IPL 2022: "Jasprit Bumrah's form is not a concern at all" - Ravi Shastri

Former Team India coach Ravi Shastri has brushed aside concerns regarding Jasprit Bumrah's form in IPL 2022. Shastri attributed the Mumbai Indians (MI) pace spearhead's dearth of wickets to a lack of support in the bowling attack and the opposition's defensive plans, assuring that "there's no issue of ability whatsoever".

After seven back-to-back seasons with at least 15 wickets, Bumrah has managed just five scalps from 10 IPL 2022 games. His average of 60.80 is the worst for him in any IPL season, although his economy rate is still pretty good at 7.93.

But like many others, Shastri believes that this is a direct consequence of Bumrah being the lone aggressive bowler in the Mumbai bowling lineup. This allows the opposition batters to play him out carefully and go after the weak links. The 59-year-old also feels that Mumbai's overall performance has had an impact too.

He told ESPNcricinfo:

"Jasprit Bumrah's form is not a concern at all. It's just that oppositions have played him differently. They don't want to give him wickets. If the team's situation is good then the opposition will take the chance against it. So Bumrah is stuck because of this, there's no issue of ability whatsoever."

Even if this theory is true, the troubling fact is that in the last two matches, every Mumbai bowler except for Bumrah has picked up wickets. In the last game against the Gujarat Titans (GT), Wriddhiman Saha and others specifically attacked Bumrah's overs, hitting him for 48 runs in 24 balls.

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Tim David could be the future for Mumbai Indians: Ravi Shastri

While one issue continues to linger on, Mumbai have apparently found a solution to their lower-order batting amid Kieron Pollard's poor form - Tim David. Dropped after just two games, the Singaporean has made a stunning comeback, scoring 20 off nine balls and 44 (21), both unbeaten, in crucial situations for his IPL team.

Shastri said David just needed a confidence boost, which he has received in the last two games, and could now be "the future" of the franchise. He said:

"I believe they were searching for the right balance (when they dropped him after two matches) and Pollard was already there. Now, mid-tournament, he has announced his retirement from international cricket so Tim David could be the future. What he needed was confidence that 'I belong to this stage. I can be a finisher in the IPL for Mumbai Indians and can hit sixes.' The sixes he hit in the last two matches would have taken his confidence up. I feel Mumbai will use him this way only - as a finisher towards the end of the innings."

Mumbai will take on Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday at the DY Patil Sports Academy, starting at 7:30 pm IST.