Akash Madhwal’s sensational spell in Eliminator 1 helped Mumbai Indians to thrash Lucknow Super Giants and pave their way for the next round. The 29-year-old bowled the best spell in the history of IPL playoffs as he picked a 5-for in 3.3 overs and helped MI win over LSG by 81 runs.
Akash Madhwal has etched his name in the history books of IPL, as he gave a top-notch performance as an uncapped Indian player. Akash ran through the batting line-up of Lucknow and picked five wickets in the Eliminator 1 round to help Mumbai qualify for Eliminator 2. He dismissed opener Prerak Mankad (3), Ayush Badoni (1), Nicholas Pooran (0), Ravi Bishnoi (3), and Mohsin Khan (0).
How Rohit Sharma’s advice helped Akash:
Akash’s elder brother Ashish Madhwal revealed how his brother found another elder brother in Rohit Sharma at the MI camp. He revealed that Rohit’s only advice to him has been “tu bindaas daal” and that did wonders for Akash.
Manish Jha, coach of the Uttarakhand Ranji Trophy team, also revealed Rohit’s impact on Akash’s bowling. He revealed:
“When I spoke to him after the SRH match. He was only talking about Rohit Sharma and how he has helped in the past two months,”
“Rohit Sharma has made me so comfortable that it never feels like I am playing in the IPL, I feel like I am playing for Uttarakhand,” Jha shares Akash’s words. Akash also told Jha that, ”fifty per cent of my performance in this year is due to Rohit bhaiya. In the first match, he just told me that I must not think about anything else and should treat it as another domestic game”.
Rohit on how he scouted Akash Madhwal:
Meanwhile, after the match, MI captain Rohit Sharma was all praise for Akash Madhwal. Rohit was asked about Madhwal’s performance and how MI scouts players like him. Responding to this, Rohit said:
“Akash Madhwal was part of the season last year as a support bowler but we drafted him into the squad last year. He didn’t get to play. We knew what he had. Once Jofra was gone, we knew we needed somebody to bowl at the back end. Having seen him, I was confident he could get the job done for us. Lot of skills, good attitude, lot of character as well.”
He added: “Talking about scouts, we have seen so many guys have gone on to play for India and done well”,
Mumbai Indians will now face Gujarat Titans in the Eliminator 2 round at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 26th.
