South African pace prospect Marco Jansen says he’s looking forward to learning from Mumbai team-mates Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.
The five-time champions snapped up the 20-year-old at the Indian Premier League auction for a base price of INR 20 lakh.
The tall left-arm all-rounder is now looking forward to showing what he can do on the biggest T20 stage.
He is also keen to pick up whatever tips he can from both New Zealand star Trent Boult and India’s Jasprit Bumrah now he’s sharing a dressing room with two of his bowling idols.
“Firstly, I just want to get to know them as people and from there on, try and tap into their cricket brains as much as possible, especially with Trent, Bumrah, all those guys,” he told ESPNCricinfo
“Try and ask them as many questions as possible and just enjoy the experience. It's not every day that a youngster who is 20 years old gets picked in the IPL, so I just want to go there with an open mind and enjoy every moment.”
Jansen ‘Honoured' to Join MI
Mumbai had expected more of a bidding war for Jansen but were able to get him cheaper than first thought.
His extra height and pace make him a useful option with the ball in hand, while he is also a handy middle-order batsman.
Jansen is still delighted that Mumbai made the move for him.
He added: “I actually can't believe it, if you think of it like that.
“To be honest, three years ago, my brother and I were talking about playing for the varsity first team and never even thought about IPL. So to be where I am today, I'm very blessed and honored. It's really a privilege.”
“The goal is to try and get 140-plus as my average speed. That must be the main reason why they [Mumbai Indians] looked at me. And that I can also middle it a little bit as well. I'm not going to say anything more on that but yeah, I can hit the ball.”
Mumbai will begin their title defence when they kick-off their IPL 2021 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on 9 April.
