Michael Vaughan, former captain of the England cricket team, believes that Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma made a tactical error by not using Jofra Archer from the beginning of their match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, April 2.
MI had posted a respectable total of 171 runs after batting first, and Vaughan suggested that Archer should have been brought in to bowl either the first or second over when defending the total.
Vaughan said, “I was surprised that Jofra Archer bowled the fourth. When you’ve got a relatively small total, I’d have Jofra on from one of the first two overs. They need to get early wickets. You have to go for your trump card, and if that’s a pre-planned move that Jofra’s going to bowl four and six, there’s time in cricket and in T20 cricket when you’ve got to go against your pre-plan.”
Vaughan further expressed how Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis were already set in the pitch when Archer got the ball, and said,
“I don’t think it was easy for him [Jofra Archer] to come because they were 30/0 when he got his fist over. They are both in, got their eyes in. It’s not an easy two overs to be bowling when you’ve got two outstanding players set. I think it’d have been better suited to bowling at the top and trying to knock one or two of them over.”
MI ultimately lost the match to RCB by eight wickets, with Archer failing to take any wickets and conceding 33 runs from his four overs.
Michael Vaughan Comments on Jofra Archer’s Pressure to Perform for MI in IPL 2023
Michael Vaughan commented on Jofra Archer’s performance in the IPL and how playing in this tournament brings different pressures compared to international cricket.
Vaughan pointed out that when playing for the national team, players have the security of knowing that they will get an extended run, which is not always the case in the IPL. He said, “It’s a different pressure than what you have when you go back to play for your international team. Yes, there is pressure playing for your international team, but you’ve got real protection around you that you know you’re going to be playing a few games.”
According to Vaughan, playing in the IPL brings a different kind of pressure, and he cited Harry Brook as an example. He said, “Look at Harry Brook, playing for the first time in the IPL. He didn’t look like the player that he had been in an England jersey for the last six months. The IPL brings a different pressure.”
Vaughan believes that the pressure of playing in the IPL can affect players’ performances, and he believes that players need to adapt quickly to the different demands of this tournament. The former England captain added that the IPL is a tough tournament, and players need to be mentally and physically prepared to succeed in it.
