Jasprit Bumrah took a brilliant one-handed catch during a practice session for Mumbai Indians, leaving Rohit Sharma completely stunned. In a video posted on social media ahead of the team’s IPL 2024 match against Gujarat Titans, two cricketers can be seen practicing catching the ball. Bumrah took two easy catches and then made an impressive one-handed catch, a perfect example of quick reflexes. Rohit stood behind the fast bowler, clearly impressed by his efforts and couldn’t help but applaud his teammates before resuming training.
Hardik Pandya aims to continue the rich legacy left by predecessor Rohit Sharma, starting his Mumbai spell with Gujarat Titans in IPL captaincy of the Indians, the team that the star all-rounder has coached for the past two seasons.
Such is the way of a career in the IPL, Pandya led Titans to titles and runners-up finishes in the first two seasons and is now back with Mumbai Indians where he made a name for himself.
Follow the commander’s orders#a family #mumbaiindians | @ImRo45 @Jaspritbumrah93 @JimmyParmenter pic.twitter.com/cyD4mtRHfu
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) March 23, 2024
The match also marked Pandya’s return from a “freak” ankle injury sustained during the ODI World Cup in October.
The injury-prone all-rounder’s form with the bat and ball will be closely watched ahead of the United States and Caribbean T20 World Cup. With Pandya moving to the other side, Titans will be led by Shubman Gill, who has little experience as captain.
Mumbai have been grappling with fitness concerns of key players, including star batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who is yet to receive fitness clearance from the NCA.
Left-arm pacers Jason Behrendorff and Dilshan Madushhankar have been ruled out of the IPL, while new recruit Gerard Coetzee may not be available for the first few games with a groin injury.
India skipper Rohit, who led Mumbai to five IPL titles, will be in action as a player this season and is expected to be in top form ahead of the ICC event in June.
Another player whose performance will come under strict scrutiny is Ishan Kishan, who lost his BCCI central contract for disobeying the board’s orders in domestic cricket and will get a chance to prove a point.
The left-hander missed the entire Test series against England, preferring to train for the IPL on his own and did not play for his national team Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy. The battle for the wicket-keeper’s place in the World Cup squad will be fierce and Kishan will need to be at his best over the next two months.
Apart from Pandya, Mohammad Nabi and Romario Shepard are the other quality all-round options that Mumbai have.
Domestic players such as Akash Madhwal and Nehal Vadra will be looking to build on their performances last season.
On the Titans side, Gill will be tasked with ensuring the team maintains the excellent consistency it has displayed over the past two seasons. Gill could become one of India’s future leaders, but to do that, he has to prove himself on the IPL stage.
He was the leading run-getter last season and the team hopes that captaincy will not affect his batting.
The Titans will certainly miss the service of Mohammad Shami, who recently underwent surgery to repair his Achilles tendon and is not expected to return until the second half of the year.
(with PTI input)
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