The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League will kick-off on September 19. Just two days prior to this season Mumbai Indians have made it clear that Rohit Sharma will open the batting this year as well for the franchise.
The defending Champions will up against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020 opening game.
MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene and the captain Rohit Sharma briefed the press conference on Thursday.
“I opened for the entire tournament last year and will continue to do that. As a team, we keep all options open. I’m happy to do what the team wants. I enjoy batting at the top of the order and I’ve been doing it for a while. But even when I play for India, the message to the management is to not close any door and keep all the options open, so I’ll do the same here,” Rohit Sharma said in a press conference on Thursday.
Later on, head coach Mahela Jayawardene made it clear that there is no scope for any other opener in the line up as they are banking on Rohit-de Kock pair.
“Lynn is a great addition to the squad, but the combination of Rohit and Quinton did a phenomenal job for us last season. They complement each other well, they’re consistent and both of them are experienced. They’re good leaders as well, so why would you want to fix something that isn’t broken? We will continue to go with that,” said Jayawardene.
“Lynn as an option gives us flexibility in the squad and that’s what we’ve always done. We try and add more value to the team, give more options so that we can be unpredictable when it comes to tournaments and big matches. Quinton and Rohit as a combination have been brilliant.”
When asked about the bowling concerns Rohit said,”For anyone, it’s hard to fill his boots. What he has done for MI and Sri Lanka is remarkable. He has been a match-winner for MI, whenever we were in trouble, Malinga bailed us out. His experience will be missed and what he did for MI is unbelievable. Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson and Dhawal Kulkarni are some of the names who can be his replacement. What he did for MI cannot be compared and he cannot be replaced.”
“The challenge for us would be to adapt to these conditions. Not a lot of cricketers from our group have played here. People who have been here need to share their experience with the players who have not played so far. Mentally, it’s about going there and understanding the pitch is doing. We have played some practice matches here and we know what to expect there. Reading the pitches will be very important,” Rohit stated when asked about the UAE playing conditions.
