Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has shed light on Jasprit Bumrah’s form in the ongoing season. Ashwin reckons going wicketless was playing on Bumrah’s mind after the team lost four back-to-back matches.

The former all-rounder said Bumrah bowled well in the first two games of the tournament, but he wasn’t at his absolute best in the next few games. The ace pacer finally picked up his first wicket in the season as he dismissed Sai Sudharsan on the first delivery of the innings against the Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad on Monday.

Bumrah returned with figures of 1-15 in the three overs he bowled.

“I still think Bumrah bowled really well in the first two matches, but then the team started losing. Then the narrative also started that Bumrah was not getting wickets. That was probably playing on his mind. He got a wicket, and that was bound to happen. In the last two games, he is not the Bumrah that I have seen, but chances are that we will see the best of him ahead,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, MI captain Hardik Pandya said they want to make an early impact with the new ball in the ongoing season.

“Yeah, it’s quite fascinating. I’ve seen a lot of people go, why Jassie has never bowled… But if you see, it’s been 138 [151] appearances and I think 8 or 9 times Jasprit has bowled the first over. So I don’t think it’s a Hardik Pandya problem. It’s just that Jasprit Bumrah is so special that you use him wherever it’s required for the team, not when you start. So, but yeah, today was something we realized – that we really want to make an impact with the new ball, and no one’s better than him,” Hardik Pandya said during the post-match presentation.

This was a much-needed win for MI, and they would want to carry the good show.

Mumbai Indians will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.