Dressing room atmosphere is very good at the moment: Madhwal

Mumbai Indians began their season with a 0-2 record. It wasn’t the first time that they started off a season on such a poor note. However, the biggest difference was that across the three games, the team faltered under pressure, with them losing the first clash of the season from a comfortable position. 

Playing their first home game of the season, the expectation was sky-high but all of that came crashing down when Trent Boult (3/14) and Nandre Burger (1/31) combined to pick up four early wickets in the powerplay. That initial spell was enough to restrict Mumbai to 125/9, their third-lowest total at home. 

Despite the stellar spell from Akash Madhwal, who ended with figures of 3/20, Mumbai did not put up enough runs on the board, leading to their third successive defeat in the competition. 

“First match (fresh wickets), so the wicket was offering something for the pacers. Later, there was dew, which made it tough for the bowlers,” Madhwal said in the post-match press conference. 

“It wasn’t like that, pressure wasn’t there, the team management are like that, they don’t give us pressure. We wanted to perform well, and I wanted to give my 100%,” he added. 

Hardik Pandya has been under immense pressure since his move from Gujarat Titans. Where ever he has gone, the crowd have multiplied in numbers to boo him. Mumbai’s crowd did not spare him either, with the home crowd booing their own skipper at the toss. Despite all of that, Madhwal insisted that the dressing room atmosphere at the camp is quite good. 

“Dressing room atmosphere is very good at the moment. You are saying there’s a new captain, captaincy styles are different. It feels nice playing under both of their captaincy. The team is in a very good space, and we will continue to do well,” he added. 

Madhwal had a sensational 2023 IPL, but that wasn’t enough for the Uttarakhand pacer to seal himself a spot in the Mumbai setup for the 2024 season. The 30-year-old marked his return with a scintillating spell, which now could well make him undroppable. 

“Team comes first, personal performances come later. I had to wait for my opportunity, and show my skills. The team played according to the combination, so that’s the reason.”

“Our discussion was to pick wickets, strategic time-out also discussed the same. We wanted to pick up wickets, and put them under pressure. We had to keep our basics right. Wicket-to-wicket bowling was what we wanted to do, because there was some help for the pacers.”

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