Looks a fairytale but easier said than done, says Bumrah
MUMBAI’S LATE CHARGE India bowler says renewed focus on closing games reason behind their comeback
It has been another season when Mumbai Indians have comeback from the dead. Written off after the first-half of the IPL, MI are now hot favourites to seal the final play-off spot after beating Kings XI Punjab by three runs in the match at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. Although they are likely to be tied at 14 points with some other teams but Mumbai Indians have the best run-rate and so should fancy their chances if they manage to win their final game against Delhi Daredevils.
Talking about Mumbai Indians history of making comebacks after poor starts, Bumrah said: “It (looks like a) fairy tale. It looks very easy, in the last moment we come and do, but it’s not always like that. It is difficult, we were preparing like that since the first game but we were not able to close off games. Now after the halfway stage we were able to close games, so that is the thing we were focusing on. We are not focusing on what is going on, we just wanted to close games so we are focusing on our team what are the things we want to do, so we are still focusing on that and focusing on that win.”
It was one of the fascinating battles in this Indian Premier League when Kings XI Punjab batsman KL Rahul squared up against the Mumbai Indians pacer Bumrah. To the delight of the Mumbai crowd, Bumrah prevailed over Rahul on the day, helping Mumbai Indians to stay alive in the tournament.
While his teammates were getting hammered, Bumrah gave nothing away, refusing to be cowed down by Rahul’s onslaught during his superb knock of 94 (60 balls). The pacer brought the house down on the third ball off the 19th over by claiming the all-important wicket of Rahul while conceding just six runs. He finished with figures of 4-0-15-3.
Talking about his plans for Rahul, Bumrah said it was mainly about being clear in his mind. “We already knew Rahul had been batting well throughout the tournament. In the bowler’s meeting we usually talk about every player so we knew we were bowling second and I had a chat with Shane Bond and Lasith Malinga and that there’d be dew. To have a clear plan is very important whenever you bowl so I was focusing on that today,” said Bumrah.
Talking about the execution in the penultimate over of the innings when he conceded just six runs and took the wicket of Rahul, Bumrah said: “No, it was not that when we got wickets (off the bouncers), we were not looking to take wickets but because I wanted to create pressure so wanted to give as little runs as I could (to defend) to Mitchell (McCleneghan) in the last over so that was the plan.”
“I was not focusing on who was scared and who was not scared (when KL Rahul and Aaron Finch were batting during their 111-run partnership). I was just focusing on what I had to do.”
MUMBAI: It looks very easy but it’s not always like that. It is difficult, we were preparing like that since the first game but we were not able to close off games.