Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has backed Jasprit Bumrah to come back strongly against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Tuesday. Bumrah has been in sensational form in the ongoing IPL 2024, picking a total of 14 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 6.65.
The MI gun fast bowler is the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Mustafizur Rahman and Harshal Patel. However, he has picked up a solitary wicket in the last two matches and he has conceded a total of 72 runs in the eight overs he has bowled.
“Without a shadow of doubt, it’s Boom Boom Bumrah. The side boundaries are big and Bumrah has given slightly lackluster performances in the last two matches. It cannot happen that he gives lackluster performances in three consecutive matches. So I am going towards Jasprit Bumrah that he will come and do something spectacular,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
The renowned commentator picked Suryakumar Yadav as the second MI player to watch out for against LSG.
“I am going to go with Suryakumar Yadav because if he had played decently in the last match against Delhi, they (MI) would have won the match. The powerplay actually killed them completely against Delhi. Two got out and then Surya also got out soon,” Chopra said.
MI lost the previous match against DC by 10 runs while chasing 258 and Chopra noted that the team is coming up with a collective batting show.
“If you lost by only 10 runs from there, it means the batting is strong. Tilak Varma is scoring runs for you every day. Even Hardik’s (Pandya) bat was striking the ball well. (Mohammad) Nabi also comes and hits sixes, and Tim David is there. In such a scenario you feel that if Suryakumar Yadav fires, their wagon will start moving,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma has been in fine form, scoring two fifties in the last two games. Chopra picked the southpaw as the third player to watch out for.
“Tilak Varma this time because he has been playing well. He is coming after scoring two half-centuries in two games. The expectation was that Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma would both do well but they have gone off the boil in the last two games. They were giving good starts before that,” he explained.
“The last two matches have been 50-50. The Ekana ground, big side boundaries, the new ball moves a little – Matt Henry and Mohsin Khan, I am going with Tilak Varma. Varma Ji’s son should do a good job once again, score runs and another half-century should get loaded from his bat,” the former KKR player added.
MI will take on LSG in Lucknow on Tuesday.
