IPL 2024

‘I knew he had skills…’ – MI skipper Rohit Sharma praises Akash Madhwal for his amazing performance against LSG at Chepauk

In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Eliminator, Mumbai Indians beat Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs to qualify for the Qualifier 2. Riding on Akash Madhwal’s amazing bowling spell MI thrashed Lucknow’s run chase at MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Madhwal in his amazing performance clinched five wickets by giving just five runs in 3.3 overs.

Speaking about Madhwal’s performance MI skipper Rohit Sharma praised the young pacer. He said that after Jofra Archer left the camp he knew that only Madhwal can do the job for MI. In the post-match presentation ceremony, he said, “That is what we have done over the years. People don’t expect us to do what we have done, but we managed to. He (Akash) was part of the team last year as a support bowler, and once Jofra (Archer) was gone and I knew he had skills and the character to do the job for us.”

Rohit Sharma further spoke about MI’s scouts and appreciated them for their efforts. He said, “Over the years, we have seen many guys coming in from Mumbai Indians and playing for India. It is important to make them (youngsters) feel special and make them feel part of the team, my job is to just make them comfortable in the middle. They (youngsters like Madhwal) are very clear in their roles about what they need to do for the team and that’s what you want.”

From Tennis ball to IPL Madhwal spoke about his journey

After back-to-back match-winning performances, Akash Madhwal spoke about his journey to IPL. He also spoke about how he switched from a Tennis ball to a season ball game. While speaking with Harsha Bhogle he said, “I was just practising, and waiting for this opportunity. I did my engineering and played tennis-ball cricket since it was my passion. Engineers have a tendency to learn quickly. I just practice, and that is what we execute. I’m proud of myself, but I’ll try to be better.”

Notably, Madhwal bowled his career-best performance in the last two games. Firstly in MI’s last league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, he clinched four wickets including Mayank Agarwal and Harry Brook. He finished that game with impressive figures of 4/37 at Wankhede Stadium. In the eliminator, he bowled with more passion and clinched five wickets.