'Only Bumrah has been winning games for us, we haven't been...'

NEW DELHI: Mumbai Indians batter

Tim David

believes that the team needs to address their struggle in halting opposing teams' momentum once it starts building. MI, five-time IPL champions, currently sit in the eighth spot with just three wins from eight matches.
In their recent match against table-toppers Rajasthan Royals, they suffered a heavy nine-wicket defeat. Apart from

Jasprit Bumrah

, their bowling performance has been underwhelming.

"Someone like Booms (Jasprit Bumrah) has been winning games for us but we haven't been effective enough in shutting teams down when they get going.
"That is a challenge going forward," David said on the eve of MI's match against Delhi Capitals here.

"It was pretty obvious against RR that wasn't the standard that we set ourselves to. That is the challenge for the playing group, we set the tone," the Australian added.
MI, known for their tendency to start slowly, are currently in a critical position and cannot afford to lose another game if they are serious about qualifying for the play-offs.
"Obviously we had a slow start to the season, then we played some better cricket. If we had won our last game it would have been our fourth win in five matches so far.

"We need to play our best cricket it is coming to that point in the season," David said.
MI have crucial matches ahead against Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders, which they will play twice each, along with a match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last five fixtures. These games are must-win for MI, as all three teams are currently in the top four, adding to the challenge for Mumbai's playoff aspirations.
"If we want to win the competition we need to beat the best in the competition. We haven't played all those sides but if we beat them, we are in the playoffs where all the teams considered the best will be."
Bumrah has been Mumbai's knight in shining armour, winning matches for them single-handedly and David is glad he doesn't have to face "the best in the world".
"He is incredibly consistent, he believes in his own skillset and has a history of good performance. He has a unique action that makes him difficult to pick up, he bowls fast, nails yorkers and also has hard-to-pick slower balls."
(With PTI inputs)