IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians' middle-order has not really fired so far, says Zaheer Khan

Mumbai Indians’ (MI) director of cricket operations, Zaheer Khan, stated that the team’s middle-order has put the defending champions under a lot of pressure in its last three Indian Premier League (IPL) matches. Mumbai Indians lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, following losses against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Former Indian pacer Harshal Patel was also lauded by the former Indian pacer. Harshal had four wickets against MI, including a hat-trick that saw him dismiss Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, and Rahul Chahar in an outstanding spell.

“I think the wicket was just fine, you can make out from how the team batting first went and how we started. I think it is just the form-based situation for us, you know the middle-order has not really fired for us in these last three games and that has put a lot of pressure,” Zaheer said. “So losing wickets after getting that kind of start is never going to help you recover,” he added at the post-match press conference.

‘IMPRESSED BY HARSHAL PATEL’ – Zaheer Khan

Speaking about Harshal Patel, Zaheer Khan said that his slower delivery has become somewhat of a trend in the IPL. “He has got the hat-trick, so the man should be on the moon. Bowled very well, his slower one is something, which has become a trend for this IPL and he is having a fantastic season,” the former Indian pacer said.

Despite his team suffering three successive losses, Zaheer believes that the defending champions have what it takes to bounce back from a setback as they have done it in the past as well. “Well, we don’t have that much time right now, we will have to really get things moving very fast, it is going to be must-win games for us coming up, so it is very important that the team sticks together and brings whatever it takes to win games of cricket,” he said.

“I think that hunger is going to be very important, that determination is going to be very important for us going forward and we got to believe it, this team has done it in the past, so there is no reason why we can’t do it,” the former left-arm pacer added.

‘BEEN PLAYING WELL IN PATCHES’

According to the former India pacer, MI has struggled to get going, performing well only in spurts. “The way MI is known in terms of showing dominance and playing cricket, that aggressive nature of cricket, so far we have not seen,” he said. “Well, I think, you know, we have not been able to get ourselves going, as simple as it gets. You got to have 40 good overs of cricket, you got to play good cricket throughout those 40 overs, to win games of cricket. So, we have been playing well in patches, and not really able to sustain it and that has been the case so far,” Zaheer added.

RAHUL CHAHAR’S FORM

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, who has been named to India’s T20 World Cup squad, hasn’t delivered since the IPL resumed in the UAE. When asked if his form was a cause for concern, Zaheer said, “I mean, if you’re just equating it to number of wickets, then you can say that.”

“But I am pretty happy with the way he (Chahar) is bowling, you know the ball coming out of his hand is absolutely fine, it is just that the situation of the game sometimes you are not in that position, so you can look at it that way. In terms of confidence, he is right up there, I don’t see any issues around that. It is just about having a few tough games,” he concluded.