"Becomes Easy For Me To…": Mumbai Indians Star On Bowling With Jasprit Bumrah-Trent Boult Pace Duo

Following his side’s win over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Jaipur, Mumbai Indians (MI) pacer Deepak Chahar expressed happiness at the team’s collective performance and how easy bowling becomes alongside experienced stars like Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah. MI continued their red-hot streak, storming to the top of the table after their 100-run win over RR at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, which happened to be their sixth successive in the competition. Speaking after the match in the post-match presser, Chahar spoke on what it is like to bowl alongside Bumrah and Boult, a trio which has been wreaking havoc in the powerplay as of late.

“When you are bowling with world-class partners, it becomes easy for you, because if you have a bad over, they are there to back you up by chipping in with breakthroughs. It then becomes easy for me to come and bowl to the new batter,” he said as quoted by MI’s official website.

“These guys have done well in international cricket and that experience is helping me. When you bowl as a group, it becomes difficult for the opposition,” Chahar added.

Chahar also expressed happiness with how both batters and bowlers have chipped in equally in the last eight to nine matches.

“When you are performing as a team and you have confidence, then you can take some extra time to settle in. So, I think it is the collective teamwork that was on display,” he added.

On his team reaching the top of the table, he said, “I think it is good to be on top. When you finish in the top two, you get an extra chance. Also, the momentum is with us. As a player and as a team, you try to focus on one game at a time without thinking about the result,” he said.

Chahar concluded by saying that the team is taking each match on its merit, and their focus is already on the match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Wankhede on May 6.

Coming to the match, MI was put to bowl first by RR, who chose to field first. The Men in Pink were soon made to regret their decision, as openers Ryan Rickelton (61 in 38 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (53 in 36 balls, with nine fours) launched an assault that lasted 116 runs. After both openers were dismissed, Suryakumar Yadav (48* in 23 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and skipper Hardik Pandya (48* in 23 balls, with six fours and a six) stitched a 94-run stand, taking MI to 217/2 in 20 overs. Maheesh Theekshana and skipper Riyan got a wicket each.

During the run-chase, RR looked helpless against a top-class MI attack right from the powerplay, sinking to 47/5. It was Jofra Archer (30 in 27 balls, with two fours and two sixes) who top-scored as RR were bundled out for 117 in 16.1 overs, losing by 100 runs.

Karn Sharma (3/23) and Boult (3/28) were the pick of the bowlers for MI, with Jasprit Bumrah also delivering a pressurising four-over spell of 2/15. Skipper Hardik also got a wicket.

Rickelton was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

MI is at the top of the table with seven wins and four losses, giving them 14 points. RR is out of the playoff race, at eighth with three wins and eight losses, giving them six points.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)