Gautam Gambhir Believes Mumbai Indians Hold Advantage over CSK In Opening Match
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|| Desk Report ||
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has said that Mumbai Indians will have the advantage over Chennai Super Kings in this season of IPL as Mumbai will get the service of New Zealand pacer Trent Boult who will join hands with Jasprit Bumrah in the pace department.
He further added that it will be a challenge for Chennai in the absence of their key player Suresh Raina. Meanwhile, Boult was added in Mumbai Indians squad as a replacement for veteran Sri Lankan seamer Lasith Malinga, who had pulled out of the 13th edition of IPL owing to personal reasons.
As the season begins with Mumbai Indians taking on Chennai Super Kings on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Gambhir revealed that he is waiting to see how Boult and Bumrah perform in the game.
“I am really excited to watch how Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah will bowl with the new ball, because we all know Bumrah and Boult are world class bowlers, and in the T20 format both are wicket-taking options,” Gambhir said on Star Sports show ‘Cricket Connected’.
“A left-arm seamer, who will bring the ball inside for a right hand batsman while Jasprit Bumrah believes in an unorthodox style of bowling.”
A vital cog in CSK’s wheel, Raina had pulled out of the IPL due to “personal reasons” and Gambhir feels it will be a challenge for CSK without him at number 3.
“There will be a challenge for Chennai Super Kings considering they do not have Suresh Raina batting at No. 3. Shane Watson has not played international cricket for a long time, so we would want to know who will open with him and how will these batsmen face these bowlers,” the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain said.
“I am skewed more towards Mumbai Indians for the opening match because if we notice the team balance and the depth of the squad while not forgetting the addition of Trent Boult in the squad can prove to be an excellent option,” he shared.
“Every team wants a bowler who will take wickets with a new ball and use Jasprit Bumrah in an experimental way. I would want to see how these two bowlers perform with the new ball not only in the first match but throughout the tournament,” he further added.
