"When I saw calls from +91, I knew exactly what had happened" - Jofra Archer on being picked by MI in IPL 2022 auction
Star England pacer Jofra Archer is extremely thrilled to have been picked by the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL 2022 auction. Although the 26-year-old will not be available to play in the IPL until the 2023 edition, MI seem to have made a smart investment for the future.
Jofra Archer has been sensational in the IPL, having represented the Rajasthan Royals in 35 games in which he picked up 46 wickets. However, not many were keen to go after Archer in the IPL 2022 auction because of his injury woes and availability issues.
There were still two IPL teams interested in him though and MI entered a bidding war with the Royals. The Mumbai-based franchise eventually secured the pacer's services for a whopping INR 8 crores.
Speaking in a video posted by MI on YouTube, here's what Jofra Archer had to say about his reaction to getting picked by Mumbai:
"My phone started to go off. Back-to-back messages. I think some guys from the Mumbai team ended up calling me. When I saw calls from +91, I knew exactly what had happened. I was really excited as it is a great franchise. Really excited to get started and start winning some games and trophies."
🏹Boom has gone on to take a fifer, Jof! 😎🔥
Stay tuned for more of Jofra's chat with us on MI TV 👀🏹
#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians @JofraArcher @Jaspritbumrah93 https://t.co/beiszeM5de
Jofra Archer keen to raise the bar after change of team
Jofra Archer agreed that he learned a lot from his time with the Royals. But the 26-year-old also opined that it was important for him to step out of his comfort zone and remain consistent in his performances. He stated:
"The change of team and atmosphere is really good because then you get to challenge yourself again because sometimes it is okay to operate in your comfort zone. But once you have gone away and begin to perform again in a different team then you can rate yourself."
Archer also gave the example of star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite playing for Real Madrid for almost a decade, Ronaldo went to other clubs and didn't show any drop-off in his performances. He added:
"It is like when Ronaldo left, many people said that he wasn't going to be good outside of Spain. But he has proved himself whenever he has gone now and no one can doubt his skills. So it is the same mindset."
Fans will need to wait until the IPL 2023 season to finally see the dangerous duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Archer bowl in tandem for MI.
Check out the updated IPL point table here.