On Mumbai Indians’ Skipper Rohit Sharma
“If you compare him today with what he was when he started out as Mumbai Indians captain, he is a far better captain today. He is much more confident now. He has gone through a lot of ups and downs as MI’s captain and has faced a lot of challenges. These challenges only make you a better cricketer and a tougher person,” Tendulkar told IPLT20.com.
Rohit led from the front in the final of IPL against Chennai Super Kings, scoring a half-century and putting on 119 runs with Lendl Simmons (68) to help Mumbai Indians post a massive 202 for five, and eventually win the trophy with a 41-run victory.
“We can plan many things behind closed doors but it is up to the captain, the bowlers and the fielders to bring it all together. Rohit has done that well,” he insisted.
“What stood out for me was the belief and faith we had in our ability. At no stage any player was ready to put his head down thinking this is a difficult season and there is no future for us. We always saw the light at the end of the tunnel,” Tendulkar said.
On Mumbai Indians’ Coach Ricky Ponting
“When we played against him, he always came across as a serious, fearless competitor who never wanted to give up. The same applied here. At no stage did he feel that we are out of the tournament. We need positive people with good experience around, and Ricky doesn’t lack in any of those departments,” Sachin told IPLT20.com.
On Mumbai’s Highest Run-Scorer Lendl Simmons
Speaking of the man who replaced Aaron Finch in the Mumbai squad, Sachin said, “I thought he batted beautifully throughout the tournament. He has been very consistent. I also felt that the other players played really well around him. He was the anchor of our team and because of him all the other players had the freedom to go and express themselves.”
Mumbai’s ‘Find’ of The Tournament?
“Some of the guys that played for MI for the first time this season did extremely well for us. The likes of J Suchith and Hardik Pandya were very impressive. Also, Vinay Kumar -- I know he is an experienced campaigner, but this was his first year for Mumbai Indians. I thought he didn’t start out very convincingly but he finished brilliantly. He peaked at the right time,” he concluded.