While working relentlessly on his variations to stay ahead of batsmen, Jasprit Bumrah is ready to sacrifice his ego of a pacer and is willing to explore options such as slower balls to avoid being a "one-trick pony". Burmah claimed five wickets for 21 runs to play a big role in Mumbai Indians' seven-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday, and now occupies joint top spot in bowling chart with Yuzvendra Chahal (10 wickets). He mixed up his fiery yorkers perfectly with sharp bouncers as he got the wickets of star batters Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis among others. (IPL 2024 Points Table)
"You don't always have to bowl a yorker, sometimes you bowl a yorker, sometimes a short ball. There is no ego in this format. You can bowl 145kmph, but sometimes it is important to bowl slower balls," Burmah said after the match on Thursday.
In a contest where his fellow pacers erred consistently, Bumrah's accuracy stood out at the Wankhede Stadium.
"In this format it is very harsh for the bowlers. I try to not be a one-trick pony, I have worked on this early in the career," said the 30-year-old in the post-match presentation.
"People start to line you up. I want to have different skills. Bowling is tough, because you will have to take a beating." He said preparation is important before every match and he did his homework before the match against RCB.
"When things have not worked out for me, the next day, I have seen the videos and analyzed what did not work. Preparation is always the key. Important to keep pushing yourself before a game.
"I am very happy with the outcome. I will never say I wanted to take a five-for. The wicket was sticky and I am very happy with the contribution."
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cricket
Mumbai Indians
IPL 2023
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Jasprit Bumrah