India speedster Jasprit Bumrah is the number one ranked ODI bowler in the world and has earned the title of a death-over specialist over the years. However, former South Africa international and current Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vice-captain AB de Villiers believes that Bumrah, and not the batsmen, will be under pressure when he bowls at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru during the IPL 2019 clash between two sides on Thursday.
“I think I will do as I do in every single game I play. You have to look for their strengths and weaknesses, no one is perfect. Yes, Bumrah is a really good bowler, but it is also possible to get hold of him, especially at this ground (Chinnaswamy stadium) where the boundary is short and the wicket is more often than not is good for batters. So all the bowlers, no matter who you are, will be under pressure,” he said on the eve of RCB’s match against Mumbai Indians.
On his team’s composition, de Villiers said, “We have got a little bit better balance. Our middle order has been made stronger. It’s an exciting cricket team. What I like is you also still see the same faces as well. It’s not a complete washout of the old. Our balance is better and I think we have more options as well,” he added.
De Villiers also defended Kohli’s decision of including as many as three seamers on a track that nearly spun from Ball One in the IPL 2019 opener at the Chepauk.
“We had a good, balanced team,” said De Villiers. “Look MS and the Chennai team had a lot of all-rounders, a lot of bowling options. That does not happen with many teams around the world. I don’t think he (Dhoni) was 100 per cent sure – he had seamers but also had the spin back-up.
“We didn’t have that luxury, but I thought we had a fantastically balanced team that can play cricket on any wicket in the world. Obviously, looking back after the ball turned two metres, you want to play on a different wicket but no one was expecting it,” he reasoned.
