Mumbai Indians’ batting coach Robin Singh has said that he is confident that they can carry on the momentum that they have created with the wins from their last two matches. Mumbai started the season slowly but two consecutive wins in their last two matches have given them the much-needed momentum.
After registering their fourth win of the tournament in eight matches Mumbai are currently the fourth position in the league table and would like to win their remaining matches to qualify for the playoffs.
“This is the second half of the tournament and we’re going to focus on just winning all our games. That’s the way we want to play,” the coach said while speaking to the media on Saturday (April 30).
Mumbai struggled to find the right combination of the openers in the initial phase of the tournament but with Rohit Sharma finally settling as an opener, they are finally looking like a settled unit.
“It’s important to get good starts. Obviously, somebody who is opening for India, that’s the preferred position for him, and even for us. He’s got three big scores and we’ve won all three games. Unfortunately, we do not have Lendl Simmons this year. But they (Rohit and Parthiv Patel) have done an excellent job. “[Ambati] Rayudu has also played really well and the rest of the guys have backed them. We are looking at the top-five guys to continue to do what they are doing. [Kieron] Pollard had an excellent game last time,” Singh said.
Mumbai’s next match against Rising Pune Supergiants will be the final Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 game in Maharashtra before both teams head to Vizag, which will be the venue for their remaining home matches. When asked if the change will negate the home advantage factor, Singh said that it will not create too much difference.
“Obviously, Wankhede has been somewhere where we have preferred to play. We have done really well here, it’s been our home venue for the past so many years and it’s been almost like a fortress for us. But I think we have accepted the fact that we need to play in different venues,” he said. “IPL is a tournament where you’ve got to keep moving to different venues and I’m pretty sure we’ll be okay with those venues. Vizag is a pretty good batting wicket as per my knowledge. So probably it would suit us pretty well.
“We’re pretty well-prepared for most of the conditions we will encounter. We select the team, especially the squad, based on what we know that we will get around India. So I don’t think Vizag is any different to any other venue,” he said, when asked if the team’s plans were affected by the shift in venues.
Singh’s role is not limited as the batting coach but he also takes the responsibility to scout talents during off-seasons.
When asked about the difference between his roles, before the season and during it, Singh said: “It’s pretty different. Obviously, you have to monitor people and their progress throughout the year. I guess when you get down to the nitty-gritty, especially before the start of the tournament, you try to understand the guy’s mindset. Most guys have done pretty well throughout the year. We don’t really have too much access, even though we know what’s going on. We would look to adapt to what is necessary for the environment and the teams that they are playing.
“But when we get together here we have a structure that we like them to fill in and got into, more than anything else. We give them roles and we try and make sure that each one executes that role to the best of their ability,”he concluded.