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Mumbai Indians seem to be scripting a similar story from the last two Indian Premier League editions, when they recovered from poor starts.
After a sluggish start in IPL 9, the defending champions finally seemed to have regained form after defeating heavyweights Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium.
Captain Rohit Sharma led from the front, scoring a match-winning 62 runs, but another major positive the team can take from Wednesday’s game is they appeared to have found a settled playing eleven.
After their second victory in five outings, Rohit looks back on the successful run-chase against Virat Kohili's team and reveals his plans for the rest of the tournament.
Congratulations on the successful run-chase. This must be a very satisfying win against a good team?
Yes, it is a very satisfying victory, especially to beat a team like that. We just wanted to focus on our strengths and we did pretty much well. We bowled really well, we fielded really well and we batted well too. This was a perfect example of how we can perform as a team. As a captain it is sheer joy to see the batsmen step-up and perform well. I am really happy to see this.
The opening slot belongs to you. Isn’t it? You finished the game in Kolkata and almost repeated the feat today.
I like to bat in the top order. I have been doing it for India for the past three years and I like the challenge. But sometimes as a captain you need to get the balance in batting order right and make those changes.
Being the leader of the team, it is my responsibility to understand this. In the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, we had to change the batting order, since (Kieron) Pollard was not available and we had to get Martin Guptill in. But now I feel that our batting order looks pretty settled. Ambati Rayudu can bat at No. 3 and we know what Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard can do with the bat. As a captain, I would expect them to finish off the game and Pollard did the same for us on Wednesday.
Tell us more about the run-chase and how did you plan it?
I have played enough cricket at Wankhede and I know how the wicket behaves. There was always going to be dew factor coming in the second half of the game. It is something that can make things difficult for the bowlers. As a batsman, there has been a constant effort to get one solid partnership. We lost an early wicket, but Rayudu and I managed to build a 50-odd runs partnership which was pretty helpful.
Tell us how do you address the problem of plenty (choosing between Martin Guptill, Corey Anderson, Kieron Pollard, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jos Buttler etc)? What are the factors you keep in mind while doing so?
As a captain it is a good headache to have and also gives me a lot of options to choose from. For us, this season we have a quality squad and our young domestic players have also been doing good. Our squad seems settled. Changes will be made according to the conditions we play in and I hope there is no more injury going into the long season. There will be breakdowns since it is a long season and we have got guys to replace injured players. The management has done a great job in picking the right players in the auction this season.
What kind of equation do you share with head coach Ricky Ponting?
Ricky is someone who lets me be myself. He doesn't interfere too much with the squad I want to play with. He has been in the same shoes as captain of Australia and he knows how important it is to give a captain the freedom to go about things he wants to do during a game.
A word on young Krunal Pandya. He was bowling to Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. What was the brief to him?
I think Hardik (Pandya) and Krunal both are very similar to each other and should be left alone on the field. They take their decisions and set the field accordingly. Krunal is someone who is exceptional as a bowler, understands his bowling and strength really well, which is a good sign. As a captain he gives me that extra cushion since he can bowl, bat and field well. A good package to have overall.
Courtesy: IPLT20.com