Two losses don't equate to doom and gloom: Rohit Sharma

There were many things with Mumbai Indians that clicked instantly. In the last decade, it was a rarity to see Mumbai Indians, easily the most dominant of all sides in the league’s history, failing to capitalize on the base they had but in 2022 and now, two matches into 2023, they have failed to procure a realistic chance of making any sort of impact.

“We lost our way in the middle and did not capitalise on the start we got,” Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation. “It was a good pitch, but we were 30-40 runs short due to our failure to capitalise in the middle overs. Got to credit their spinners, but they bowled well and kept us under pressure.”

One thing that Mumbai Indians have done better than any team in the tournament is to extract the maximum advantage from the young talents. This year, the likes of Cameron Green and Tristan Stubbs haven’t added much value yet, but Rohit wants to stick to his philosophy of giving enough opportunities to youngsters to find the best balance. Hence, he wants the senior batters, including him, to start delivering for the franchise.

“You need to try out different things and you need to attack and be brave. We have got a couple of young guys and got to give some time to them. They have real talent and we have to back them and show trust in their ability which we are doing. The senior guys need to step up, starting with me. 

“We know the nature of IPL, when the tournament starts we need to get some momentum and when you don't, it is tough. Just two games and all is not lost still. If you win, you can win a few on the trot, and when you lose it is hard to come out of that momentum. Hopefully, things start to change,” Sharma added.

Mumbai Indians will now travel to Delhi to take on Delhi Capitals on April 11, 2023.