Mumbai: Having a clear plan for in-form batsmen like KL Rahul and just focusing on executing it did the trick for Mumbai Indians (MI) seamer Jasprit Bumrah after he helped his side beat Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in an IPL-XI encounter here, Wednesday.
Bumrah (3/15) snapped up three crucial wickets as defending champions MI kept their play-off hopes alive by notching up a thrilling three-run win.
“To have a clear plan is very important whenever you bowl. I plan and I back myself in whichever situation I’m bowling. I was just focusing on that and it was a good day, so it went well,” Bumrah said after the match.
“We already knew he (Rahul) had been batting well throughout the tournament. In the bowlers’ meeting we usually talk about every player. We were bowling second and I had a chat with (bowling coach) Shane Bond and (mentor Lasith) Malinga that there would be dew.”
The turning point of the match came in the penultimate over of the match when Rahul was caught off Bumrah at long off with KXIP still needing 20 runs for victory.
“I was not focusing on who was scared and who was not scared. I was just focusing on what I had to do. On a good day, when you have a clear plan, you are able to execute whatever you wanted. So it worked for me. On some days, it doesn’t work,” he added.
However, on MI’s spectacular comeback after a poor start in the tournament, Bumrah said they were closing out games which they had failed to do earlier in the season.
“It looks a fairy tale. It looks easy, in the last moment we come and do (the job), but is not always like that. It is difficult. We were not able to close off games. Now after the halfway stage we were able to close games,” said the death-over specialist.
