'Try and Target the Guy on the Other End': Steve Smith's Witty Take on How he Would Take on MI's Jasprit Bumrah - WATCH

As the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians gear up to take on the second fixture of the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MI’s bowling will be led by none other than Jasprit Bumrah who has been a mainstay for the side and even the national team across all formats. But Australian batter, Steve Smith shared an interesting take on how he would go after Bumrah.

Speaking in Star Sports‘ show Game Plan where experts from the sport would come in and give their two cents on how they would strategies against certain players. Smith was roped in and looked back on his experience of having faced the MI pacer and thinks that it is better to keep the plans simple.

He began by saying,” So how would I counter Jasprit Bumrah in the powerplay? Look that is a difficult task. Not many batters have done it extremely well over time because of how good Jasprit is and the skills that he possesses. He swings the ball both ways, he seams it, he’s got a yorker, a great bouncer. So, I wouldn’t be overplaying my hand”.

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Smith believes that rather than going after MI’s best bowler, it would be better to go after someone else if possible. But still shared some inputs on what he would try to do against Bumrah. He commented,” I know that probably someone at the other end is a better option to try and take down. I try and play good cricket shots, stay nice and still if I can and not overplay my hand”.

The former Rajasthan Royals skipper added, “If I try and go after Jasprit it’s extremely hard. I’m trying to stay as still as I can and hit through the ball nicely, use his pace when it comes on and be wary of his slower ball”.

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Another important aspect when facing the express pacer is the wide variety of variations he possesses. Smith believes that it is key to pick up on the cues as early as possible to have the best shot. He said,” Try and pick those cues as quickly as you can out of his hand. I think it is very risky if you try and take him on too hard. Just try and use the middle of the bat, use his pace and pick the gaps”. He concluded by saying, “But as I said, I’d be trying to target the guy at the other end”.

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Bumrah will be expected to deliver as always as Mumbai Indians look to pick up their first points of the season as they take on Pat Cummins’ Sunrisers Hyderabad who will also look to do the same as the two sides clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.