Former India cricketer W.V Raman believes five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians can fire themselves up to do well against Royal Challengers Bangalore after a slow start to their IPL 2022 season. The Rohit Sharma-led side has lost its first three matches of the current season and now seeks to bring the campaign on track when it faces Bangalore at MCA Stadium later on Saturday.
“They have as many times for the simple reason that they know how to manage a season. They are aware of the fact that in an IPL season there are a lot of highs and lows so you got to try and keep at it. That’s where MI have an edge over others because they have managed everything in all these years and been successful too. So, this is how they are going to keep themselves motivated. The fact that they’ve not done as well as they can really spur them up and kindle the fire in their bellies,” Raman was quoted as saying by cricket.com
In all three matches, Mumbai’s bowling attack hasn’t clicked in unison, going for plenty of runs at various junctures. Raman has suggested Mumbai can look at bringing left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat and leg-spinner Mayank Markande into the playing eleven for the crucial match against Bangalore.
“They will probably bring in (Jaydev) Unadkat for (Tymal) Mills. Unadkat can bring in a lot of variations, which is very important when you are up against any good side, especially a side that boasts of big hitters like Dinesh Karthik, Maxwell, Virat Kohli. The RCB batting line-up is really formidable.”
“So, you need somebody who can really mix it up a lot. They have favored having a left-arm seamer which is an apple for apple change. Unadkat is also one who is good when it comes to putting the skates on the batters. He has developed over a period of time.”
Talking about Markande, who made his IPL debut with the franchise in 2018, Raman remarked, “I would also see if I can bring in another leg-spinner — (Mayank) Markande — he is been good too. We have seen the impact leg-spinners have had in the T20 format and also in the other white-ball format. That’s another tempting thing for me for the game against RCB. We saw how (Wanindu) Hasaranga performed against KKR. So, leg-spinners definitely have the ability to make an impact.”
Raman signed off by saying that he is interested in seeing how Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma fares against Bangalore pacer Mohammed Siraj.
“I will be very keen to watch Siraj vs Rohit. These guys know each other very well but in a match scenario, it’s very different. Siraj is playing for a side that has good momentum. Rohit has got a little bit of pressure to handle because his side is not doing as well as it can.”
“Also the fact that he has got to be the star performer for them means the added pressure can bring out the best in him. Siraj has this habit of giving the lip at times. If he does that it can make things interesting.”
