IPL 2020 | Not a day we want to remember, our worst performance of the season, rues Rohit Sharma

11/03/2020

After earlier defeating CSK by 10 wickets in Sharjah, MI faced how it feels to be on the receiving end of one as SRH did the same to them at the same venue, making Rohit Sharma say that it was the worst performance of the side this year. SRH steamrolled Mumbai Indians to reach the playoffs.

Heading into the playoffs, you want the momentum to be on your side, but group stage table-toppers and the defending champions, Mumbai Indians, were left shell-shocked after Sunrisers Hyderabad schooled them in what was a must-win game for them as they defeated MI by 10 wickets with 17 balls to spare. Rohit Sharma, who returned back to the MI side, failed with the bat and his side could merely manage a below-par 149, which was never going to be enough in the absence of star bowlers Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.

Speaking after the game, the losing skipper Rohit Sharma said that it was a game that the team would want to forget as it was their worst performance of the season. He also added that dew played a big part in the second innings.

"Not the day we want to remember. probably the worst performance of the season for us. We wanted to try a few things but unfortunately it didn't go our way. Losing wickets at the top doesn't help. We knew the dew was playing a big part, and we wanted to take the toss out of consideration. I am happy to be back on the park. Looking forward to a few more games here and see how it goes," Rohit Sharma stated post match.

There was a lot of confusion over Rohit Sharma's injury, as there was no official press release on the same by BCCI, but interviews of Ravi Shastri and even the BCCI President Sourav Ganguly cautioning Rohit from playing in the IPL, if he wants to prolong his career, emerged to create a cloud over the MI skipper's fitness. But, putting all speculation to rest, Rohit Sharma arrived at the toss to announce his return though it didn't go the way he wanted it to as his team lost the game. He however stated that his hamstring is fine before emphasizing how the team should leave behind their disappointing performance against SRH and move forward.

"The hamstring is absolutely fine. Two ways to look at the dew. We play at Wankhede, which always has dew. So we don't want to be demotivated when we lose the toss. We didn't have enough runs on the board, which didn't put any pressure on us. If you take wickets in the Powerplay, even if there is dew, it can put pressure on them. It is a funny format. You keep doing well. I know you want to remember those two wins against DC but you have to stay in the present and keep doing the small things and keep ticking the boxes. You want to leave tonight behind you as quickly as possible. We will get back to the drawing board tomorrow."

Mumbai Indians will take on Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 on November 5. The defending champions finished the group stage as the table-toppers.