Parthiv lauds partnership with Rayudu in Mumbai Indians' win

Mumbai Indians opener Parthiv Patel has heaped praise on Ambati Rayudu, saying that a solid partnership with his teammate made his job easier in his side's 25-run win over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League clash in Chandigarh.

Parthiv (81) struck a scintillating 137-run stand with Rayudu (65) for the second wicket as Mumbai made 189 for six in their stipulated 20 overs. In reply, Punjab could only make 164 for the loss of seven wickets.

"In last few games, we have lost too many wickets early on, so we had to make sure we didn't repeat the mistake. We knew that if we have wickets in hand we can score a lot of runs. Having an in-form batsman with you makes your job easier. Rayudu took a bit of pressure off me. We were talking about getting to 180 because we felt the wicket was on a drier side," said Parthiv in a post-match press conference.

Relishing his on-field clash with Mitchell Johnson, the left-handed batsman admitted that he enjoys playing against the former Australia pace spearhead.

"I like to have pace on the ball. He bowls quickly so it is easier to use his pace. Even last year, I had smashed Johnson for 28 runs in one over. When you are fast and not accurate you can go for runs," added Parthiv, who smacked Johnson for back-to-back fours after he was caught off a no-ball in the sixth over.

This was Mumbai's third win in seven matches. They have also moved to fifth in the points table with six points.