Jofra Archer is one of the toughest bowlers to face in world cricket and his return to form after proving expensive early this IPL season was on expected lines, says his Rajasthan Royals teammate Sandeep Sharma.
Archer had leaked as many as 76 runs in his four overs in the opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad before conceding 33 in 2.3 overs against Kolkata Knight Riders. Besides proving expensive he also failed to take a wicket.
However, the England pacer upped the ante against Punjab Kings on Saturday night by striking twice in the opening over before finishing with of figures of 3 for 25 in four overs in Mullanpur on Saturday.
"When you start any tournament, something like the IPL, it's high pressure. You have so many quality batters and opposing sides. First two matches, your nerves are high. I think that is what happened.
"We always knew Jofra is a world-class bowler. The skill he brings to the table or into the game, it's totally different. Very few can bring that," said Sandeep after Rajasthan Royals beat Punjab Kings by 50 runs.
Archer, later named the Player of the Match for his exceptional performance, castled Priyansh Arya and skipper Shreyas Iyer in the opening over.
"All management and team had this confidence on him that the day he gets that one over, one wicket… maybe two overs, those two good overs, that will boost his confidence. He is one of the toughest bowlers to face. With more games, he is going to get better and better," said Sandeep.
'We read the pitch faster than Punjab'
Sandeep also contributed to Royals' success with the ball, taking two wickets for 21 runs in his four overs. In response to Royals' 205 for 4, Punjab Kings could only manage 155 for 9.
"Actually, this pitch, the back-off length was skidding and was keeping low. We saw the other team bowling. I think we read the pitch faster than the other team.
"We had the same plan during time-outs. We talked to the batsmen who were playing inside us. We got their feedback on which ball is tough to hit or which ball is tough to convert boundary balls.
"We cut down those balls on this wicket. Again, I feel the wicket was not that good. The credit goes to our batters, who scored well," he added.
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