Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma iterated after Sunday’s one-run win in the final of IPL 2017 that he believes in farming success collectively. Specifically, individual brilliance can win a team some games but to even to win a championship, a side would need a concerted effort from all.
“Team unity, team work and intelligence. Personally, I believe they are all critical. That’s what we spoke about it at the start of the tournament,” said Rohit after their third IPL title here on Sunday.
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“In the three titles we won, we probably had one batsman in the top five in the first two (title victories) and none in that bracket this time. That’s a little sad but it also shows that different individuals have come and taken the responsibility. That was the difference; guys stepped up and performed. We never relied on one individual to win us the game.”
CHAMPIONSSS!!!! WE DID IT!!!! 🏆💙 #BELI3VE#CricketMeriJaan #IPLfinal pic.twitter.com/t9r5LK2gCW
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 21, 2017
That wasn’t where the long explanation ended.
“Today was the perfect example. The bowling unit came together. We’ve got a few youngsters, inexperienced players and legends in our bowling unit. It was a combination and we gelled nicely. When you are playing on a slow pitch, it’s important to believe that you can defend any target when you are fielding,” said Rohit.
“That was the talk when we came into the change room after our poor batting display. We played our last game (Qualifier 2) probably against one of the better batting units in the tournament, KKR, and bowled them out for 107. Why can’t we do it here? The guys knew the challenge and rose to the occasion,” he said.
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Rohit also said he felt that five bowlers are integral to a winning combination in T20s.
“Hardik (Pandya) and Krunal (Pandya) give us that balance because of the way they bat and bowl. Hardik probably hasn’t bowled much because our five bowlers have delivered consistently,” he said.
‘Krunal brilliant’
When the conversation moved to Krunal Pandya, who scored 47 and went for less than eight an over, Rohit said: “Krunal did a brilliant job. Both Pandya brothers have something special in them. When you see them on the field, they are so excited to play the game, they show their emotions. They want to contribute in some or the other way. They contribute in fielding as well which is such a critical part in this format. They try and create an impact.
"The Pandya brothers are special!" - #RohitSharma
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 21, 2017
Indeed they are, Rohit. 💙#CricketMeriJaan #IPLfinal #BELI3VE pic.twitter.com/8jX5plSTku
“Krunal has become mature now. Last year, he was quite nervous to start with. But now he knows that he is a core member of the squad he just goes out and plays freely. He’s got no pressure. Of course, if you drop a catch, there is a chance of bowling those good overs and take the pressure off and that is exactly what he did,” he concluded.
