Ritik Joshi's 65 off 35 balls looked match-winning. He planted India Captains' flag at 167/9, carving boundaries through extra cover and pulling short stuff with brutal intent. Tigers needed 168 in 20 overs. On paper, gettable. On grass, dangerous.
The turning point arrived in the powerplay. Kuldeep Hooda, batting at number three, took 20 runs off Shadab Jakati's second over—four boundaries that erased the psychological weight of chasing. When a chase gets ahead of the asking rate early, bowlers panic. Captains' death-over execution crumbled. Tigers reached 100 by the 12th over with wickets in hand. That's the match, right there.
Jeevan Mendis sealed it. The allrounder's 42 off 30 provided ballast when Tigers needed composure more than chaos. Mendis batted through pressure phases, refusing to chase width outside off stump. He rotated strike, found the occasional boundary, and dragged Tigers within touching distance. Aniruddha Joshi's 2/43 came too late. By then, Tigers' top order had already dictated terms.
Captains lost this chase before the last ball flew. Joshi's explosion promised 180-plus, but they managed 167. Tigers' powerplay assault—underpinned by Hooda's aggression—flipped the script. One good over changes everything in T20. This match had two.