Jasprit Bumrah attended the pre-match press conference ahead of MI vs PBKS and answered questions on a range of topics like how to bowl in Pune, our new middle-order and going through a transitional phase.

After playing two games at the MCA Stadium in Pune, Boom felt that getting some early swing will be helpful.

“If it was up to me, I’ll say win the toss because that really helps!” quipped Bumrah.

“There is a little bit of help with the new ball so maintaining a good line and trying to swing the ball upfront will help. And in the later stages, the wicket settles down in both innings so we have to start with our death bowling early,” he noted.

Boom also talked about how he or other bowlers adapted to bowl on batting-friendly conditions or adverse conditions like the onset of dew, which makes gripping the ball difficult.

“You don’t need to reinvent the wheel right, so you don’t need new inspiration, we all love the game that’s why we play. You always want to challenge yourself and with the wickets helping batters this year, we have to find new ways to deal with it. There have been discussions about it and are focused on our plans,” he stated.

We have made changes to our playing XI in three of the four games but Boom felt that was done to finding the best-possible combination for a particular game.

“I don’t think we are struggling to find the right playing XI but you have to understand that in T20s, the matchups change according to the scenarios and the wickets. We are trying to do that and once we have some success, we will have more clarity,” said Boom.

And does having a new squad affect the team during crucial moments in a match?

“Every team goes through a transitional phase, we just had a big auction and there are two new teams. The new guys are understanding the team and how the scenarios work. We enjoy that and once the transition is done, the quality will be back,” felt Boom.

He also hailed MI’s new young talent like Tilak Varma and Dewald Brevis who have shone at different points in the middle overs.

“There are some new faces who are learning about the game and will only get better with time. I don’t think we need to panic and change our approach in the middle overs, we just need to back their talent, give them enough games and hopefully, everything turns out alright,” he said.

We have lost our first four games in Tata IPL 2022, facing a similar situation to both 2014 and 2015. We went on to make the playoffs in 2014 while we lifted the trophy in 2015, so does a slow start suit us?

“This is not what we have planned but what has happened in the past is history, it does not matter anymore. That was a different time and team. Things may not have gone to plan so far but we keep on fighting and finding a way. We are trying to find solutions to the challenge and are focusing on the next game,” concluded Boom.

That was an exciting Q&A session with Boom, replete with some quips and serious answers and it will be interesting to see the team’s approach on the field against PBKS.