Kolkata brace for Boult from the blue
Mumbai Indians pace ace non-committal about Rohit, Hardik playing today
rent Boult, the attacking lynchpin of Mumbai Indians, sees a special context for the second phase of IPL in the UAE at a personal level. He, along with the other members of the golden generation of Black Caps will want to do one better in the T20 World Cup after their heartbreak in the 2019 final — and sees the IPL as an excellent preparation for the upcoming showpiece.
“It will be definitely a good preparation for the World T20 which follows immediately. I have got some experience of playing in the UAE and know that conditions can change quickly here,” said Boult.
The senior paceman, who found the conditions to his liking in Abu Dhabi in the IPL last year, started the second phase of the campaign with figures of 2/35 during their loss against Chennai on Sunday. They need to regroup fast against an upbeat Kolkata Knight Riders in a match between Abu Dhabibased sides today and Boult feels that a favourable headto-head record of 22-6 actually counts for nothing.
“I think we need to start afresh — every game is such a big game in IPL. History is history, they (KKR) are a quality side and had a great game the other night,” said Boult, referring to the Knights’ comprehensive win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The absence of skipper Rohit Sharma and allrounder Hardik Pandya in their first game — apparently more as a precautionary measure — had surely made a difference in their performance in the first match. Asked if both would be available against the Knights, Boult said: “I mm not sure — the team acted with bit of a caution on the other night...keeping my fingers crossed if they will be seen in action on Thursday,” he said.
“Rohit was sorely missed, it was a big hole but he needed to be 100 per cent fit,” Boult said, adding that Pandya also makes a big difference to the squad. “He is a big player and we are desperate to have him back.”