During an online press conference which was attended by the skipper Rohit Sharma and Coach Mahela Jayawardene where they confirmed that Rohit would be opening the innings for the Mumbai Indians this season. Rohit himself confirmed the news. The skipper further believes that they are keen to adopt new options but when it comes to the opening he is quite confident and is looking forward to opening it for the team.
The captain further spoke about his intensions on batting top of the order as he had opened for the team the previous year for the entire season. Rohit wants the best for the team and is happy to bat at any position if required. The management is open to all the options and they know what is best for the team. Rohit declared just 2 days before the game against the mighty Chennai Super Kings.
It is De Kock who will be opening with the skipper as Lynn will have to wait on the sidelines for now. Chris Lynn was bought bu the Mumbai INDIANS for 2 crores but his Carribean season did not go hand in hand as he was not able to deliver on slower pitch and scored only 138 runs playing for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, scoring his runs at an average of 17.25 with a highest of 34.
The Mumbai indians coach explained that the rohit-de kock duo had done an exceptional job last season as they hold great experience and can get the job done this season too. They are in no mood to fix something which is not broken. Both the players are quiet consistent and understand each other well so the duo will open for the Mumbai indians this season as well.
On the other hand Lynn has provided flexibility to the side by extending their number of option in terms of quality. The player has added more value to the side and will be used whenever needed in an unpredictable match.
The Mumbai Indians have faced a huge blow in the face of Lasith Malinga as he had opted out of the team due to personal reasons. The skipper and the coach are looking forward to fill his shoes as his presence was a great advantage to the team. Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson could be the ones to take the task.
The skipper appreciated the presence of malinga as he’s a match winner for both Mumbai indians and sri lanka. The player has bailed Mumbai indians out of many difficult situations and won the match single handedly. It is quite obvious that his shoes are hard to fill but they are working on Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson and Dhawal Kulkarni to take his place and prove themselves.
Rohit sharma also praised the management as they have helped the team to stay fresh and focused. The team is mentally strong and prepared. The skipper also spoke about the bio-buble norms and explained that the team has been following all the protocols with ease. No other player is drained in the hotel and everyone are mentally prepared for all the challenges.
Laslty the skipper spoke about having to play the entire season in the UAE. He believed that it going to be a difficult task as most of their players have not played in UAE. He expects the senior players who have already been in UAE to help the ones who were never a part of cricket match in the UAE. The skipper also believes that understand the pitch would be vital role in deciding the outcome of the match. They have played a few practice matches but reading of the pitch will be quite essential for every other team.
The Mumbai Indians will take on the Chennai Super Kings tomorrow in an exciting opening match of the Dream11 IPL 2020.