Putting behind the disappointment of the World Cup semifinal exit, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said on Sunday that one has to look forward in life.
Captain Rohit, coach Ponting sound upbeat about team's chances this season as they head to Kolkata for tournament opener
Putting behind the disappointment of the World Cup semifinal exit, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said on Sunday that one has to look forward in life.
Speaking alongside his IPL team head coach Ricky Ponting of Australia at a south Mumbai hotel hours before the team's departure for Kolkata for the tournament opener against holders Kolkata Knight Riders on April 8, the India limited-overs opening batsman said: "It was disappointing not to bring the Cup back. You look forward to things in life.
"That disappointment (of not winning the World Cup) was there. Once we got back to India, we knew there was a challenge lying in front of us. Now here I am (as Mumbai Indians captain) thinking how to win the championship." Sharma had moderate success in his first World Cup, aggregating 330 runs at 47.14 with two fifties and a lone century (137) against Bangladesh in the quarterfinals.
Sharma leads a team of young and experienced players including Australians and New Zealanders who played against each other in the World Cup summit clash a week ago. Asked if the Kiwis have overcome the disappointment of losing the final and if the Aussies have stopped celebrating, Sharma said: "It (World Cup final) was over a week now and am sure the guys who have come down from the World Cup are looking forward to this. Anyway, IPL is a big platform and everyone knows that. They will try and make the most of it."
Coach Ponting said the disappointed Kiwis (Corey Anderson and Mitchell McCleneghan) and the joyous Aussies (Aaron Finch and Josh Hazlewood) have put the World Cup behind them and are focussed on the IPL.
"Am sure the Kiwis are coping up," Ponting said. "That's a week ago. Am sure that's all forgotten. I know the Aussies have had a few days of pretty solid celebration. Aaron Finch has reached here and is very positive. It has been a change of team and a new staff for him in the IPL. He is determined to start on a great note for Mumbai Indians. I have no doubt that Corey and McCleneghan will be raring to go as well. That last innings that Corey played for MI (44-ball unbeaten 95 against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede last year) was one of the great innings in this format of the game. I'm looking forward to him having another big season for us. He is such an important part for us. And we need him to stand up and deliver.
"McCleneghan is another interesting player for us. He is someone who can do a great job with the new ball, left-arm fast, also someone who has great finishing skills and bowls well at the death. If (Lasith) Malinga happens to pick an injury along the way, we know we have a good replacement in him when required."
Ponting said that with a majority of his senior players playing in the World Cup until recently, shifting from 50-over format to T20 should not be an issue. "It won't have to be for most of the players. A few of our players – guys like Rohit, (Ambati) Rayudu, Finch, Anderson, McCleneghan, Malinga – have been involved with the World Cup for the last couple of months. They are all experienced players, they know how to change from One-day cricket to T20 in a matter of days.
"We have been lucky to have most of the guys for an extra few days, we had practice game here on Saturday night that went particularly well. Finch, Anderson and McCleneghan did not play in that game. But we have two training days in Kolkata to make sure that they are up to speed with the Indian conditions and the way we want to play our cricket as a team.
"In IPL when you are getting most of your players into the squad reasonably late, that is a great challenge for the coaches, to make sure they are physically rested and mentally prepared for the contest at the same time. You have to make sure their skills are ready to go as well. With the attitude the boys have shown over the last few days, I have no doubt they will be prepared for the start of the first match," Ponting said, adding that everyone in the squad has arrived.
The 40-year-old former Australian captain's involvement with the team is so much that he ensures that everything is easy for his captain once he steps on to the field. Sharma said that he still had to worry about on-field decisions, though. He explained: "As a coach, he wants his captain to be absolutely stress-free when he takes the field. But, there are a lot of things to worry on the field. T20 is a very intense game – short format, 20 overs – a captain has to be proactive when he makes decisions on the field. When things don't go your way, what you do, what you think are the best ways to get out of those situations.
"We have all the planning in place, every base covered. Before you go on to the field, you have everything ready. If Plan A does not work, you go to Plan B. It is pretty much simple."
CAPTAIN-COACH TALK
ROHIT SHARMA
On team balance
We have roped in a lot of young Indian talent in the player auction to the 15-16 players that were retained. It looks a very well-balanced squad. We have had a very good preparation. We hope that all the youngsters deliver during the tournament.
On Ponting, the coach
He has already showed it in 2013 when he led in the first six games and made the huge decision of dropping himself from the team to get the balance right. You see such things very rarely. After that, he took over the mentoring role and got the team together. It turned out to be a tremendous phase for us. We went on to win the championship. We expect the same this year. We understand each other pretty well. His thinking of the game is really broad. He was the leader of the Australian side and he won them two World Cups. He knows how to win big tournaments. He brings a lot to the table. Am sure this year is also going to be another exciting year for us
On starting IPL-8 in Kolkata
We have had very good memories of Kolkata. We won the championship there. We understand the conditions there very well. Am sure the guys can exploit the conditions well. It will be an important opening game for us. It will be important to get the first win of the tournament and build that momentum and continue from there
On Malinga's current form
I don't think it is a concern. He is an experienced campaigner and a dangerous bowler. He has proven it again and again over the years, especially for MI. When we won the 2013 championship, he played an important part. He was the key wicket-taker for us in that season. For someone like Malinga, it is just a matter of one game. I am sure he knows his body well, his work ethics pretty well. Am sure he is raring to go.
RICKY PONTING
On Rohit's captaincy
He has been spot on. Back in 2013, when we won the title, I stood down and he took over. The way he controlled the side on the ground was fantastic. He looks ahead of the game, understands the game really well. More importantly, he communicates with the players really well on the field. The players are very clear in what he wants from them before they take the field. I am trying to make sure I make it easy for him as far as possible, make sure that he gets all the tactics he needs, all the match-ups he needs. And then when it is match time, he can go out there and captain the team the way he wants
On verbal duels in cricket
I believe it is part of the game but players probably do have to understand where the line is and make sure they are not overstepping it. That's all we can say to our players. That's all we are worried about. We are worried about MI. We are not worried about what's happened in the World Cup or what's happened before that. We just have to make sure that we handle our players well and that our players understand the way we want to play our game and the way we want them to play the game
On challenges as a coach after not having a good run as player in IPL
That's not hard at all. Although I was not a very good T20 player, the best thing is that I understand the game pretty well. I have been around the game for a long time. The fact is I was here in IPL-6, started the tournament, did not play really well. So that was when I actually went into a bit of coaching role when I stepped down from playing and that turned out to be pretty well. And for the last two years, I have been commentating on T20 back in Australia. So I have stayed really close to the game. Am understanding the way the game is played, understanding more and more the tactical side of the game. When you take a step back from playing, you analyse the game a lot closer, considering a lot of tactical sides of the game. That's the sort of stuff I have been working to bring into MI this year. I have been responsible for the tactical side of things, the planning side of things and as I said, making sure the planning is as best as it can be and we have our players 100 per cent prepared for anything that might pop up during a game
On Mumbai's young talent Siddhesh Lad
I have seen him closely in training for the last five days. Also ahead of the player auction, we sat down and watched a lot of videos of young Indian players. So I had a fair idea of how Siddhesh could play. To me, he looks like someone who can use the pace of the fast bowlers, who can hit through the off-side really well. We saw that in the practice game on Saturday that he hit through the off side, hit over the off side, plays very well square of the wicket which you need to play well against good fast bowling. I gave him the opportunity to open the batting yesterday and he played really well
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Rohit-Sharma")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}