Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma admitted that they failed to capitalize on the good start they got against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Thursday. MI got off to a great start as they added 59 runs in the powerplay overs with Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock batting at the top of their game.
However, KKR spinners were able to pull things back after the first six overs as they kept things in check. The MI openers added 78 runs but Sunil Narine got the big wicket of Rohit Sharma and then things went south for the reigning champions.
The MI’s middle order could not get going after Quinton de Kock scored a fine half-century. Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan failed to get going and they haven’t been at their best in the ongoing season. Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya also failed to add the finishing touches and there is no doubt that MI is missing the services of Hardik Pandya.
Mumbai could only manage 155 runs on the board after they were put in to bat by Eoin Morgan on a good batting pitch. In fact, MI was 80-1 after the first 10 overs and they should have posted more than 175 runs on the board.
Rohit Sharma said in the post-match presentation, “Few areas (went wrong). We started really well but didn’t get enough towards the back end. I thought it was a good pitch, we failed to capitalize on the start we got and we didn’t bowl well at the start. I don’t want to look into it too much, things can happen and you have to move on. After a good start we had to get small partnerships but we kept losing wickets at regular intervals, it is not easy for new batters to go in and start hitting the ball. It is something that happened in the last game as well and we will address it. It is always there at the back of the mind on where you stand, we are still in the middle of the table, so we have to get back and fight and hopefully get some wins on the trot”.
MI have now lost both their two matches in the second phase and they will need to turn the tables to qualify for the playoff stages. Mumbai has always bounced back from similar situations in the IPL and they will look to replicate their success. The Rohit Sharma-led team will next face RCB at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 26th September.
