With a majority of Indian players having little experience of playing in the U.A.E, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma said the onus is on the experienced players to share their knowledge of the conditions with the youngsters.
“It will be a challenge for us to adapt to the conditions here. Not many from our group have played here. It is important for people who have been here before to share their experience with the others,” Rohit said during an interaction with the media from Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
“The pitches and reading it will play a critical role in this IPL. The slowness of the wicket will be a factor. We are expecting some reverse swing and we have got some good quality pacers in our line-up to exploit that.”
The last time the IPL was partially played in UAE, MI had lost all its five games.
Rohit stressed it won’t have any bearing on the 2020 campaign since “only two-three guys from this squad” were part of the 2014 team.
“The team, the staff is different, so we are looking forward and want to put out a good performance and want to start well.”
Head coach Mahela Jayawardene said the management had taken a conscious decision to offer players the option of travelling with their families to mentally cope with living in a bio-bubble.
“A lot of them will be away even after the IPL as well, as they have international commitments. One of the ideas was to create an environment within the hotel where everyone is being looked after well.
“Most of the players have come with their families so it’s good that they are spending time with them,” Jayawardene said.
“We are trying to keep the rest of the guys with different types of activities. It is a challenge but we are making sure we create a good environment around them.”
