MI skipper Rohit Sharma after the magnificent win.
Rohit said that despite his failures till Sunday, the team never lost faith in Anderson coming good. "We all knew what he could do. There was no pressure on him. He was just enjoying himself at MI," Rohit revealed.
Anderson revealed how the deliriously cheering Wankhede crowd helped the team to cross the line with an outstanding flourish. Mumbai, it seems, is his home away from home now "Some of them started realising we've got a chance here.
I think it gave hope to us in the middle and to the boys in the change room as well. It was just nice to be out there when it all finished as well. I'm glad I could do something to bring the Mumbai fans to their feet. It's a pretty special feeling to do it in front of the home crowd," he said.
Facing a daunting task and under massive pressure, Anderson chose to trust his instincts, and play his natural strokes rather than look to improvise. The approach paid off. "It was just about staying still and backing yourself," he said.
Clearly, in him, the Kiwis have a 'lethal weapon' which could explode big time in the World Cup in Australia-New Zealand in Feb-march next year.
While doing well in that event will surely be in his mind, for now, Anderson, having finally found his groove, would look to keep repeating his heroics to help MI defend their title. The 'Corey show' began late, but it looks worth the wait.