Published: May 18, 2015, 09:33 AM (IST)
Edited: May 18, 2015, 09:33 AM (IST)
Former champion, Mumbai Indians (MI) comfortably sailed to the playoffs of the 2015 Indian Premier League (IPL), as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by nine wickets in a do-or-die game at Hyderabad on Sunday.
In a game that was actually a do-or-die for both the teams seemed to be cake-walk for MI, with nothing more-or-less to do actually for the former champions to qualify in a low-scoring tie. With MI having the habit of being at pressure situations very often, the ending has always been good for them.
However, following the easy win over SRH, MI skipper, Rohit Sharma shares his experience regarding the tough situation he has travelled with his team for all these seasons. He says in an interview with iplt20.com that despite those tough situations, he has always been a happy person and his team would continue to play fearless cricket in the upcoming playoffs.
“It feels great. But this just shows the character of the Mumbai Indians. We have created an atmosphere inside the dressing room and around Mumbai Indians that no matter what situations we are in, we never have to put our head down. When we started off losing four games in a row, nobody believed we could qualify. It is not about proving anyone wrong but we just wanted to prove to ourselves that we are much better than the results. We did exactly that and look at us now, in the top two in the table at the end of the league stage. This shows the character of the team,” he said.
Although MI were off to an extreme poor start initially in the tournament, they capitalised well and eventually made it to the playoffs, on which Rohit said, “When we were losing at the start of the tournament, we were not playing to our potential. We always knew we had a lot of talent and ability in the dressing room and it was all about getting that game to the fore. The support staff has helped a lot in holding the team together. Sometimes when you lose, the guys in the team tend to drift away a little bit but the support staff did a fabulous job of holding everyone together.”
“We have got individuals who are willing to take up the challenge at any given point and turn things in our favour. I am lucky to have guys like those who are willing to change the course of the game at any given point of time, whether with the bat or ball. I am really happy with the way we stand right now but nothing is over yet. For us, we have finished one tournament and enter into a fresh tournament now. If we play to our potential this is what we can do,” he added.
On being asked about how he managed to cope up with the extreme situation, following the poor start to the tournament, he said, “As a captain, as a leader it is very important for me to remain positive no matter what happens on the field. For me it is important to keep talking to a lot of players and ensure they stay in the present. The message was clear – whatever had happened had happened and you couldn’t change it and the best way to come out of it was to prepare for the following games.”
“I wanted to lead from the front. As a captain, my role was simple because I had to manage the team efficiently on the field. There were a lot of new guys in the team while we started the season and we wanted to tell everyone what Mumbai Indians is all about. I am glad our ways have worked and all I can say is I am a happy captain right now,” he added.
Speaking on giving the message to his teammates before the crucial tie against SRH on Sunday, he said, “Ricky Ponting and myself spoke about this game as being a final for us. Had we lost this game, we would have gone home. Now, we’ve got to do what we have been doing over the last five games. We have done a lot of good things on the field but there is always a lot of scope for improvement. Every time you go into the game and come out of it, you’ve got to think how you can improve at least by 10 percent. We need a little more effort going into the next game.”
As MI finishes on top two of the league table, they play their playoffs at their home ground in Mumbai. Speaking on the home advantage, he said, “Finishing in the top two obviously gives us a chance to play fearlessly. I feel we have played good games till now but the playoffs will be a different ball game. You can’t afford to make too many mistakes but knowing you have a second chance it gives us the license to play fearless cricket. We have been in this situation before in 2013 where we played against the same opposition, qualified in the top two and we had another chance. We want to go out there and play without thinking about the result. We won’t think about who we are playing, we will be focusing on our strengths.”
“Momentum plays a huge role in this format and it is very important to carry that winning habit into the next game every time you play. We do enter the playoffs with a lot of confidence and we know it won’t be easy, as has been the case with Mumbai Indians throughout the league stages. We are prepared for it and we will perform to our best. It is just a matter of being in the present and not thinking about what we have done in the league stages. We can take positives from it. We know the conditions there and I am sure we can put up a great show,” he concluded.
