00:00Yeah, obviously we played a few warm-up games with him, keeping to him and obviously batting
00:05against him in the nets. He's a really, really nice bowler and yeah, obviously got an opportunity
00:11today. He can swing the new ball and he executed his plan really, really well. So, really happy
00:17for him, the group's really happy for him. But yeah, it's cool that he got, like I said,
00:22an opportunity and really, like I said, the group's really chuffed that he managed to get
00:26a man-of-the-match performance today. He's got some great skills, so looking forward to seeing
00:30how he goes in the rest of the comp. To be honest, I don't sit in the bowling meeting,
00:36so I can't really tell you, but based on the patterns I could see from behind the stumps,
00:40he obviously executed it towards a certain pattern. So yeah, that was quite distinct to
00:46notice from behind the stumps. So like I said, really chuffed for him. He bowled really,
00:49really well tonight and he deserves the man-of-the-match.
00:57What kind of confidence do you want to see?
00:59Obviously a massive relief, in all honesty. The first two games were tricky on some tough
01:05wickets, but to get out here in Mumbai and obviously have Spencer turn me inside out
01:11was quite a tough battle to get through. But once I managed to get through that, it's obviously
01:16just really pleasing to get a score, but more relief than anything. And obviously to get
01:20two points on the board is great for the team.
01:23How do you defend the pitch?
01:24How would I?
01:25How did you defend the pitch?
01:28Harder than I anticipated it to be. I knew it was going to swing around and do a bit.
01:31I didn't expect it to do that much for a period of time. But when we were bowling,
01:36obviously the guys executed quite well and it was a bit sticky up front. Actually,
01:40throughout the whole 40 overs, I think it was a bit sticky. But I think our bowlers
01:44adjusted really well and our batters adjusted really well too, to obviously get the win
01:49and get us on the board.
01:51Ryan, well played. First few matches, as you said, a huge relief after you scored a
01:56half century today. Was there any pressure on you, given that you did not score a lot
02:00of runs in the first couple of games heading into this match? Plus, what was the kind of
02:04communication from Mahdi Fateh or the leadership or the coaching staff?
02:10I don't think there was any pressure. I think it's more internal pressure that comes
02:13with it. Obviously, you want to, you know, you're opening the batting from the Mumbai
02:18Indian to throw a charmer. There's always going to be pressure internally and obviously
02:21externally as well. So just for myself, I obviously wanted to contribute to the team
02:24and add to that. But Hardik was more emphasising, you know, today, raise intensity. This is
02:30our home ground. We need to be better. And obviously, we couldn't be 0 from 3. So yeah,
02:34I think today we ramped it up a level. Like I said, the intensity was better, the fielding.
02:39I know we dropped a couple of catches, but it was better as well. And obviously, the
02:42batting came through nicely as well. So I think that's kind of, we've got a base now
02:47and we can try, obviously, just keep taking steps after it.
02:51Brian, you've obviously played for my Cape Town back home. Do you feel like that's been
02:55a useful grounding to sort of ease the transition into IPL with maybe a few familiar faces in
03:00the squad and support staff?
03:02Yeah, definitely. I think it's all the support staff in all honesty. Yeah, it's been a nice
03:06introduction into obviously the group, the family. Obviously, meeting Akash and everyone
03:11as well. It's been a nice intro. It's not just coming in blind. So yeah, it's been an easier
03:16transition. But I think obviously the IPL is a different beast on its own. So I think
03:20to mentally work my head around that is a bit of a different one for me. And trying
03:26to obviously just adapt to the group. And luckily, I've got a few familiar faces around
03:30as well. It makes that transition a bit easier.
03:37So basically, there's a couple of matches that you played. What was going through your
03:43mind in terms of who you're looking to? What was the mindset going into this match? And
03:50the first time you played at Wankhede, how was that?
03:53I was just trying to not chop it on in all honesty. But yeah, I was a bit nervous in
03:58all honesty. I just really wanted to get a score and just ease the nerves down. But it
04:04was a relatively low total, so I knew I could afford a bit of time and just give myself
04:08this extra couple of balls to try and get through. But yeah, I think I got one or two
04:14boundaries away and it just got the scoreboard going. I think I was north of six at a stage
04:18as well. So yeah, I was a bit nervous. But once I knew, I felt like if I could face 18
04:24to 20 balls, I'd at least have some kind of impact on the game. And luckily, I managed
04:29just to get through. And it wasn't as fluent as I would have liked it to be, but I'll take it.
04:35Did the coverage that was there in the stadium today sort of tell you?
04:38Yeah, incredible. It's my first game here at the Wankhede. It's special to see obviously
04:43how the colours and how everyone gets around the team and obviously the players as well.
04:48So yeah, it was a great experience. I think that's why a lot of players play for the
04:53fans. And it was awesome to be out there tonight and experience it.
04:57When you were keeping and facing Ashwini Kumar in the camp before the IPL started,
05:06was there any specific kind of delivery that impressed you? Because today,
05:09the way he was getting batters out, he was hitting the top of middle and off.
05:14And he's also said to have a really good yorker.
05:16Yeah, he's a lot quicker than I think people recognise at first. So I think that's a great
05:21attribute he has. And he can swing the new ball. I know it's obviously quite tough. We got two
05:26specialist swing bowlers with the new ball as well. But to have that second plan without that
05:31swing factor was really impressive. Like I say, he's a lot quicker than you think. And he rushes
05:36you a little bit lower as well. So yeah, he's a great addition obviously to the group. And I think
05:41the wicker can suit him. And yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing if he gets an opportunity with
05:46a new ball to see that other set of skills come through. But yeah, he's a nice find,
05:51I guess, for MI. And we're looking forward to seeing how he goes.
06:00Yeah, like you batted with Roy for three innings. From your position,
06:08he's been like a number two at the Olympic Games. From your position, how do you analyse his batting?
06:17Right. I definitely shouldn't be commenting on his batting. But he's a phenomenal player.
06:22Like the opportunity to open the batting with him is incredible for me. Just the way he talks
06:28about the game and kind of the stuff he's looking for and the way he can help me as well is great.
06:33Like I say, we know he's a phenomenal player. So there's no doubt that he's going to come right
06:38really, really soon. And when he does, hopefully I'm in and looking forward to obviously
06:43playing with him and watching him do it instead of playing against him.
06:47And you refer to Roy again as a different beast. In what way is it so bigger than possibly
06:56Azzedminti and M&E?
06:58Yeah, I think obviously naturally there's just a lot more pressure. The standard is incredibly high
07:06and the conditions are all changing. I see a year ago on television and teams are getting 260 and
07:14you think it's a free-for-all, but you come here and it's actually not that easy. And different
07:18grounds obviously have their unique characteristics. So I just think the pressure factor obviously
07:23internally is big, but externally is huge. And again, you're playing with some of the world's
07:29best players, not just in this team, but obviously around the country. So that extra pressure is
07:35there and it's hard. I'm not going to lie. It's hard. So obviously just trying to find my way
07:42through that and try to adjust my game in order to give me the best chance of being successful
07:46for the team.
07:48Ryan, at the mid-innings break, when you're looking for your first win, the team in the
07:54opposition has scored a low total. You would want to have that win and you would want to
07:59have that win quickly because it also helps to keep a run rate in a healthy position. So
08:06what was the team's plans or team talk at the mid-innings break?
08:11I think before the game, Hardik just asked us to raise the intensity and how we were
08:14going to play. So at the halfway stage, Mihajlo and him just emphasised keep raising that
08:21intensity, be ruthless. Just because it's a lower score, go into your shell and try to
08:27work your way around it. So I think that's kind of the attitude. Obviously, you're always
08:31chasing points, but if you can obviously get some run rates, that helps as well. So I think
08:36the emphasis was just to try and be positive, take the right option, back yourself with
08:40no doubt and play the game how you see it. There's no judgement from the side. They trust
08:47the players in the middle to make the right decisions. So I think he just emphasised intensity
08:52and have a good attitude and obviously look to take the game on.
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