After four successive losses to start IPL-8, former champions Mumbai Indians have begun to peak at the right time. Four straight victories and their fifth in 10 games later, Rohit Sharma believes that his team is hitting the right straps as the fight for the top-four in the points table intensifies.
After four successive losses to start IPL-8, former champions Mumbai Indians have begun to peak at the right time. Four straight victories and their fifth in 10 games later, Rohit Sharma believes that his team is hitting the right straps as the fight for the top-four in the points table intensifies.
Mumbai Indians' latest win by five wickets off the last over against Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday night at the Wankhede have made the mid-table look so clustered that anything is possibile.
Sharma, though agreeing that his team is peaking at the right time, did not want to think too far ahead. “We actually are not thinking about the table now,” he said after match No. 39. “It (the table) is very complicated and tight.
Everyone is very close to each other. What happens after May 17 (when the league stage ends) is important. We will take each game at a time. It is important to stay in the present, think of the next game and take it from there. The table doesn't really matter. It might again change after tomorrow's game. We are happy to win this game. We go to Chennai and think about how to win the game there.”
Mumbai Indians take on table toppers Chennai Super Kings in Chennai on Friday and will be without Lasith Malinga following Tamil Nadu government's ban on Sri Lankans' entry into its territory. Though Malinga had an inauspicious start to IPL-8, he has come back well and bowled well as he is known to, picking up wickets and also containing the opposition batsman.
Sharma said his team would miss Malinga in Chennai. “Of course, we are going to miss him (in Chennai). He has been a crucial member of our team. It gives an opportunity for someone else to play and that's what happened with Mitchell McClenaghan. When he came, nobody expected him to do so well. He has performed really well. He has grabbed the opportunity really well. It (Malinga's absence in Chennai) might give someone else the chance to come and perform but his absence will be felt. The kind of form he has been in lately, is really going to hurt us.”
Malinga, Mumbai Indians' highest wicket-taker with 15 victims, may be missed but Sharma can gain strength from the fact that his ace off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been in peak form this season, with 11 wickets in nine games including a miserly spell of 4-1-11-2 on Tuesday. Harbhajan's economy rate of 7.52 is Mumbai Indians' best this season.
Sharma hoped that the 34-year-old Harbhajan will continue the good work. “The way he has been bowling throughout the tournament has been superb. Bhajji is such an experienced player, knows exactly what to do. He is taking wickets, containing runs. When one of the senior members of your bowling unit is doing so well, it really helps. Am sure he is bowling at his best from what I have seen in the past two-three years. If he continues to do that, it will be good for us. With four more more games to go, hope he keeps doing what he is doing,” the MI skipper said.
Mumbai Indians' latest win came after the team was in the doldrums at 40/4 chasing 153. But two interruptions, one for 14 minutes and again for 32 minutes actually came as a blessing in disguise. Sharma explained:
“Actually, we were under pressure and the break really helped. We lost four wickets before the longer break. We are now used to games being interrupted in between because of the weather. All you can do is strategise what you want to do, how you want to comeback again and play the game. That's what we decided, go and play normal cricket, and not think of Duckworth-Lewis par score. We can't do much about it if the rain comes.”
The rain during the game actually helped Mumbai Indians' batting. “The wicket was really nice to bat on. After the rain, the ball was wet, it was coming nicely on to bat. We knew we had to have wickets in hand. When I got out (for 46), we had Pollard, Suchith and Vinay to follow. We knew we had some batting. As captain, I cannot lose hope. I have to stay positive no matter what position we are in. That's what Rayudu and Pollard did. They have been in this situations before and know exactly how to finish games.”
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