Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma stated taking wickets at regular intervals was the key to success as the five-time champions beat Rajasthan Royals by five wickets as they put up their best show of IPL 2022 on Saturday night at the DY Patil Stadium.
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“That's how we play, real potential came out today, with the ball especially,” Rohit, who is celebrating his 35th birthday on Saturday said after the game. “They kept applying the pressure. If you keep taking wickets, it's going to be difficult for them, we did that perfectly today.”
Asked if he ever thought this could be his birthday present, Rohit said, “I’d definitely take it.” Mumbai Indians recorded their first win of IPL 2022 after eight straight defeats. The India captain didn't feel that team combination was the reason for the debacle that this season has been so far.
“This is the team we played in the first couple of games except few bowling changes. When you have a season like that, you are not sure of your combination. You want to try out so many things.” Rohit Sharma admitted that conditions in Navi Mumbai are a bit different.
“The conditions are different. The ball tends to grip here, the pitches are flat in the other venues. We try and field the best combination, it hasn't worked for eight games,” he added. It has been a season of near misses, feels the Mumbai Indians skipper.
“But one thing I can say is, we were not blown away by the opposition, we came really close. Had we won those games, things would have been slightly different,” said Rohit. Chasing 159, Mumbai Indians reached home in 19.2 overs, courtesy of Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Tilak Varma (35) adding 81 for the third wicket.
Suryakumar admitted his job is to take the game ahead from where Rohit Sharma left. “It was really important for me to play till the end, but my job at No. 3 was to take the game ahead from where Rohit left,” said Suryakumar.
“I have enjoyed batting at all positions, but I love batting at No. 3 because I can pace my innings accordingly and take the game ahead. I am really flexible. (This win) Spreads a loads of positivity, even in the practice session, we are enjoying each others’ company,” he added.
