Mumbai Indians pacer Trent Boult described the prospect of facing Rajasthan Royals’ 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi as “exciting”, but said it is not something that would “worry” him on a flat Sawai Mansingh Stadium deck. The 14-year-old Suryavanshi wrote his name in history books, hitting a 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans to become the youngest ever to score a ton in the IPL and overall men’s T20 cricket. His 35-ball innings was also the second fastest ton in the tournament.
“(I have) bowled to some brilliant batsmen around the world, the Chris Gayles, the AB de Villiers, all the quality that come in these tournaments. I think I’ll be careful not to say I’m worried about a 14-year-old,” Boult told the media on the eve of MI’s clash against RR here.
“But it’s going to be an exciting challenge to come up against a guy who’s obviously fearless and running in hot form at the moment, so that’s what it’s about.
“The whole world saw that performance the other night. (It was a) quality (knock) from such a young kid. It’s the beauty of this tournament, of all the players coming out and taking any opportunity with both hands and I thought he did that very nicely.” Boult said his experience and knowledge of the pitch and conditions here would hold them in “good stead”.
“No, I don’t as a bowler,” he said when asked if he was anticipating another high-scoring game at this venue.
“It’s a high-scoring ground; history says that. It’s a solid wicket matched by a very, very quick outfield. I’ve been lucky enough to experience the ground over the last three seasons so hopefully I can put that experience into good stead over the next game,” Boult added.
Mumbai Indians were languishing at the penultimate spot at one point earlier in the season but they have turned around their fortunes with five wins in a row.
“No team looks to get off to a bad start, looks to lose matches in the first half of the tournament. T20 cricket is just that type of game,” he said.
“(We) came close in a couple of games, you’re looking at a couple of boundaries here or there, saved or gained can be the difference in this format so take the learnings, try to get that a little bit better.
“A lot of teams speak about getting one or two per cent better. There’s probably a little bit more room for us there to get five or ten per cent better and just come back and keep going at it,” he added.
Boult said Jasprit Bumrah, who took a four-for in their win over Lucknow Super Giants in the last outing, has lifted the team since his return.
“He’s a leader in the side, obviously a very experienced bowler and he’s a huge part of the wheel for our squad and he’s definitely lifted the group since his return back to the squad. Moving forward he’s going to play a big role for us as well,” he said.
Boult said MI have benefitted from different players putting in vital performances.
“(The) guys have stood up in different games. There’s been different performances that have contributed throughout the whole season and that’s what it’s about. If everyone wants that, or has that desire to want to stand up and put a good performance in, it’s generally a good recipe for succeeding in T20 cricket,” he said.
“(We) would have loved to have started stronger but there’s been good discussions going on the whole season and to turn around our form over the past four or five games and win five games in a row is a great feeling.”
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