Romario rampage 'shepherds' MI's IPL 2024 crusade

"He is doing what a Pollard did for many many years for the Mumbai Indians (MI)," said Ravi Shastri on air as Romario Shepherd launched a slower delivery from Anrich Nortje into the stands over the covers. It was just a snippet of Shepherd's scathing attack that made many go 'Where was this guy hidden?'

As skipper Hardik Pandya walked off the field after a scratchy 39(33), he seemed to carry a look of 'We may not have enough on the board'. However, thanks to Romario, in a few minutes, the same Hardik had a pleasantly shocked look in the dressing room, doing high-fives with Suryakumar Yadav. He greeted the all-rounder back with a 'What have you just done!' expression and many MI fans will vouch to have felt the same.

Even the great Sachin Tendulkar had a look of admiration at Romario's exploits. It probably reminded him of a similar evening in Mumbai 12 years ago, when a certain Dwayne Smith, another all-rounder from the Caribbean, had hit lusty blows to send the Wankhede into delirium.

In that over, Romario Shepherd seemed to give MI their identity back of being an intimidating and ruthless force, leaving the opponents scratching their heads for a solution.

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A clear mindset was Romario's mantra

MI had an incredible power play where they scored 75 runs without the loss of any wickets. However, in overs 7-15, they could only amass 63 runs for four wickets. While the intent of some of the batters can be up for debate, the use of change of pace seemed to work well for the Delhi Capitals (DC).

In the partnership between Hardik Pandya and Tim David, there were many moments where the duo just had to maneuver the ball around whenever the pace was taken off. So how was it all so easy for Romario Shepherd?

"I went to the last over with a clear mindset of trying to hit every ball," said Romario in a conversation with Tim David in a video on IPL's website.

The clarity and the intention of going hard no matter where the ball was pitched is what helped Shepherd pick the bones out of whatever Nortje threw at him. The same slower balls that were previously proving to be effective were getting deposited into the stands, thanks to the West Indian's brute force.

When plan A didn't work, Nortje tried to go back to the yorker length with pace on and it ended up being a slot ball that Shepherd just flicked over square leg for a monstrous six. That is exactly what happens when the bowlers are left searching for options and full credit goes to the clarity with which Shepherd approached his knock.

Romario's batting has also been on an upward curve, having an astonishing strike rate of 165.20 in 38 T20 innings ever since 2023. He has hit more sixes (42) than fours (32) in that span and the thunderous cameo on Sunday makes it an unsurprising stat.

The West Indies all-rounder was on MI's radar earlier as well as they tried to sign him during the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. While they couldn't get him back then, another sensational piece of trade business ahead of IPL 2024 helped them snap up his services.

There's a lot of talk about how good Mumbai's scouting has been over the years. Shepherd is another addition to some of the best trades MI have ever made, alongside the likes of Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult.

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The road ahead for MI with Romario

Romario Shepherd's outstanding cameo has all but ensured that he will be a mainstay in MI's playing XI for most of the tournament. However, despite the win, Mumbai still have areas of improvement in the bowling department.

Shepherd isn't ideally a death bowling specialist and the same was seen on Sunday as he conceded 54 runs in his four overs. Mohammad Nabi also bowled just a couple of overs and understandably so as Wankhede's dimensions doesn't give great hope to off-spinners unless there's a lot of help in the pitch.

In such a scenario, Mumbai have three finishers in Tim David, Nabi and Romario with neither giving the confidence to bowl four overs consistently. On top of that, Hardik Pandya not bowling and Piyush Chawla's poor form in the past two games don't paint a great picture for the five-time IPL champions.

Jasprit Bumrah's figures of 2/22 in a game where almost 450 runs were scored is a testament to his greatness. While Gerald Coetzee picked up four wickets, he has been guilty of being expensive at times. With the likes of Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madushanka ruled out and Kwena Maphaka injured, MI could look at bringing in Sri Lankan slinger Nuwan Thushara.

Thushara's presence would certainly help Hardik use an extra over from his main man Bumrah in the powerplay on days where he desperately needs a wicket. Hyderabad, remember? The Sri Lankan also can swing the new ball and is someone Mumbai should bring into the fray as soon as they can.

While Hardik claimed in the post-match presentation that the 12 players involved in the game against Delhi would be the ones they stick to, he did mention tactical changes as a factor. There will be times when Bumrah will have an off day and that's when someone like Thushara could be vital. The margin of victory was just 29 runs, let's not forget that.

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While Mumbai Indians have some time to reflect on their bowling options, it shouldn't take the limelight away from what Romario Shepherd achieved on Sunday. The ESA game has always been a special game for the franchise and the special effort from Shepherd proved to be the difference between the two teams in the end.

The impact Romario's cameo will have psychologically on MI's season is potentially massive. It may just be the CPR their campaign needed to get off the ventilator of uncertainty and breathe freely again. It may just be the start of a turnaround that Mumbai Indians know a thing or two about.