Rohit Sharma : We are not dependent on one individual
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma has credited the team's all-around effort for their entry into yet another final of the IPL. He also expects the convincing win over Kolkata Knight Riders to give the side the much-needed confidence going into Sunday's final against in-form Rising Pune Supergiant.
Mumbai topped the league table with 20 points and were by far the most dominant team in the preliminary phase. However, it appears difficult to pick a show-stealer with none of their batsmen making it into the top-5 run scorers of the season and, while Mitchell McClenaghan and Jasprit Bumrah are third and fourth respectively on the bowlers' list, their averages are higher to their peers.
"That's been the hallmark of this team - we've not depended on one individual. It's all about teamwork and we've been doing that regularly. Good to see when individuals take responsibility," Rohit was quoted as saying by IANS after Qualifier 2.
After losing to Pune in the first Qualifier, Mumbai secured a comfortable win over Kolkata yesterday rounding up the latter for a mere 107 in 18.5 overs. While Mumbai has lost all three games against their state rivals this season, Rohit said the win over Kolkata would provide the team with confidence going into the final.
"We've been working hard. So we don't want to shy away from going into the final the hard way. We deserve to be in the final. We've played really good cricket through the tournament. We played a great game today. When you have a performance like that, it gives you confidence. Bowlers set the game up for us," Rohit said.
While Mumbai as a team has been known for their batting prowess, it was the bowlers who set up the victory for the two-time champions. Karn Sharma bowled the spell of his life to claim the wickets of Sunil Narine, Gautam Gambhir, Ishank Jaggi and Colin de Grandhomme. With McClenaghan sitting out the match with an injury, Bumrah proved his credentials kicked in with figures of 3/7 in three overs.
"Their (bowlers) performance was very pleasing. Taking wickets at regular intervals. We always knew that wicket wasn't going to be easy, so we wanted to restrict the score," Rohit said.
"Karn Sharma bowled really well and set the game up for us. It's something we've been talking about (Bumrah with the new ball). We all know Bumrah is a wicket-taking bowler. KKR have a top-heavy batting, so we wanted to get them out early. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes I rely on my gut feel. We kept changing bowlers," he concluded.
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