Shane Bond affirms Mumbai Indians have been exceptional while chasing

Former New Zealand Express bowler and current Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond expressed that his team has been exceptional while knocking down targets. The Kiwi mentioned that the team has responded brilliantly under pressure which is the prime factor behind their form this season of the IPL.

Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kolkata Knight Riders are all locked in at the top of the table presently with 8 points in the bag. Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders have played one less game than the Sunrisers.

Shane Bond, who bagged 259 wickets in 120 matches across all formats for the Black Caps, has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians since he was roped in 2015 as a bowling coach.

“We have done well in pressure situations this year and that has been one of the big factors behind our success. Chasing always comes with extra pressure and we have dealt with it brilliantly,” quoting Shane Bond according to saying by HT.

The former Black Cap also commended the efforts of the bowlers, while highlighting the contributions of the two Pandya’s in the team, who have enhanced the balance of the team. “I think our bowlers have done a wonderful job in this tournament. We have six specialist bowlers and the Pandya brothers — Krunal and Hardik — adds more quality to our attack.” said the 41-year old Kiwi.

Bond further added that the team would not intend to underestimate the Kings XI Punjab side with their current status in the points table. “We try to treat all the teams in this competition equally. We cannot let our guards down just because they (Kings XI Punjab) lost some matches. The result will depend on who performs well on a specific day and we will not be taking them lightly.” remarked Bond.

Shane Bond later augmented that the even nature of the Indore pitch will please the bowlers as the surface will induce bounce and movement off the pitch, due to the layer of grass on it. “The wicket looks quite good and the grass covering will make our fast bowlers very happy. The only thing that we have to get accustomed to is the bounce. The bounce in this wicket is more than what we are used to at the Wankhede and the batsmen need to watch out for that.” suggested the former Kolkata Knight Riders player. He further directed that the team is also adept while defending totals and not just chasing them.

“I don’t think that the toss will matter much in tomorrow’s game. I know that teams tend to bowl first after winning the toss in Indore, but we won’t mind batting first. Our batsmen will be looking to score anything over 180 on this pitch and our bowlers are quite capable of defending a total like that.” concluded the bowling coach.

Mumbai would look forward to picking up their 5th win in the tournament today while facing a demoralised Kings XI Punjab side at Holkar Stadium, Indore