IPL 2020: 'It is a blessing that we have three bowlers who can bowl 140 kph consistently' - Krunal Pandya on the Mumbai Indians' pacers

Mumbai Indians all-rounder Krunal Pandya has stated that the franchise is extremely blessed to have three bowlers who can bowl at express pace and can also swing the ball while doing so.

He made this observation in the post-match press conference after the Rohit Sharma-led team's convincing win against the Delhi Capitals.

Krunal Pandya stated that it was a complete all-round bowling effort by the Mumbai Indians while particularly highlighting that the early dismissal of Prithvi Shaw had helped their cause.

"We bowled very well as a unit, especially in the Powerplay where we got the early breakthrough. Whenever in the T20 format you get an early breakthrough, the pressure is more on the opposition."

Brilliant over by @trent_boult. Picks up the wicket of Prithvi Shaw.#DC 7/1 after 1 https://t.co/0fS0687cpP #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/Vk9UHVl6ev

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 11, 2020

The left-arm spinner added that the Mumbai Indians fast bowlers were terrific at the death, with Rahul Chahar delivering the goods in the middle overs, terming it an overall team effort.

"The fast bowlers were special at the death, we didn't concede that many runs and in between Chahar also bowled very well. So overall it was a very good team effort."

The Baroda all-rounder observed that the presence of three express quicks - Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and James Pattinson - along with their ability to swing the ball lends potency to the Mumbai Indians attack.

"It is a blessing that we have three bowlers who can bowl 140 kph consistently. So for any team to have three bowlers who can bowl quick and can swing the ball upfront as well is very good for them."

Krunal Pandya also expressed happiness about his own bowling effort, stating that he was able to execute his plans.

"Happy the way I bowled today. My strength has always been varying the pace and I was able to excute really well overall. Obviously, you have to see the batsman's strength as well and the situation also, what they are going to do."

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Krunal Pandya on the Mumbai Indians run chase

Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav scored half-centuries for the Mumbai Indians [P/C: iplt20.com]

Krunal Pandya admitted that the middling target of 163 runs was never going to be easy for the Mumbai Indians.

"Chasing a total around 160 is always tricky because when it is 180 you know that you have to go hard or else if there is a 140 total you know you can take time. But I have seen that this in-between total is always tricky."

He pointed out that the Mumbai Indians did not lose momentum in their innings despite losing Rohit Sharma early, praising Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav for maintaining the pressure on the Delhi Capitals bowlers.

"The Powerplay was very important for us. Though we lost one wicket, it was a good start for us and after that the way Surya and Quinton batted, they never allowed the opposition bowlers to settle."

📹 | Krunal Pandya shares his thoughts on last night's win!#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MI #Dream11IPL #MIvDC @krunalpandya24 pic.twitter.com/Pjas03VCAc

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) October 12, 2020

Both Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav played 53-run knocks to help the Mumbai Indians chase down the 163-run target with relative ease. The win also helped their team replace the Delhi Capitals at the top of the IPL 2020 points table.