I always have a death-bowling session during practice, says Super Over hero Jasprit Bumrah

Defending 11, Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah bowled a fantastic Super Over to clinch a heart-stopping game against the Gujarat Lions. The 20-over match ended in tie as both teams scored 153 in their respective innings. In spite of having Lasith Malinga in the side, Rohit Sharma assigned the task to  Bumrah. Given the responsibility to bowl the all-important Super Over, the youngster started off with a no-ball and also bowled a wide.

Nevertheless, a clever mixture of yorkers and slower deliveries left Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum clueless. Bumrah gave away just 6 runs as Mumbai ended up winning by 5 runs. However, the 24-year-old admitted that he has developed this skill of bowling yorkers under the tutelage of Malinga.

In the post-match press conference, Bumrah said, “I practise with Malinga how to bowl the yorker consistently. I always have a death-bowling session whenever I practice because this is the time when I bowl for Gujarat in the domestic matches and for Mumbai Indians.”

Upon being asked whether or not he felt the pressure in the crunch situation, Bumrah said, “It was the first time I was bowling a Super Over. There’s always pressure because [we were defending] only 11 runs, but at that time you try to keep a calm head, not focus on the negative, just focus on the positive aspects, think about the plans you made. I was just thinking about that.”

Gujarat Lions needed 7 off the last ball to tie the Super Over. A six off that delivery would have still given Mumbai Indians a victory as the number of boundaries each team scored would have come into play. However, a no-ball from Bumrah would have changed the complexion of the game. Ahead of the final ball of the Super Over, several senior players approached Bumrah to part with some advice.

“They just told me to back your skills, this is just another over, don’t take extra pressure on yourself. Be confident, be calm and try to execute your plans,” the youngster said.

Following their thrilling victory, the Mumbai Indians have consolidated their no.2 position in the standings. MI already have 14 points in the bag, and will technically require just 1 more win to make it to the playoffs.