Rohit, who led MI from 2013 to 2023, said he always wanted to mould the squad according to his thought process because he knew how to achieve success in the IPL
Historically, Mumbai Indians have always been slow starters in the IPL. They believe in finishing well and boy they have managed to do that in some style on many occasions. There have been seasons where MI lost the majority of their league games in the first half but went on to win the tournament. They haven’t won the IPL five times for no reason. This year, the start has been similar. MI lost three back-to-back before winning two and then going down to Chennai Super Kings in their last match. They are currently at No.9 in the IPL 2024 points table. But most IPL fans would not make the mistake of counting out one of the best teams in the tournament.
Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma runs between the wickets(AFP)
This year, the comeback trial might be slightly more difficult. They don’t have Rohit Sharma, the man behind their turnaround, as their captain. Ahead of the 17th season, MI replaced Rohit with Hardik Pandya as their new captain. The move didn’t go down well with the majority of the MI fans. The aftereffects of the same have been in pretty all of MI’s matches this season where Hardik was subjected to endless boos and trolls. He wasn’t spared even at MI’s home ground Wankhede.
When Rohit was asked about the trend of MI starting poorly in the IPL and then getting better as the tournament progressed, the Indian skipper said he has been working with the support staff to create a culture for the last 10 years. That has helped the team bounce back from difficult situations.
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“All these years, this has been the story of Mumbai Indians, where we start slow and then things start to change…,” Rohit said on Club Prairie Fire podcast.
Rohit, who led MI from 2013 to 2023, said he always wanted to mould the squad according to his thought process because he knew how to achieve success in the IPL.
‘I know how to succeed in IPL’: Rohit Sharma
“The captain for the last 10 years was stagnant. The coaches have changed but the captain has been the same. I actually went in with some sort of thought process… The new people who come in (to the squad), I wanted to get them to (follow) my thought process because I know how IPL works and what it takes to be a successful team. It takes time to take everyone on board and make them do something which they are not used to,” he added.
To highlight his point, the stylish opener narrated how he had to convince former Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson to bowl a bit fuller to maximise the swing on offer at Wankhede.
“I know Wankhede Stadium. I’ve grown up there. I know what works there, what you need to do… For example, Mitchell Johnson, we all know likes to bang in hard at the deck and I knew it was not gonna work in Wankhede. You’ve got to pitch it slightly fuller and get the ball to swing a little bit. We had to talk to him to see if he could do something different.”
Rohit also credited the coaches and support staff he worked with for helping him in his journey at MI.
“I wanted to get them on board with my thought process. I obviously heard them, what they wanted to do. Then we find a balance between a captain and a player and we come to a conclusion.
“When I took over and then until last year when I was captain… We all understand it’s not one person’s job. I need the backing of my support staff to make sure that we align with the same thought process. Right from Ponting to Jayawardene to now Mark Boucher, they’ve all been very supportive.”
