New Delhi, April 3 Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jaywardene on Friday backed young Afghan mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar, saying having a bowler with his unique abilities gives the team an advantage in all conditions.
The 20-year-old came under scrutiny after leaking 51 runs in Mumbai's campaign opener against Kolkata Knight Riders.
"I think he is a player for the future. We believe that with his height and skill, he can perform well. He will improve," Jaywardene said ahead of MI's match against Delhi Capitals.
"He obviously needs more game time leading up to that. He was supposed to play against Sri Lanka, but that tournament was cancelled. So I'm not worried. I think he bowled well. He had a few bad deliveries in that match which cost him,"
MI also have Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, and Mayank Markande in their ranks.
"Having that special bowler within our team, along with Mitch, Jacks, and Mayank, gives us different options in different conditions. Perhaps later in the tournament. But definitely, we believe he is a valuable asset."
The five-time champions have not won the title since 2020, but Jaywardene insists the team has remained consistent.
"With 10 teams, the competition is even tougher. But in the last 5 years, we have made it to the playoffs 2 or 3 times, if I'm not mistaken.
"So that means we had our opportunities, and it was just a matter of getting that last bit right. In a competition like this, you have to take it one game at a time and go through the process. As a team, we know that we have consistently performed over a period of time," Jaywardene said.
The Sri Lankan said that Ryan Rickleton will continue to be preferred over Quinton de Kock due to his successful partnership with Rohit Sharma at the top.
"When we bought him, we knew his potential. We also had him on the SA20 team. And when he and Rohit had a good combination last year, there was no intention of changing it.
"When we saw Quinny at the auction, it was an opportunity for us. We saw him as an overseas backup, as the Indian wicketkeeper went for very high prices. And he fit in perfectly.
"We never thought we would change the combination. We didn't want to mess with something that was working," he added.