IPL 2017 Final: Rohit Sharma Lauds Team Unity After Winning Record Third Title

May 22, 2017 at 10:00 AM

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IPL 2017 Final: Rohit Sharma Lauds Team Unity After Winning Record Third Title

With just 129 runs to defend, Mumbai Indians were looking destined to lose their fourth straight match against Rising Pune Supergiant. Moreover, the psychological barrier of not being able to defeat the Pune-based outfit previously in the tournament was also going to play on their minds. However, when the the final ball of the match was delivered by Mitchell Johnson, it was Rohit Sharma who was having the last laugh instead of Steve Smith. The two-time IPL champions showed their experience of the big games and edged out the Steve Smith-led side by just a solitary run to become the first team in the history of the IPL to win three titles.

Speaking after the match, Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma lauded his team’s collective effort throughout the tournament. With the big guns not firing on a consistent basis, Mumbai were taken over the line by a different player in almost every match. The likes of Nitish Rana, Krunal Pandya and Karn Sharma punched above their weight and Rohit Sharma is proud of it.

“I personally feel it is how you prepare at the start of the tournament – getting your combinations right and going on to the field – is the most critical part of winning the tournament,” Rohit said at the post-match presser. “Individual brilliance can win you a few games, but what is required to win this championship is team unity, team work and intelligence.

The India opener backed his claim by citing the example of absence of any Mumbai player in the top 5 of this year’s highest run-getter.

“We spoke about it at the start of the tournament. If you look at the first two titles we won, we probably had one batsman in the top five [leading run-getters]. We didn’t have [even] one batsman in the top-five this time which is a little bit sad, but that goes to show that different individuals have come up at different times and taken up responsibility. That is the hallmark of this team, especially this year,” he said.

Opting to bat first, Mumbai were in a spot of bother after losing both their openers inside three overs. A 33-run stand between Rohit and Ambati Rayudu stopped the rot for a while but the floodgates opened once the latter waas run-out. Within no time, Mumbai found themselves 7 down with just 79 runs on the board. But Krunal Pandya steadied the ship later on and scored 47 runs off 38 balls to give his bowlers something to defend.

“We’ve never relied on one individual to win us the game. Today was the perfect example. The bowling unit came in together. Again, we have got a few youngsters, a few inexperienced players and a few legends in our bowling unit. It was a combination of both, and we gelled quite nicely. We mixed it up nicely,” Rohit added.

Speaking on his decision to bat first in a season where chasing has been the trend, Rohit said:“In a big game, it’s good to put runs on the board. The history at this place is such that there have been 200 runs scored in an innings and also just 140. So if you don’t bat well, you won’t make a big target.”

“I don’t think we applied ourselves too well. Our target was between 140 and 160. If we had tried to overreach to 180, then you could’ve been bowled out for 120,” Rohit said. “So our talk was that we try and make 140 so we may even get to 160. 160 on this wicket would’ve been a match-winning score, as you saw.

“When you are playing on a slow pitch, it’s important to believe you can defend any target when you are fielding. So that was the talk when we came into the change room after our poor batting display. We spoke about how we played our last game against one of the better batting units in the tournament – KKR – and bowled them out for 105. Why can’t we do it here? The guys knew the challenge but they rose to the occasion,” he added.

Mumbai did not begin their defence in a manner they would have wanted especially when defending such a low-total and with so much at stake. A team, which is regarded as one of the finest fielding units in the tournament, surprisingly made few mistakes in the field.  The most glaring mistake and which could have turned the match in Pune’s favour was made by Krunal Pandya, who spilled a simple chance offered by Ajinkya Rahane. The Pune opener was batting on only 14 at that time and had gone on to make 44.

Rohit admitted that his team was not up to the mark in the fielding department during the first-half of the innings.

“When you are defending such a low target, it’s so important for the fielders to try and create some magic – taking a brilliant catch or stopping those crucial runs. We spoke about it in the change room that we wanted to add 20 runs extra with our fielding. But yeah, the first ten overs we were a little sloppy in the field,” he said.

“These things can happen, sometimes you are so nervous you try and overdo it. [During] the break we had after six overs, we just got together and asked everyone to be calm. You can’t come and play your shots; it’s such a slow wicket. We always had that belief that things can change anytime.

“We had to stay in the game for 20 overs. [It] didn’t matter if they create a partnership for 10 overs or whatever, we wanted to stay in the game. One wicket here and there and things can change. And, that’s exactly what happened. We squeezed in and spinners came in and bowled those dot balls, created pressure, which made them play big shots. That’s where they made mistakes,” he added.

Rohit also had a word of praise for Mitchell Johnson, who defended 10 runs in the final over despite being hit for a four on the very first ball of the over.

“Mitchell McClenaghan, who was playing well for us, was injured and unfortunately he couldn’t find a place in the finals, but we always knew we had a great backup in Johnson, who is again a proven customer,” he said. “He has done it for Australia and MI as well. He has been in this atmosphere as well. I could happily rely on him when I needed the most. The last over was very crucial. Steven Smith was set, batting really well. So is Dan Christian, he has played against him on many occasions.

Rohit concluded his interview by heaping lavish praise on Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – for their all-round performance throughout the tournament. Hardik finished the season with 250 runs at a strike-rate of 156.25 and 6 wickets while his elder brother Krunal scored 243 runs in addition to taking 10 wickets.

“I think both Pandya brothers have something special in them,” Rohit said. “When you see them on the field, they are so excited to play the game. They want to contribute in some or the other way. It’s just not about bowling or batting; they contribute in fielding as well which is such a critical part in this format.

“Krunal has become mature now. Last year he was nervous to start with. Now he knows 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 the catch, there is a chance of coming back and bowling a good over. That’s exactly what he did.”

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