Mumbai Indians (MI)dreadful start to the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season finally came to an end as the team has won 2 matches in a row after losing their first 8 matches. Although they are still at the bottom of the points table and the hopes of finishing in the top 4 are long gone. All there is left to play for is their pride and the team has started to do so.
However, the the team management have been on the reciving end of constant critisism this season. Ian Bishop has jumped into the mix by criticizing Rohit Sharma for not giving enough opportunities to the 26-year-old Singapore-born explosive batsman Tim David in the first half of the IPL season.
Mumbai bought power-hitter David at the mega auction in Bengaluru for a whopping INR 8.25 Crores,but the 26-year-old didn’t get the opportunities as he was dropped after a couple of matches and was replaced by young South African batsman Dewald Brevis. David scored only 13 runs in the first two matches. Scoring 12 in his first game against Delhi Capitals (DC) and a single run against Rajasthan Royals, before getting dropped.
However, after Mumbai Indians’ 8-match losing streak, David was brought back to the playing XI in the match against Rajasthan Royals and David scored 9-ball 20 in that match to help MI register their first win. He scored an impressive 44 runs of just 21 balls as MI beat the most in form team in Gujrat Titans (GT).
Bishop, after the game questioned MI’s decision to drop David after just two matches. He said that the 26-year-old after his back-to-back good performances has shown that he should have been part of the playing XI throughout the tournament.
“Everybody I know in the circle I worked in asked where Tim David was when he wasn’t playing,” Bishop told ESPNCricinfo after the game.
“He’s shown in these two games why he should have been playing. Mumbai Indians, when they reflect, will have to say we didn’t get it right with some of the selections we made in the first half of the tournament.
“David said himself he’d love to bat up the order. He’d love the chance to go early and set himself up. He’s young. He is heading towards the prime of his career. Let us not pigeonhole this guy and let him blossom into something dynamic,” Bishop added.