Dubai: New Zealand express bowler Trent Boult is expecting the Mumbai Indians to build on the positives of their opening match as they prepare to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in their second encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
One of the players that Boult would like to match his wits against is Andre Russell from the West Indies. “Andre is one of the most destructive batsmen in the game and therein lies the challenge, and that’s probably why I play the game,” he said.
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“I like to take on the big players and like to take their wickets. I will be looking forward to that challenge. He is a very exciting player and I hope to be at my best,” Boult added. Speaking to the team website, Boult said: “The wicket is going to keep changing as the tournament progresses. From what we experienced the other night [against Chennai Super Kings], there is heat and humidity and the ball keeps on swinging around a little bit,” Boult told the MI’s official site in a chat.
“There are swinging conditions in the wicket, and teams that adjust quicker will be the more successful ones. We’ve got to stay focused ahead knowing well that wickets can change drastically in these conditions, ” he added.
Playing for the first time since the pandemic, Boult did well to take a wicket at the cost of 23 runs as Mumbai Indians lost by five wickets to Chennai Super Kings in their IPL opener last Saturday.
“From my point of view, I am coming off a big winter in New Zealand followed obviously by the lockdown and isolation. I have not played any cricket for the past six months, but I was pretty happy with the way I came out. The conditions are a lot different from back home with the heat and humidity here and this needs adjustment,” he said.
“Perhaps, we were a couple of runs short [against CSK] and coming in to bowl with them needing just five runs an over, There was nothing much I could do about that. But that said, it’s a good place to start from as we can make improvements in the small areas in the next few games,” Boult added.
“Personally, I want to play to my strengths, try some yorkers and take the pace off the ball and just try to be steady. That’s normally the biggest challenge in T20 cricket and I am looking forward to a much more improved performance against KKR,” he insisted.
Ahead of the 2020 auction held in December, Boult was traded to Mumbai Indians from the Delhi Capitals. Now that he’s with such a great squad, the Kiwi is all excited about the future, including players such as Jasprit Bumrah. “It’s my first time with the Mumbai family and I am enjoying this experience. It’s a good opportunity to bowl alongside a player like Bumrah and the rest,” he admitted.
