Mumbai, April 8: India batting legend Sunil Gavaskar shared his thoughts on Mumbai Indians’ star pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s return to action in the IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday. Gavaskar noted that while the speedster bowled at his usual pace of over 140 kmph, his confidence would build with a few more games and he could soon hit the 150 kmph mark.
Bumrah, who has undergone treatment and rehabilitation since pulling up short with a lower back injury during the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Sydney this January, recorded the figures of 0-29 in his four overs against RCB.
Speaking on Bumrah’s performance on JioHotstar, Gavaskar said, “The first and foremost thing was seeing him come in steaming and bowling at his usual pace – over 140 kmph. I believe that with a few more games under his belt, he’ll likely hit 150 kmph as he gains more confidence in his back and feels secure enough to bowl at full tilt.”
“In T20s, where you’re not bowling long spells, it’s a lot easier for bowlers to stay sharp and bowl at full speed. That’s exactly what we saw with Bumrah. The way he bowled – if not for him – RCB might have scored 240–250,” he added.
Gavaskar further spoke on ex-skipper Rohit Sharma, who also returned for the RCB clash after missing MI’s last match against Lucknow Super Giants due to a knee injury and opined that scoring a steady 30–40 will help him build confidence.
Rohit has slumped to his worst IPL start since 2020 as he was dismissed for a duck in the campaign opener against Chennai Super Kings, followed by 8, 13 and 17 in the four matches he has played so far in the season.
Gavaskar feels that when the opener gets out in the powerplay, it hurts whether it’s for Mumbai Indians or India.
“Over the next couple of games, they’ll be hoping for a solid knock. Even if he doesn’t get a big score immediately, if he can bat through the power-play into the 8th or 9th over and score a steady 30–40, that will help build confidence. But when he gets out in the powerplay, it hurts – whether it’s for Mumbai Indians, India, or any team he’s playing for.
“He has so much to contribute. I believe his shot selection needs a bit of tempering. You have to be aggressive and score as much as possible in the first six overs, but choosing the right risks is key. If he finds that balance, he’ll be back to scoring big runs again,” he said.
MI suffered their fourth defeat of the season after a 12-run loss against RCB in a high-scoring thriller at the Wankhede Stadium.
Former MI coach Mark Boucher assessed MI form saying, “They got off to a bit of a sluggish start. It was amazing to see Suryakumar batting with that kind of strike rate, trying to get it up. But then Tilak and Hardik got together, and Hardik had to go from ball one. Tilak Verma supported him really well, especially after what happened in the previous game.”
“It was a fantastic partnership that brought MI back into the match. At that point, Josh Hazlewood had bowled two great overs. For Hardik to come in and smash him all over the park was a brilliant effort. Hardik hadn’t faced a ball until then, so he came in completely fresh when the game was on the line. The shots he produced in that over were exceptional and helped MI claw back with Tilak’s help,” he concluded.
–IANS
