Young Mumbai Indians pacer Ashwani Kumar claimed that he patiently waited for an opportunity and worked hard on his yorkers and swing, making the most of it with a four-wicket haul against Gujarat Titans.
Ashwani, in his debut game of the season, recorded figures of 4/24 as the visitors bowled out Gujarat Titans for 100 in 15.5 overs after Tilak Varma’s 101 from 45 balls propelled the Mumbai Indians to 199/5.
“I was working on my yorker, on my swing. I was just waiting. Whenever I got a chance, I would do well. Otherwise, I was going to the temple. That’s all I was doing,” PTI quoted the 24-year-old as saying during the post-match press conference.
“I had seen the batsmen before, how they play, but when I went in and saw them, I did what the wicket demanded. We discussed it with the captain and tried to execute accordingly.
“It’s a black-soil pitch, so we knew the ball would keep a bit low. In the first innings, the ball was moving a bit here and there. So our plan was to hit the right lengths and bowl according to what the surface demanded.”
The Mumbai Indians ended a four-match losing streak with the 99-run triumph, moving up to seventh position in the standings.
“We were looking at the mistakes we had made and followed what the coaches were telling us,” Ashwani said.
“Our mindset was not low, even though we were losing. The team remained very positive, even during that phase.”
