The Indian Premier League is an ideal tournament to prepare and strike form before a big event like the 2019 World Cup feels Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma.
The Indian Premier League is an ideal tournament to prepare and strike form before a big event like the 2019 World Cup feels Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma.
In the media interaction before the IPL final on Sunday, Rohit played down the issues of workload management and said that he had left it to the players (Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah) to manage their fitness.
“We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of them and see where they are at and how they feel about their body as the tournament progresses. It is more of an individual thing than what we decided for them,” said Rohit.
“Like in Jasprit’s case, he is someone who likes to play games to make sure that he is in good rhythm. We spoke at any given stage, if he feels the need to rest, we were open for it. Our physios have monitored him quite well. There was constant feedback from Jasprit as well. So far there are no issues with either of them- Hardik or Jasprit. It has to come from them and they want to continue playing,” he explained.
“How their form is the most important thing, they are really doing well. Anyone who plays the IPL and goes to a big tournament (like the World Cup) I feel it keeps them very much in touch with their game. It is a great tournament to hit form. Hardik is one example,” Rohit said.
Hardik Pandya has played 15 matches and scored 386 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 193. He has also been in a good rhythm with the ball and picked up 14 wickets at an average of 21.16
“He was injured before the IPL, missed few games as well (for India), now he has done tremendously well for us. You can judge yourself where you are ahead of a big tournament like the World Cup,” Rohit added.
Looking ahead at the IPL final where Mumbai Indians square-off against defending champions CSK, Rohit said, “It (Hyderabad) is a neutral venue. Both teams have played here so they are very much aware of the conditions. It is not going to be a major factor. Important will be to assess the pitch as quickly as we can, see what the ideal score will be if we bat first.”
In terms of head to head records, Mumbai have the edge having beaten CSK thrice this season besides getting the better of them in two finals.
“There is a lot of hype around the two teams (CSK and MI) and it is because they have been successful in winning the championship, everyone looks forward to the clash,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, there was no representation from opponents Chennai Super Kings in the mandatory press conference as they arrived late on Saturday evening.
CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming were also supposed to attend the pre-final interaction.
In the media interaction before the IPL final on Sunday, Rohit played down the issues of workload management and said that he had left it to the players (Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah) to manage their fitness.
“We spoke at the start of the tournament that we will assess each one of them and see where they are at and how they feel about their body as the tournament progresses. It is more of an individual thing than what we decided for them,” said Rohit.
“Like in Jasprit’s case, he is someone who likes to play games to make sure that he is in good rhythm. We spoke at any given stage, if he feels the need to rest, we were open for it. Our physios have monitored him quite well. There was constant feedback from Jasprit as well. So far there are no issues with either of them- Hardik or Jasprit. It has to come from them and they want to continue playing,” he explained.
“How their form is the most important thing, they are really doing well. Anyone who plays the IPL and goes to a big tournament (like the World Cup) I feel it keeps them very much in touch with their game. It is a great tournament to hit form. Hardik is one example,” Rohit said.
Hardik Pandya has played 15 matches and scored 386 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 193. He has also been in a good rhythm with the ball and picked up 14 wickets at an average of 21.16
“He was injured before the IPL, missed few games as well (for India), now he has done tremendously well for us. You can judge yourself where you are ahead of a big tournament like the World Cup,” Rohit added.
Looking ahead at the IPL final where Mumbai Indians square-off against defending champions CSK, Rohit said, “It (Hyderabad) is a neutral venue. Both teams have played here so they are very much aware of the conditions. It is not going to be a major factor. Important will be to assess the pitch as quickly as we can, see what the ideal score will be if we bat first.”
In terms of head to head records, Mumbai have the edge having beaten CSK thrice this season besides getting the better of them in two finals.
“There is a lot of hype around the two teams (CSK and MI) and it is because they have been successful in winning the championship, everyone looks forward to the clash,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, there was no representation from opponents Chennai Super Kings in the mandatory press conference as they arrived late on Saturday evening.
CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming were also supposed to attend the pre-final interaction.