Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma has expressed that his side will be missing their lynchpin pacer — Lasith Malinga in this IPL. Malinga had earlier announced his withdrawal from IPL this year due to his father’s illness, who is due to undergo surgery in a couple of weeks.
Initially, it was said that Malinga would join the side later, but strict two-week quarantine before and after flying from Colombo, Sri Lanka came as a hurdle in his plans.
The 37-year-old is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 wickets to his name. He has been a very important part of the Mumbai based side in their success. Mumbai Indians is the most successful side in IPL with four titles.
Lasith Malinga always got us out of trouble: Rohit Sharma
MI skipper Rohit Sharma has stated it’ll be very hard for anyone to fill Malinga’s boots. He said the Sri Lankan has been a match-winner for them and got them out of trouble many a time. Rohit mentioned they have the likes of James Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni and Mohsin Khan, who they’ll look on as a replacement for Lasith Malinga.
“I don’t think it is easy to come and fill his boots. He has been a match-winner for Mumbai. I have said it many times, whenever we sort of find ourselves in trouble, Malinga was the one to bail us out from that,” Rohit Sharma said in a pre-season online press conference.
“His experience will be missed, what he did with MI is unbelievable and it is unfortunate that he is not a part of the team this year. We have got likes – (James) Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin (Khan) and these are the names that we are looking to replace Malinga with. But obviously what Malinga did for Mumbai, it is not just comparable,” he added.
I keep all the options open, whatever the team wants, happy to do that: Rohit Sharma
Rohit says he will most likely open for MI but if the team needs him at any other position he will happily do it. He also stated the challenge for everyone in this IPL is to adapt to the conditions of UAE. Rohit feels they need to go out on the pitch and understand it and then form a game plan.
“I opened the entire tournament last year and I will continue to do that. Again I keep all the options open, whatever the team wants, happy to do that. Even when I play for India, message from my side to the management has always been the same ‘do not close any doors’ keep all the options open and I will do the same here as well,” Rohit said.
“The challenge for us will be to adapt to these conditions here which probably none of us are used to, because not a lot of cricketers from our group have played here. I think mentally it is about going out there and understanding what the pitch is doing, and based on that, you need to plan your game – whether it is your batting or bowling. So we have had a good chat around the group about that,” he elaborated.
The reigning champions are all set to go for a fifth victory to defend their title this term. The squad is well balanced with veterans and young guns.
The Indian Premier League will be played in UAE amid the Coronavirus pandemic and will be held in three venues Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah from September 19 to November 10 amid COVID-19 protocols laid down by the ICC and BCCI.