He may not play for West Indies regularly, but Dwayne Bravo clearly understands the ethos of franchise cricket. “Bumrah (Jasprit) is the best bowler, but today, it’s my day,” he said, after slamming a 30-ball 68 that guided Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a surprise one-wicket victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede Stadium here on Saturday.
Bravo — who switched gears in the 18th and the 19th over — said he didn’t put in that much thought. Of course, the Caribbeans have a natural flair for T20 cricket. “I wasn’t thinking much, I wanted to bat till the last over. Even Jadhav (Kedar) showed lot of guts.”
Read: Bravo stars in CSK's incredible comeback win
Having played enough games at the Wankhede, he understood the challenges of defending at the venue. “It is tough to defend a total at this ground. If a few edges here and there go your way, the bowling team is under pressure.
"But I don’t enjoy playing if there is no pressure. It is my best innings ever. When you are hit for a six, you are bound to be under pressure. I can feel that as a bowler,” he added.
A hamstring injury ruled Bravo out for six months. But ahead of the IPL, he seems to be free of niggles. “I have to ensure I continue with my performances. I started slow but this is my role in CSK; to finish off games. I am no longer 24, so I have to be careful, but the franchise has a good medical team.
“This was my best innings ever. It was special. I didn’t even raise the bat after scoring 50 because I knew the job wasn’t done,” he added.
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