NEWS
Follow UsFast bowler Gerald Coetzee finished with figures of 3/32 to hand Mumbai Indians (MI) a nine-run win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a tense finish in Mullanpur. His wickets included that of Ashutosh Sharma, who nearly took the game away from MI with his audacious strokeplay, but his 28-ball 61 in the end was not enough.
Speaking of MI's bowling strategy, he said the team took cue from from the way Punjab bowled and tried to implement them. “He [Ashutosh] batted well,” Coetzee said. at the post-match press conference.
"We had a clear discussion during the timeout about our tactics for the death overs. We learned from their innings and the mistakes we made in our own batting. They took pace off the ball effectively, so we decided to do the same.”
Ashutosh eventually holed out at deep mid-wicket to a trap well set by MI. Explaining the strategy when it came to bowling to the 25-yearold, Coetzee said, “We realized it’s a big ground, and he didn’t hit the ball that cleanly. It was just a slower delivery that didn’t give him room to clear the boundary.”
Coetzee over the years had largely been bowling in the powerplay and the death, but in his current role with Mumbai, he bowls more in the middle and in the final five. He is not too flustered by this role as he believes that every bowler today needs to be adaptable.
"As a modern-day cricketer, you have got to adapt to the role given to you. I haven't bowled much in the powerplay but I am really enjoying it. I love the middle overs and I love bowling at death. As somebody who likes wickets, it is prime time to take wickets," Coetzee, who was bought for INR 5 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction, said.
Mumbai have now won three matches in IPL 2024 — all coming in the last four matches — and will hope to keep their momentum going when they take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their next encounter in Jaipur on April 22 (Monday).
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