NEW DELHI: As English wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow walked out to bat in his 100th Test at Dharamsala in 2024, Rohit Sharma was heard remarking, 'Isko kuch bhi daal' (Bowl any delivery to him). Rohit clearly didn't think much of Bairstow's capabilities. Even IPL franchises expressed a lack of confidence as the English cricketer went unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.
However, an unexpected twist of fate soon saw Bairstow walking out to the middle with Rohit Sharma in the IPL 2025 Eliminator against Gujarat Titans (GT). The English cricketer earned this recall after scoring 525 runs across 12 innings for Yorkshire at an average of 52.50 in the 2025 County Championship. The 35-year-old cricketer wasn't included in England's squads for their ODI and T20I series against West Indies, fuelling his desire to impress even more.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!However, there was a stern challenge in store for Bairstow up front as IPL 2025's leading wicket-taker Prasidh Krishna (25 dismissals) ran in to bowl the second over. Krishna had single-handedly helped GT dominate a league match against MI in Ahmedabad, picking two wickets and conceding just 18 runs. The pacer was well capable of delivering similar heroics if allowed to settle in the Eliminator.
Who's that IPL player?However, Bairstow put Krishna on the back foot from the first delivery itself, slicing the ball over point for a boundary. The English cricketer continued to dominate in the pacer's second over, smashing him for 26 runs following three sixes and two fours. Bairstow's hammering badly shook the pacer's confidence, rendering him ineffective in a do-or-die encounter. Usually, one of GT's most economical bowlers, Krishna conceded 53 runs during his spell, finishing as the team's second most expensive bowler.
The English cricketer's 26-run over against Krishna reminded many of the manner in which Virender Sehwag deflated Umar Gul's confidence during the World Cup 2011 semi-final, smashing him for 21 runs in an over. Gul similarly failed to recover from Sehwag's blows early in the encounter, conceding 69 runs in 8 overs without picking a wicket.
Bairstow and Rohit smashed the ball to all corners of the ground, recording MI's highest power-play score in IPL 2025 with 79 runs on the board. While the English cricketer was eventually dismissed for 47 runs off 22 balls in a knock comprising four fours and three sixes, Bairstow set a solid platform for MI, enabling them to post a match-winning total of 228.
However, the English cricketer's heroics under pressure are no surprise as revealed by power-hitting coach Julian Wood, who worked with Bairstow while representing Punjab Kings (PBKS) as well as the national team.
"People said, 'He's at the end of his career'. But, Bairstow is a fighter and at his most dangerous when his back is against the wall and he has to prove people wrong. He can hit any length which makes him very dangerous in the powerplay. Bairstow is very ruthless which makes him stand out a lot," said Wood during an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
"One thing which I noted especially during his knock against MI was the manner in which he handled back-of-length deliveries. I had a discussion with Bairstow during his PBKS stint over playing such deliveries with a slightly angled bat rather than a straight bat. He tried to execute my instructions against Josh Hazlewood in an IPL match and enjoyed great success, smashing him for 60 runs in four overs. Bairstow kept hitting him for a six over mid-wicket and square leg," added Wood.
While Bairstow's fanbase in Mumbai will certainly rise following this knock, he may have well earned greater respect in the eyes of 'The Hitman' himself.