Usually employed first-change, Jasprit Bumrah was given the new ball versus Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in order to settle a score with one of their best batters, Ambati Rayudu, and continue the momentum fellow quick Trent Boult had given the innings with a scalp in the first over, said Mumbai Indians' stand-in skipper Kieron Pollard.
In the previous encounter with CSK, Bumrah had gone for plenty, with Rayudu especially taking the attack to one of the game's finest towards his team's win. But on Friday (October 23) in Sharjah, Bumrah (2/25) got the better of Rayudu (2) cheaply and alongside Boult (4/18), ran through the rest of the CSK batting line-up in his team's ten-wicket victory.
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"It was good to see bowlers went and executed. We wanted to set the tone really really early as a bowling unit and we did that. Opening with our two main bowlers, obviously we weren't thinking of Jasprit with the new ball but after that over from Trent Boult and getting that early wicket, Rayudu too has batted well against us in the past, just decided to go for him (Bumrah) and it worked," said Pollard at the post-match press conference, as quoted by ANI.
"We were thinking Trent opening the bowling and then go Nathan (Coulter-Nile) or a spinner but with a couple of balls swinging, getting an early wicket and Rayudu coming in, we had to go to our most experienced bowler," he added.
MI openers Quinton de Kock (46*) and Ishan Kishan (68*) then batted exceedingly well in the second half to take their team towards the modest target inside 13 overs.
While chasing was always their prefered option after winning the toss, Pollard said the fact that CSK struggled batting first in their previous outing only helped the decision.
"We batted first the first time we played it was day game but scores have been a bit lower. I am a big believer that you are always in the game when you batting second. And I rather prefer to chase 160 then to defend 160. CSK didn't bat in their last game too so putting them under pressure and then early wickets actually worked for us," said Pollard.
Their seventh win in ten matches took MI to the top of the standings, with the playoff berth nearly secured. Pollard, however, urged his team to keep their focus and intensity high.
"Our focus areas will be always be improving as a team, thinking about what we need to do as a team. So as a team we try to take one step at a time. No thought as of now to try the bench strength," he signed off.
MI next lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (October 25).
