Express News Service
CHENNAI: Rohit Sharma’s most common expression while on the field in the first innings was to furrow his brows. A bowler bowls a wide? An annoyed expression. A bowler not bowling to his field. A frowning forehead. An overpitched ‘hit me’ half-tracker? A grimace. As Punjab Kings, who threatened to score more than the 198 they ended up with after being inserted in, continued with their hedonism, one bowler acted as the speed breaker: Jasprit Bumrah.
His excellence hasn’t been a secret but it’s what makes his appointment viewing in the first place. Especially in 2022, because he’s now firefighting for the franchise, waging a lone battle in a team that has lost its two other principal pacers over the years (Lasith Malinga and Trent Boult).
After making his breakthrough with Malinga at the other end and polishing his skills when Trent Boult routinely picked up new-ball wickets, the franchise has opted for a bit of a gap year in this regard before Jofra Archer joins in 2023. Ergo, more pressure on Bumrah to be a better version of himself.
Even as Mumbai have made one of their worst starts to the season, he has ably shouldered the responsibility without any teething troubles. Put it this way. If Mumbai was an IPL stock, it would be trading at its lowest-ever price but investors would still look to buy Bumrah. Under the lights at the MCA Stadium against the intent machine aka Punjab, he composed poetry even as the other bowlers went for plenty.
In the other 16 overs, Mayank Agarwal & Co. scored at 10.62 runs per over. Bumrah’s four went for seven RPO. There’s a similar disparity when you compare the same numbers over the five matches Mumbai has played so far this season. All the other bowlers have given 9.63 RPO, while Bumrah has conceded less than eight (7.96 to be exact).
While that is higher than his career economy (7.02) in the format, context is everything. Teams have cottoned to the fact that Mumbai’s bowlers in the current edition don’t possess the same variety or skill set. Shikhar Dhawan, who top-scored for the Kings with 70, epitomised this new approach that teams may embrace even against Bumrah. He walked down the wicket in his first over to try and upset his rhythm. Off the next ball, Mayank Agarwal, who made a fine half-century, drove him on the up over point for a boundary. Usually, Bumrah’s first overs are watchful affairs. Not on Wednesday night.
On a belter of a surface, Mumbai needed Bumrah’s nous if they had any chance of breaking their four-match duck. Thankfully for them, he found his mojo. Off his next 18 balls, there was one boundary, one wicket, multiple yorkers and 11 singles.
Even if he hasn’t been amongst the wickets this year, he removed the dangerous Liam Livingstone to put the skids on the scoring rate. He also produced a near-perfect 19th over — four yorkers and one low full-toss — to lighten Sharma’s mood a touch.
However, one can safely assume his default expression — the furrowed brow — was etched on his face by the time Mumbai lost the match by 12 runs. Brief scores: PBKS 198/5 in 20 ovs (Dhawan 70, Agarwal 52; Bumrah 1/28) vs MI 186/9 in 20 ovs (Brevis 49, Smith 4/30).
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