IPL 2022: Rohit brushes aside claims that playing games in Mumbai are an advantage for MI

IPL 2022 is being held in Mumbai and Pune. Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma disagrees with the claims that playing most of the games in Mumbai is an advantage for his side.

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Maharashtra is the hot spot for all the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 action. The matches are being played in Mumbai (three venues) and Pune (one venue). As a result, many consider that record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI) playing most of its games in Mumbai is an added advantage for the side. However, skipper Rohit Sharma disagrees with it.

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MI has played a couple of matches so far in IPL 2022, having lost both the games. Notably, both have been played in Mumbai so far. Speaking on the same, Rohit feels that barring him and Suryakumar Yadav, none of the other players in the side have played enough games in Mumbai, which happens to be a disadvantage for the side.

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“Speaking of home advantage, I believe, except Surya and me, there are not many guys from Mumbai. Like I said before, it’s a relatively new team. Not many of these guys have played in the climatic conditions of the city of Mumbai. They must have played a few games, but not many games. So, I don’t believe it’s a full-on advantage. Yes, we have been practising here in Mumbai for a long time now. But, not many of these guys have played many games,” Rohit was quoted as saying by ANI.

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“So yes, being in Mumbai, being a home team, being a Mumbai franchisee, that’s an addition. But, if I want to talk about the skills used in these conditions, that has not been done yet. I don’t believe in this advantage. Suppose the IPL happened last year in Mumbai; yes, it would be an advantage as many players from last year had played in Mumbai,” added Rohit.

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Rohit further revealed that Sachin Tendulkar had been an inspiration for him growing up. He admitted that he began following Tendulkar’s career while eight years old. He affirmed that it would be complicated for someone to replicate Tendulkar’s career, while it won’t be easy to carry the teams’ responsibility as he did for 25 years.

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“So, he is the one. I always followed him about what he’s done in his career and how he’s carried himself on-off the field. And the most striking thing about him is his humility towards life, not in just cricket, but he is very humble as a person. After achieving so much, it’s not easy to stay humble, but he’s managed to do so,” Rohit concluded.