‘Team as a Unit Wins Tournaments’: Rohit Sharma After SRH Victory

Rohit Sahrma said that it was the confidence in the bowling lineup that he chose to bat first.

Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma speaks to the media after the Super Over victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

(Photo: ANI)

Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians skipper, after winning the nail-biting match against Sunrisers Hyderabad that went to the super over to decide who will make it to the play-offs, said that the team as a unit is what wins the tournament, not one or two individuals.

Addressing the post match press conference, the MI skipper said that the conditions this year have been really complicated, since the due has been unpredictable.

“See, this year the conditions have been such that sometimes the ball spins in the second half because of the due. When the pitch is moist, spinners are more in the game.”

Rohit Sharma, Captain, Mumbai Indians

Rohit further gave the example of Mumbai Indians’ game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, where the team was chasing 170 and despite scoring about 70 in the first six overs, the team still struggled to chase because of the due.

He also said that it was the confidence in the bowling lineup that he chose to bat first.

“This year the pitch behaviour has been very up and down. That is why we thought we’ll bat first, put up a big target on the board and then defend that. We know our bowling can defend.”

Rohit Sharma, Captain, Mumbai Indians

Sharma said that the SRH batting lineup lacks experience. Hence, the team also wanted to put pressure on them.

Talking about his batting lineup, Sharma said that from number three batsman to number seven are very flexible and can bat anywhere, making rotating easier for the management.

When asked about if he thinks moving Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard higher up the order is beneficial, Rohit said that is an option since these two can go and bat anywhere. He also said that he wants to exploit the opposition’s death overs.

“We want to exploit the opposition’s death bowling as well, so we want our best batsman to bat and see if we can put pressure on their bowlers.”

Rohit Sharma, Captain, Mumbai Indians

On chosing Hardik Pandya over Barinder Sran for the last over, Sharma said that the ball was wet and there was a chance it won’t come off his hands on time and the skipper didn’t want to put Sran in that situation. On the other hand, he chose Hardik because he had to go with a more experienced bowler who has bowled in that situation.

“He (Hardik Pandya) has that confidence, even though he went for runs. That was the idea.”

Further, on qualifying with a game in hand, Rohit Sharma said that as a team, they have put a lot of effort and the positive of qualifying with a game in hand is a reward for those efforts. Rohit also said that he can’t say if this is a better result than other seasons or not since with the infusion of new players, the dynamics and combinations change.

“What we have done well this year is responding well to pressure situations.”  

He also said that the players ready to take responsibility has been an important factor towards the team’s success this year.

“We always believe that the entire unit can do the job for us, not one or two individuals. One or two individuals can win one or two games for you but if you want to win the tournament, everyone needs to come together and that is the hallmark of this team.”