IPL 2023: Jofra Archer focussed on ‘feeling good’ ahead of MI’s upcoming clash against PBKS

New Delhi: Speed merchant Jofra Archer has been trying to put himself in the best position possible to hasten his return to the Mumbai Indians playing XI after missing four IPL games due to a niggle.

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On the eve of his team’s match against Punjab Kings, the 28-year-old pacer from England said he is focused on “feeling good” at the moment.

Archer played MI’s opening match against RCB and has since been on the bench due to soreness in his right elbow. He was bought in the auction before IPL 2022 but hadn’t played for MI till this season because of a lengthy injury layoff.

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“Obviously the last two weeks aren’t exactly what you would hope for after being so fully active,” Archer was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“But it’s what you expect when you’ve been off for a long time: the body’s not going to be 100 per cent straight away.

“There are going to be moments where it feels a lot more serious than it actually is. I don’t know which game will be the next game, but I’m just trying to put myself in the best position possible (to play).”

Archer, whose career has been plagued by injuries, added, “To be honest, I still want to bowl fast and stuff — but when you feel good, you bowl good. I just want to focus on feeling good at the minute.”

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To avail the services of Archer, MI was understood to have looked at the bigger picture and spent Rs 8 crore at last year’s auction despite knowing that he would miss the season through injury.

Archer, who has represented MI Cape Town, the Mumbai team’s affiliate franchise in the SA20, has been working closely with Ben Langley, the former ECB head physiotherapist who joined Mumbai as their head of sports science and medicine earlier this year, since his arrival in India.

“I’ve been really well looked after here. You feel at home,” Archer said.

“Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. It’s a great franchise and hopefully, I get the opportunity to win a few games for them. We’ve won more games than we’ve lost which is miles better than what we did last year, so everything is going well and the mood in the camp is good.”

Mumbai Indians will host Punjab Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

“I probably didn’t have the debut that I wanted,” he said, “but I do have the opportunity to debut at home. Hopefully, I can make it a proper one this time.

“When we played Chennai at home, I couldn’t believe the atmosphere — both teams have an unbelievable following. It is always great seeing the sea of blue (in the stands).”

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