"At First, It Was A Bit Tough For Him": MI Coach Mahela Jayawardena On Tim David

Mumbai Indians have had a season to forget as they are currently placed at the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) points table with just three wins in 13 games. The side will play their last league stage game against Delhi Capitals on Saturday and the Rohit Sharma-led side would look to end their season on a high. Tim David has been one positive for the franchise as he has managed to score 152 runs in seven games.

Head coach Mahela Jayawardena on Friday said that initially it was a little difficult for David but going ahead in the season, he showed how much quality he has.

"Yeah, I think when we got him (Tim David) at the auction, we felt that in the last 12 months what he has done in the circuit, he has a lot of talent. For us, it was about his temperament and how is he going to handle IPL because it is a different tournament from what he has experienced before. How he is going to adapt, initially, I felt it was a bit tough for him and that's probably why I guess he did not play through the season but we felt that he was hitting the ball. He had the confidence and he has shown the quality now of what he can do. It is not easy to come in that number and being able to get going straight away and finishing games off. He is adapting pretty well at the moment so for us, it is about giving him the opportunity and giving him the confidence as well," said Jayawardena while replying to a NDTV question during a virtual press conference.

"Obviously, Polly (Kieron Pollard) has been an integral part for us, he has been with Mumbai for such a long period. He has done it and has been amazing. Obviously, he struggled a bit this season. It is an opportunity for us going forward. It gives us different options on how we want to set the team up. That is something we will sit down after this season and look at all the options but having the quality that we have in the squad, yes, we have to be brutally honest, we have not played good cricket. We have not been able to get hold of crucial moments in matches. Definitely disappointed, looking at the skill we have in the team, especially the youngsters, it is an opportunity for us to go back to the drawing board and finding out solutions," he added.

In the mega auction held in Bengaluru this year, Mumbai Indians had acquired Jofra Archer for Rs 8 crore knowing that the England pacer would not be available for IPL 2022.

The pacer has now suffered yet another injury setback and he already has been ruled out of the remainder of the English season.

Answering NDTV question about whether there are concerns regarding Jofra's injury, Jayawardena said: "I think, to be honest, it is too far ahead. We need to assess what the process is going to be with his wrist fracture, obviously in consultance with the ECB. Our team of experts will also keep moderating his progress. He did not have these injuries in the past, it is something so hopefully it is not too bad. We will see how he progresses, 10 months till the next IPL, so there is a lot of time for us to assess his situation and we are hoping he makes a strong recovery and be available for us the next season."

Topics mentioned in this article

Mumbai Indians Mahela Jayawardene Tim David Kieron Pollard Jofra Archer IPL 2022 Cricket