IPL 2021: Mumbai Indians will bounce back sooner rather than later, says Chris Lynn
Mumbai Indians batsman Chris Lynn has expressed confidence that the franchise will bounce back from the close two-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2021 opener.
Chris Lynn and South Africa’s Marco Jansen played their first match for the Mumbai Indians on Friday. In a video posted to the Mumbai Indians’ official Twitter account, the duo shared their experiences of their maiden IPL game in blue & gold jersey.
Lynn stated that it was a special moment to put on the Mumbai Indians’ blue cap. He commented:
“It is great to make your debut, especially for one of the proudest and most successful franchises around the world. To put the blue cap on was a very special moment. And to score some runs, I was very happy with that. It’s obviously a proud moment but I have played a lot of cricket and I have played for a lot of teams as well. So you don’t want to get nervous. You don’t want to tense up. You always want to stick to your Plan A. But more importantly, you want to have fun.”
Admitting that running out Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was not the ideal start, he added that these things are part and parcel of the game.
“Not ideal running out your skipper in the first game but that’s the way the game goes,” Lynn, who is celebrating his birthday today (April 10), said.
The 31-year-old, who contributed 49 from 35 balls with four fours and three sixes, asserted that the Mumbai Indians will come back strongly. He stressed:
“I think as cricketers we should be very proud of our performance tonight (Friday). Yes, we didn’t get the win but our skills were there. Add another 2-3 percent, we could have got the win. That’s going to come throughout the tournament. Traditionally slow starters. But look it has been tricky (leading up to the season). No excuses, we have got a great bunch of guys. We are going to bounce back sooner rather than later.”
Glad to make an impact for Mumbai Indians on debut: Marco Jansen
20-year-old South African fast bowler Marco Jansen said that he was happy to make an impact in his first IPL game. Jansen was dismissed for a duck with the bat and looked nervous early on with the ball.
However, he recovered well to end with impressive figures of 2 for 28. The Mumbai Indians fast bowler dismissed Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed.
“Obviously, I was a bit nervous. But more good nerves that bad nerves, I guess. The first over not the best of starts. But I am just glad that I could come back and make a good impact to the game. Especially contributing to the team and getting my first wicket as well. Just very glad that I came back with a few good balls,” Jansen said.
The youngster earned praise for his bowling from the legendary Dale Steyn on Twitter. Thanking the South African great, Jansen replied:
“Very thankful to him (Dale Steyn) for actually watching the game and also making good comments on Twitter. I’m personally not on Twitter but I am just very happy that I have made a positive impact to the team.”
The Mumbai Indians posted 159 for 9 batting first. In a tense chase, RCB got home off the last ball, with two wickets in hand.