IPL 2023: Eyeing turnaround, MI skipper Rohit Sharma not bogged down by expectations
IPL 2023 begins on Friday, and Mumbai Indians are one of the favourites to clinch the title under Rohit Sharma's legendary leadership. However, while fans have high expectations from Rohit, especially as a batter, he is not worried about it.
FollowRohit Sharma knows something about winning Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies. Having been there and done that on five occasions for record five-time former champion Mumbai Indians (MI), public expectation is the last thing to make him wary. The most successful captain in the history of IPL with five championships, Sharma knows that MI, one of the title contenders, enters any tourney with a baggage of hype and hoopla.
And that's what a protective skipper wants to shield the youngsters in his side from, as one can easily get overawed by the sense of occasion. "Expectations will always be there whenever we play, not just in the IPL. Having played for so many years, it does not bother me, and I am not worried about what people expect me to do. We know we must do our best and win the trophy. To keep thinking about it always is to put pressure on yourself," Sharma said at the season-opening media conference organised by MI.
Dewald Brevis and Tilak Verma will all be playing their second season, but for young Cameron Green with a multi-million dollar deal, IPL will be a different beast altogether. "I don't want to put too much pressure on them [youngsters] right now. Closer to our first game, we will give them specific roles. Guys know what we expect from them leading up to that first game," Sharma explained.
"But the last thing I will do is put too much pressure on them, especially the guys who have not played IPL before, and there are a few," the skipper assured, putting his protective arm around the junior members of the contingent.
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Play like you play first-class cricket
The one tip that the MI skipper always offers to the new players in the set-up is to think of the platform as an extension of domestic cricket and do precisely what got them successful. "I will try to tell them to replicate what they did in first-class or club cricket. The IPL is a different ball game, but I tell them to bring that mindset. The battle is between bat and ball," he added.
Sharma said while his side will miss Jasprit Bumrah but to compensate for his absence, MI will have Jofra Archer ready to unleash his 145-plus thunderbolts. The captain confirmed that MI is also expected to announce a replacement for Bumrah. "It will be a big miss, but it is an opportunity for someone else. A couple of guys have been with this team for the last two years and are ready to step up. Hopefully, we will blood a few youngsters," Sharma said.
"Jofra [Archer] was part of the team last year but was injured. We all know the quality of Jofra. Sadly, we will miss Bumrah this year, we do understand how significant his [Bumrah's] shoes are to fill, but there is an opportunity that is up for grabs, to fill that place. A lot of young players will get an opportunity, and this is a platform for them to come out and express themselves," he said.
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Impact Player would depend on team dynamics
Regarding the new "Impact Player" rule, Sharma said there would be more clarity after the first few matches. "There's no doubt that the captains would use it. But, again, as I said, it depends on all the team dynamics that the other teams have as an 'Impact Player' who is sitting outside," commented Rohit.
"We will not be worried about what the other teams are doing. We will see what we can do and how we can strengthen our team on that particular day. We'll get some idea [about how to use the rule] in the first couple of games, and obviously, we've also had a good chat about this new rule. Luckily for us, when the first [few] games start, we are playing the last to watch the other teams, what they do and how beneficial it is to the team," Rohit expressed.
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"Nine players are sorted; you need to discuss about a couple"
The 'Impact Player' allows 12 players to take an active part in the game, and hence, the skipper said that team combinations would remain fluid, although at least nine slots out of 12 are being sorted. Rohit said it was too early for him to discuss team combination.
"Obviously, [it is] too early to talk about the combination. You want to try and cover all bases. You are playing against RCB, and we know how they play. We want to field our best eleven rather than 12 now. These practice games will give us an idea about what we want to do as a team. Regarding combination, it's pretty tough to reveal anything right now. Your nine players are sorted. It's just that one or two slots that we need to have more chats around. Otherwise, our squad is settled," added Rohit.
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Would love to grow as a player with input from Boucher
Sharma had forged a successful combination with Mahela Jayawardene for some years and is equally hopeful that he will develop a fine rapport with new head coach Mark Boucher. For the record, Jayawardene is now the Global Head of all the MI franchises.
"It's always been my philosophy. I like to learn and grow as a cricketer. I have heard so many good things from the South African players about Mark, about how he has taken the SA team through in the last couple of years when he is taken over as the head coach of the South African team. So, for me, how every individual works and their mindset will be the key. To understand and learn from Mark how he has taken forward his cricket," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)
