Bumrah: Mumbai Indians searching for a complete display

Youngsters new to the team are still understanding their game, says the fast bowler.

Bumrah was happy with his own bowling performance but clarified that his personal evaluation didn’t depend on the end result only.

Mumbai Indians fell to its heaviest defeat this season – in terms of runs – on Monday at the DY Patil Stadium here despite a career-best 5 for 10 from Jasprit Bumrah.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the game, the fast bowler said his team wasn’t quite able to ensure a “complete” performance in part because players were still understanding their own game.

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“We haven’t been able to close out the games. We’ve come close in many games; we crumble in crucial scenarios. We have a new team, and we have a lot of youngsters who are now understanding their game. And they’re improving their game. That’s not an excuse for the defeat but when new youngsters come into the team, they take time to understand their game,” he said

Bumrah was happy with his own bowling performance but clarified that his personal evaluation didn’t depend on the end result only.

“Processes are important because you can’t judge yourself with stats or end result only. You need to go into minute details – the situation you were in, how the wicket was playing, whether the dew was in play, what chances you took in which scenarios, what best options did the wicket offer. To explain these things becomes difficult, because only those who understand the game know. We have people in our setup who know what we were trying to do,” he said.

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Kolkata Knight Riders’ Pat Cummins, who himself bowled a productive spell in the game, was all praise for Bumrah, saying Bumrah’s success had shown what line and length were ideal for the pitch.

“[Bumrah] bowled really well. He showed us that top of the stumps, back of a length, was top on the plans, especially here at DY Patil, it’s quite a big ground. So you can feel confident that to be hit for a six is going to be a pretty good shot. The game plan was really simple for us: try to bowl straight lines, back of a length, and it worked out,” Cummins said.

Explaining how he coped during the phase when he was out of the team, Cummins said, “I’ve played too much to worry about the ups and downs, especially in T20 cricket. In the first four games, to be honest, I didn’t bowl particularly well. In the last few games, it’s been a really good chance to look at our bowlers. Tim Southee’s bowled particularly well in a similar role.”