Fresh from his whirlwind knock that sealed Mumbai Indians’ improbable entry into the playoffs of IPL-7, Corey Anderson is hungry for more and hopes that “bigger and better things” await the defending champions in the knockout stage.
The New Zealander smashed 95 off 44 balls to guide MI into the playoffs. Needing 190 to win against Rajasthan Royals, MI chased down the target in just 14.4 overs, enough to earn qualification after a wretched start that saw them lose their first five games.
“It looks that way as of now and hopefully it stays like that. I haven’t fully fulfilled what I probably should have done all this while and I only hope it is a start for bigger and better things to come,” Anderson said.
“It is an amazing feeling to see the crowd come and support us even when we were a bit down in the tournament. Hopefully, we will give them a lot more to cheer,” he added.
The win has set up Mumbai’s clash with two-time winners Chennai Super Kings in the eliminator, scheduled to be held on Wednesday.
“It is perfectly set for us. We play in front of our home crowd next, and if we take this winning momentum to the next few games, we have a good chance of winning the tournament,” Anderson was quoted as saying by IPL’s official website.
Despite facing a stiff chase, the 23-year old said the feeling in the dressing room was that of optimism.
“It was a massive total to chase and the feeling in the change room was optimistic. We knew it would be tough, but we also knew that if we backed ourselves and gave our 100 percent, we would come out on top. Personally, you always want to capitalise on making a big score. Some days it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t.”
“But it was one of those days when I could go ahead and get a big one for the team. There were times I could not hit the middle of the bat, but managed to find the gaps. It makes the innings a lot more special when your team wins at the end of it.”