IPL 2024: Smith confused with Hardik's decision to hand Bumrah just one over before 13th over

Steve Smith, Jasprit Bumrah (Pic: File Pic)

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya's decision to hand just one over to their lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah till the 13th over left Steve Smith confused. Sunrisers Hyderabad batsmen displayed a pure power-hitting show with the willow against Mumbai Indians.

In the IPL 2024 match between SRH and MI, the hosts registered 277 runs for the loss of three wickets. Hyderabad broke the previous IPL record for the highest total in an innings which was 263 by RCB.

Jasprit Bumrah was the second-most economical bowler in the IPL 2024 match between MI and SRH. Bumrah went wicketless but conceded just 36 runs in four overs. On the other hand, hosts' skipper Pat Cummins registered two wickets for 35 runs in four overs.

Also Read: IN PHOTOS | IPL 2024, MI vs SRH: A match full of records!

"I was perplexed with some of their bowling changes in the first innings for Mumbai. Bumrah bowled in the fourth over, he went for 5 and then we didn't see him again till the 13th over when they were on 173," Smith told host broadcaster 'Star Sports'.

"All the damage had been done, you needed your best bowler to be coming back and take some wickets in that period and I think they missed a trick there bringing him back only in the 13th over," he pointed out.

"I think he got a few things wrong, and that was the main one for me. I mean you can't have one of the best bowlers in the world bowling one over."

Former Australia captain Smith feels that Bumrah's late reintroduction in the first innings made him become ineffective. "When the ball is going around like that, you've just got to bring your best bowler back earlier than you would have liked. It's just about adapting on the go and I'd have almost bowled Bumrah out by the 15th, 16th over, try to get some wickets, if he gets wickets, you slow the rate down anyway.

"If the guy is batting at the end, doesn't matter who is bowling, we saw that really with Bumrah in the last two overs and he still got smacked with the bat at the back end," he explained.

"So if he came back earlier and had taken some risks, things would have been really different and they got 277 and they could have been reduced to 240 and might have chased those down, so I was just perplexed that he bowled only one over up until the 13th over."
Smith said it's hard to make sense of the power-hitting contest the match turned out to be.

"...38 sixes in total, the ball was just going all over the place. It was an incredible game. Another former cricketer Brian Lara lauded SRH's Abhishek Sharma, who smacked a 23-ball 63.

"Abhishek Sharma is one of my favourite young batters...He can hit it, he's not a big muscular guy, but when he hits the ball it stays hit. I think his was a special knock today," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)