In the post-match presentation, Rajasthan Royals’ pacer Sandeep Sharma emphasized the importance of maintaining composure and executing plans while bowling at the death. In the match between RR and Mumbai Indians, Sandeep registered a fifer by conceding just 18 runs.
“In this year’s IPL, batters are going big and with the impact player rule, there is an extra batter so the games are high-scoring. You have to have a big heart while bowling at the death and try to execute your plans and bowl good balls,” he said after RR’s nine-wicket win over MI.
Sandeep, who started his IPL career as the new ball bowler, has now been taken to bowl at the death by RR in the three matches of the IPL 2024. “Even today you ask me where I feel comfortable, I’ll say it’s with the new ball. With the old ball, you have to adapt and evolve as a bowler,” he said.
Sharma returned to the RR playing XI after recuperating from a side strain that kept him out for close to a month. “I was working hard towards my fitness for the last three weeks. I had two practice sessions before the game, my main focus was to execute the variations that I did tonight.”
In the IPL 2024 match, Sandeep’s fifer included the wickets of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Ishan Kishan, and Gerald Coetzee. He took three wickets in the final over, restricting MI to 179 despite a 99-run stand between Varma and Nehal Wadhera.
“If you’re bowling at the death, it can go both ways. Sometimes, you go for runs, and when you’re lucky enough you end up getting a wicket. When we started, the wicket was low and slow. My plan was to keep bowling those cutters and it came off nicely tonight.” he said.
Mumbai Indians, led by Rohit Sharma, faced their fifth defeat in the IPL 2024. Despite the disappointing result, batsman Nehal Wadhera remains positive about the team’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
“MI need to win all their games from here and we need to tighten our socks. We need to raise our game and figure out where we have been going wrong or where we have been going right so that we can rectify our mistakes whenever we return,” Wadhera said after the match.
The 23-year-old, who smashed a splendid 24-ball 49, pointed out that MI isn’t new to being involved in a mid-table muddle, having risen from the proverbial ashes time and again.
“We have been in such a situation in earlier seasons as well, and we have, you know, upped our game from there and qualified.
“So, we are optimistic even right now. We will continue the process we are following and win the games for the team. We win as a team, and we lose as a team,” Wadhera added.
