Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma gives a shout-out to bowler Alzarri Joseph (PTI)
Rohit Sharma, the MI skipper, believes it is vital for his squad to bank as many wins as possible in the early stages of the tournament, especially since some of his teammates will be away preparing for the World Cup toward the end.
Following Saturday's victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rohit explained that they need to maximize their early opportunities because the closing stages of the season are always stressful, and losing players to World Cup commitments only adds to the pressure.
Rohit stated that the team wants to avoid a sluggish start to the campaign. This goal was realized thanks to Alzarri Joseph's incredible debut, in which he set a new league record by taking 6 wickets for 12 runs.
The Mumbai Indians captain was floored by the performance of the young West Indian pacer. Rohit remarked that it was an inspiring debut and credited Joseph's confidence, which he brought with him from the CPL.
At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Alzarri Joseph broke the spirit of the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting order, ensuring Mumbai Indians defended a relatively low score of 136.
Earlier in the game, a spirited 46 from Kieron Pollard gave Mumbai Indians a decent finish. Rohit admitted their batting wasn't great and they lost wickets quickly, realizing early on that the pitch wouldn't support a score of 170-180. He explained that rain and the use of covers had made the surface sticky, leading them to believe that 140 was a defendable total given the strength of their bowling attack.
The MI captain added that they knew they were back in the game once they took an early wicket, trusting that their combination of seamers and spin could bowl the opposition out in the middle overs.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar lamented a dropped catch of Pollard, believing it changed the course of the match. He noted that Pollard went on to score 25-30 more runs, which proved decisive. Kumar mentioned that while the chase could have been simple with a focused effort, missing such a key chance makes things difficult, as you must be clinical to hold a team under 120.
This result marked Mumbai Indians' third win in five outings, while Hyderabad suffered their second loss in the same span. Reflecting on his captaincy, Bhuvneshwar mentioned that while it's a tough job, having experienced players makes it easier. He noted that while they had strong opening partnerships in the first three games, their middle order struggled when finally tested today.