Indian Premier League 2022 – “He Was Unable To Convert…”: As Rohit Sharma Struggles, Mumbai Indians Coach Mahela Jayawardena Has This To Say On Star Opener

Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians are going through a forgettable season as they have managed to win just one out of nine games. All three departments of the game have not worked in unison for the franchise in this edition. That is one of the reasons why the Rohit Sharma-led side is at the bottom of the table with just two points. Rohit Sharma has also not been able to score big as he has registered just  155 runs in nine games at an average of 17.22. With him going through a lean patch, MI have failed to get big opening partnerships.

MI head coach Mahela Jayawardena on Thursday said that Rohit has not been able to convert his starts this season but at the end of the day, it is about a collective team performance rather than individual performance. He also highlighted how the finishers have not been able to take the five-time champions over the line.

“Let me answer that in a much fairer way. Yes, as you rightly said Ro (Rohit Sharma) has been brilliant in batting for long periods, getting those big scores consistently and the rest of the guys have batted around him. He knows he had starts and he is disappointed that he has been unable to convert them into big ones. For a team to work it is not about just one individual, it is about a team executing a game plan. The way we have structured our lineup this season, that is something we have lacked and at the top,” said Jayawardene while replying to a NDTV query during a virtual press conference.

“At the same time, we have not had those finishers at the backend also. It is about getting most of the guys playing good cricket and having that consistency going through. That is something we have lacked. You take Gujarat Titans for example this season, you have seen them winning 3-4 games at least from positions from where they were completely outplayed by individual brilliance or finishing games off by either Miller, Tewatia or even Rashid. That is what the season requires and we have not had that spark. So, this has been one of those seasons where we have not been able to win those close matches and we have not been able to ruthlessly finish games off. You need your main batters to be consistent and getting those runs. But it is just not one individual, it is about a collective team performance,” he stated further.

Mumbai Indians had registered their first win of the ongoing season in their ninth game against Rajasthan Royals.

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While replying to NDTV question on whether someone like Arjun Tendulkar can be tried out in the remaining matches, Jayawardena said: “Well, I think everyone is the squad is an option, it is about match-ups and how we can win the matches. Every game is a confidence thing, we managed to get our first win and it is about stringing wins together. It is about putting the best guys on the park. If Arjun is one of them then yes, but it all depends on the combination that we put out.”

The Rohit-led side will next square off against Gujarat Titans on Friday at the Brabourne Stadium.