'Bumrah hasn't played for 4 months, there will be rust': Virat Kohli declared early winner in battle of champions

Jasprit Bumrah is back. The ace speedster is available for Mumbai Indians and is raring to go for the battle against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Wankhede Stadium. Bumrah and Virat Kohli will go head-to-head in Match No.20 of the IPL 2025 edition. Bumrah has the wood over Kohli as the pacer has gotten the better of the maverick Indian batter five times in the T20 competition. The contest between Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli promises to be a cracker. (PTI/AFP )

Even in the IPL 2024 fixture at the Wankhede Stadium, Bumrah made Kohli dance to his tunes. In the end, the ace speedster dismissed Kohli for 3 off 9 balls. Kohli looked rattled right from the start as Bumrah made the ball talk to all corners.

Seeing two modern-day greats having a crack at each other has added an extra layer to the mouth-watering fixture between Mumbai Indians and RCB. Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson cannot wait to see how Kohli and Bumrah have a go at each other and who eventually comes out on top.

"The battle between Virat and Jasprit, look, it's going to be an incredible battle. But just knowing that Jasprit hasn't played since the start of January. So you would think there's going to be a little bit of rust. His execution might be a little bit off, which you expect for someone who has not been involved in a game for four months. So in that regard, I'd be surprised if Virat doesn't come out on top," said Watson, a JioStar expert, while replying to a Hindustan Times question.

"Knowing that Bumrah, it might take him one over to be able to really find his groove again and execute perfectly with the incredible skills that he's got. So it's going to be an amazing battle at Wankhede as well. He knows how to score runs there. So it's going to be a mouth-watering battle between those two," he added.

Bumrah is making a return to competitive cricket after being on the sidelines for almost four months. The pacer went down with a back spasm during the Sydney Test against Australia and has been out of action since then.

"It's a big boost to the Mumbai Indians to have Bumrah back. He's just so incredibly good, Jasprit Bumrah. We've seen it all the way through the IPL. We've seen it throughout world cricket as well in playing for India. But just his ability to be able to control the game, very rarely does a batter get on top of him. He knows how to take wickets because of his variations," said Watson.

"His execution under pressure is so incredibly good. So, he really is going to give the Mumbai Indians the boost that they need. They've been a little bit off here and there. So Bumrah coming in, providing that glue for their whole unit will be a huge bonus to be able to really get their season up and running," he added.

What's going wrong with Chennai Super Kings?

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK have had a poor start to the 18th edition of the T20 tournament, losing three out of four matches. The five-time champions are placed in the ninth spot in the IPL standings with 2 points from 4 matches.

Watson believes CSK are trying their best to figure out the best possible combination and once they can sort out their playing XI, the franchise will be able to change their fortunes around.

"It's been a surprising start to the season for CSK. Normally, after every mega auction, CSK have always been really thought out and lined up all of their positions, from their batting line to their bowling options. So, to be able to see within the first four games, there being quite a few adjustments, which is very unlike CSK. For CSK, obviously with the auction they had as well, there's just a few holes they've been trying to fill," said Watson.

"I'm confident now that with the decisions they made before the last game, once they just have a few games, back-to-back playing together in different conditions, I'd be very surprised if they aren't able to turn it around because I'm more confident speaking from a batting perspective that I've got the top three or four to be able to set the tone, whether they bat first or second, and make it easier for the middle order and the lower order to be able to capitalise on a good start. You never write off CSK. They know how to win," he added.

This is Ruturaj Gaikwad's second season leading CSK. Watson believes the batter from Maharashtra needs to be given time to warm up to the role.

"When it comes to Ruturaj's captaincy, he's relatively a young captain. And he's learned a hell of a lot from last season. He's got two of the best leaders in world cricket over the last 30 years, who have helped and guided him. We've seen Fleming, who is obviously an incredible captain and leader tactically and just a man manager as a captain but now as a coach," said Watson.

"You've also got MSD, who is obviously one of the best captains. So the learning for Ruturaj couldn't get a better environment to learn. But it's not until you're out in the middle, and it would have taken him a year at least to be able to navigate, well, how am I going to get the best out of me and the information and the knowledge I have with the preparation that I do? But then also leading on MSD when I need to, leading on Stephen Fleming in the strategic time that's when I need to. So having that, it's just going to take some time for him to be able to know exactly how to be able to make the most of all those incredible resources that he's got. With what I've continued to see, he's just getting better and better, and he's continuing to learn as he goes because that's the type of person," he added.

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