Mumbai Indians pacer Gerald Coetzee reserved high praise for Punjab Kings uncapped batter Ashutosh Sharma following his valiant effort in a losing cause in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The 25-year-old raised PBKS from the ashes when they were down and out at 77/6. The writing was on the wall for MI when Ashutosh smoked the ball into the stands on a free hit off Jasprit Bumrah in the 13th over. He got PBKS close in the elusive chase, with three towering sixes off Akash Madhwal in the 16th over, bringing down the equation to 27 runs in 24 balls.
Ashutosh was caught off guard by a slower delivery from Coetzee in the 18th over, changing the momentum of the game yet again.
"He batted really well; he really brought it to us. So I think we just wanted to be really clear tactically what we wanted to do and I think we executed really well to him. It was tense, as everyone saw. That was a big one we were really happy about that. He was cruising the game for them so yeah, it was a good wicket," Coetzee said in the post-match press conference.
Last year, during India's tour of South Africa, Coetzee was a prominent figure for the Proteas in the powerplay and death overs during the three-match T20I series.
However, in the ongoing IPL, his role has pivoted from powerplay to middle overs. The 23-year-old speedster opened up about the need for a modern-day cricketer to adapt to a role that has been allotted.
"As a modern-day cricketer, you have got to adapt to the role given to you. I haven't bowled much in the powerplay but I am really enjoying it. I love the middle overs and I love bowling at death. As somebody who likes wickets, it is prime time to take wickets," Coetzee added.
Recapping the match, star speedster Jasprit Bumrah (3/21) and Coetzee's (3/32) influential spells, along with a scintillating 78-run knock from Surya Kumar Yadav, helped the Mumbai Indians defeat the Punjab Kings by nine runs.
MI survived an unprecedented Ashutosh (61 off 28) blitz after Suryakumar Yadav's 78 helped the visitors post 192/7.
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