MUMBAI // Sachin Tendulkar called the defeat by Mumbai Indians to Deccan Chargers last night "disheartening" after Kieron Pollard's late onslaught in their IPL game proved in vain at the Wankhede Stadium.
Some late big-hitting by Pollard and Harbhajan Singh took Mumbai to within 10 runs of the Chargers' total but their efforts proved too little too late.
"Yes, this is disheartening," Tendulkar, who made 37 off 42 balls, said.
"I thought we had controlled the game till the 19th over of the Deccan innings [when they scored 23 runs]."
The defeat drops Mumbai down to third place in the standings.
"We were doing well but we've had a couple of difficult games," Tendulkar said. "We need to go through this obstacle and stay tighter. It's good to have a bad game now than in the knockout phase."
Kumar Sangakkara, the Deccan captain, felt the four successive boundaries Amit Mishra struck off Munaf Patel in the final over of their innings turned the game in his side's favour.
"It was a 150 wicket and except for Mishy in the last over, getting into Munaf's skin a bit, that was the turning point," Sangakkara said. "Today, we played with a lot of character and passion, defending a small total."
Mishra, the tail-ender, was delighted with his contribution of 18 from six balls.
"I'm trying to work a lot on my batting," the spin bowler said before being asked about a heated exchange with Munaf in the final over of the Deccan innings. "It happens in the heat of the moment, but that exchange with Munaf charged me up.
"I felt if we try to bowl well in the first six overs we could win this. I didn't really expect the track to turn much, but [Pragyan] Ojha bowled well as well. I'm working a lot on my fitness as well."
Despite reducing Mumbai to 83 for six, Deccan were looking nervous when Pollard and Harbhajan smashed 40 in a seventh-wicket stand.
But when Pollard fell to a Michael Lumb catch off the bowling of Anand Rajan, having made 24 off 13 deliveries, there were only two balls remaining.
Harbhajan was joined by Lasith Malinga but when he was run out off the last ball Mumbai had fallen 11 short of their target. Harbhajan was left not out on 17 off 12 balls, but the Indians' total of 125 for eight fell short of Deccan's 135 for six.
Rajan proved the most prolific of the Deccan bowlers with three wickets for 27 runs from his three overs.
* Compiled by The National staff with agency