Former Indian batter Mohammad Kaif has backed Jasprit Bumrah to lead Mumbai Indians in the next season of the IPL. Bumrah led MI against PBKS in the absence of Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, and the franchise registered a six-wicket win at Dharamshala on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya hasn’t been able to lead from the front with both bat and ball. Pandya has scalped four wickets in eight matches whereas he has scored 146 runs in as many games. The MI skipper hasn’t played in the last three matches due to an injury.
Furthermore, Bumrah too hasn’t been at his absolute best with the ball, taking three wickets in 12 matches of the ongoing season.
MI was knocked out of the tournament after they suffered a two-wicket loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Kaif said on his YouTube Channel, “Mumbai Indians have a lot of options, that’s why Bumrah had to wait for so long. If he gets a chance to lead next year, he’ll do a great job.”
On the other hand, the former UP batter praised Tilak Varma for scoring a majestic knock of 75 runs off just 33 balls against PBKS. The southpaw smashed six fours and as many sixes to take his team over the line in the run chase of 201.
“Tilak Varma has been hot and cold, but I praise him because he was batting on 22 runs off 19 balls when he scored 100 against GT. When he changes gears in the last five overs, he looks like the top three batters. I laud him for his adaptability. He’s available for any role. It was almost a game to be lost; they needed 50-odd in the last three overs.
“When he wants to hit sixes, he can hit any balls. Very few players have the talent to change gears and score 40-50 runs in 10 balls. He keeps himself calm in difficult situations. You don’t find players with such skills who can be both an opener (top order batter) and a finisher. Good game reading capability. It was a controlled chase, but it was difficult. At 24-25, showing such maturity shows the future is bright.”
Mumbai Indians will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Wednesday.
