Over number eleven and Mumbai Indians were reeling at 84 for 3 with the top three back in the hut. The Wankhede Stadium, downed in a sea of blue, was crying for the most explosive hitter in the side Kieron Pollard to walk out and smash a few out of the park. Instead of a burly figure it was a diminutive and spirited Ambati Rayudu who walked out ahead of Pollard. Why no Pollard? Why can’t he bat the next ten overs? - argued a few in the crowd. Frankly it has been a debate that has been doing the rounds for quite some time now. But trust the Mumbai Indians team management to instill faith and responsibility in youngsters to come out emerging successful at the end of it.

Ambati Rayudu is testament to that fact and showed in full flair what he was capable of with the bat in his hand as he answered the crowd’s call for the big hits with élan. Rayudu blasted his way to a 27-ball 53 to take the Mumbai Indians’ total to 187 in twenty overs. Along with Pollard, he put up a 61-run partnership for the fifth wicket, 34 of them were off Rayudu’s bat. Though Rajasthan Royals looked in the game till the fag end, it was the home team that kept its composure to seal the deal and record an eight-run victory. Sanju Samson did play a blinder of an innings but it was Rayudu’s night to shine after a much needed win at the Wankhede stadium.

“It is definitely a great feeling,” Rayudu beamed reflecting on his match-winning knock in a chat with iplt20.com. “I am really happy the way I batted today. I am happy the way things are going. More than the runs, the way I was hitting the ball was more satisfying. I would like to credit it to all the hardwork I have put in the nets.”

Rayudu’s efforts certainly paid off but he wanted to thank someone who has been working with him from close quarters. “Ricky Ponting has been working closely with me and that has helped me with regards to my bat swing.”

Talking about swing, it was something that the right-handed batsman did with utmost ease. But Rayudu mixed caution with aggression. He assessed the conditions, got his eye in and tonked the eighth ball he faced for his first six of the night. “I didn’t really start off attacking. I was just trying to get a feel of things in the first seven to eight balls. I tried to build on it. Today I got ten overs to bat and got an innings going.

Generally it is about facing eight or ten balls and getting the maximum in that duration. But today I am glad I got a lot more time to bat in the middle.”

But have his inconsistencies of late been a cause of concern at all? Rayudu refrained. “I won’t say I had a blip in form. I am happy with the way I was batting even in my previous innings. It was just a matter of time that I got an innings going and I am glad it came tonight.

“The number at which I am batting, you can’t really be very consistent. But as a batsman, with a role being assigned to you, you have to make use of whatever opportunities are there at your disposal on the given day. You have to assess the conditions and the pitch and play accordingly. Batting at 6 or 7 you can’t set yourself a target of the number of runs you are going to get or the pattern of play you are going to follow. It is about making utmost use of the opportunities.”

Rayudu doesn’t have a reputation of being a big hitter like a Pollard or a Rohit Sharma, but it is his skill that has taken him forward in the game till date. He might not be the biggest name in the Mumbai Indians batting lineup, but he is definitely one of the vital cogs in the batting wheel for the blues. Rayudu might not pummel the ball with all his might, but he certainly has an effective way of doing it. Rayudu believes in brain over brawn.

“If you look at my records, there have always been a lot of sixes,” he says. “It doesn’t matter how anybody looks, it is how you time the ball and hit the ball effectively. Sixes are not about power. I think it is a very big misconception that goes around in cricket that you need immense power to hit a ball for six. If you get your shape and swing right, you can hit a six to any part of the ground.”

Rayudu hit three sixes on Friday night, two of them landed into the crowd - one of those two was deposited to the second tier of the Wankhede. That was Rayudu’s answer to the crowd that doubted his big-hitting skills. Those talks could be put to rest for some time now.