Rohit Sharma: Mumbai Indians would have liked to start IPL 2018 on a high

The defending champions started with 3 defeats, then registered a win before losing the track again.

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Ben Cutting, Mumbai Indians — Rohit Sharma has led Mumbai Indians to 3 IPL titles © AFP

Mumbai Indians (MI) share an unusual romance with the month of May. In IPL history, they have won just 49.3 per cent of their matches in April. However, the numbers change drastically in the month of May, where they enjoy a success rate of 62.2 per cent. The three-time IPL champions have beaten their favoured opponents, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for consecutive times to replace them in the fourth spot in IPL Points Table.

The defending champions started with 3 defeats, then registered a win before losing the track again. After Mumbai’s 102-run win at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, skipper Rohit Sharma admitted that it is never easy to start poorly as the side gets desperate for wins in the later half.

“As a team we tend to pick up during the month of May. Hope we do it sooner. Never easy to be on the line all the time and be desperate for wins towards the second half. Would like to start the tournament on a high. But in the past three years, we’ve been at the bottom of the table. I’m glad we came together and performed as a team today,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.

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Fearless Ishan Kishan

MI were off to a steady start but they found the going tough at the halfway mark. The innings required the belligerence of young Ishan Kishan to propel them to a match-winning total of 210. Kishan’s 21-ball 62 saw him join Kieron Pollard as the joint fastest fifty for MI. The innings received the apt finish when Ben Cutting slammed a 9-ball 24.

Praising the 19-year-old Kishan and the Australian all-rounder, Rohit added, “Ishan Kishan batted fearlessly and that was the changing point. I was assessing the pitch at that point, ball was sticking in the pitch, it wasn’t easy, but he changed the game. We were 65 after first ten overs, but scoring 145 in last ten overs is a magnificent effort by all the batters. Ben Cutting as well, he hasn’t been getting much opportunity as well, it’s not easy to come out and play shots like that. We as a team are prepared to post a total or chase down what is put in front of us.”