 | « Back to article | Print this article |
'It is very important and I thought we turned up really well; right from the start we were there on their faces.'
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma was ecstatic after the comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match, in Abu Dhabi, on Friday.
He said his team lived up to expectations, clinical while batting and bowling.
After the bowlers restricted the Knight Riders to 148 for five, opener Quinton de Kock blazed away to 78 off 44 balls to complete the task for Mumbai.
"(We were) clinical with the ball, clinical with the bat. Overall, you know, the performance that we were expecting was there," Rohit said the presentation ceremony.
"It is always a challenge when you have won four out of four, how you turn on that particular day. It is very important and I thought we turned up really well; right from the start we were there on their faces."
According to Rohit, he usually takes a backseat when batting with de Kock, who likes to take on the bowlers from the word go.
"I enjoy batting with him (De Kock); he is very straightforward on what he wants to do and most of the time I have taken a backseat because he likes to take on the bowlers right from the word go.
"I probably assess the situation. I have a role to play in the squad and I try and do that more often.
"But I want Quinny to bat the way he is batting and he shouldn't be taking any sort of pressure about what the team is expecting from him, as long he keeps doing what he loves to do. We are in good position," added Rohit.
He said the victory was special as the team chased successfully, which could be the trend in the second half of the tournament.
"It gives us a lot of confidence; that has been the trend so far in the first half of the tournament; team batting second has lost many games.
"So I guess it is changing now. The second half of the tournament, teams batting second will win most of the games; that's what I feel."
Kolkata Knight Riders new captain Eoin Morgan conceded that losing early wickets did not help their cause.
"Being four and five down early really cost us; we managed to get a score on the board, but when Mumbai come out and play like that it is difficult to stop momentum.
"... So full credit to them; they played really well and we have got a lot of lessons to learn, particularly with the bat today," Morgan said.
"The guys fought hard with the ball, but not just enough runs on a wicket like that."