CHENNAI: Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma admitted that his team was outplayed by Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural match of the 2020 IPL at Abu Dhabi on Saturday. He blamed his batsman for not capitalising on the good start and said that there was a lot to learn from CSK after this defeat.
"None of our batsmen carried on for us, like how Faf du Plessis and (Ambati) Rayudu did for CSK. I think we were 85 in the first 10 overs. Credit to the CSK bowlers, they bowled well at the end to pull things back. Something for us to learn,'' said Sharma.
The India opener believed that his team needs to rectify its mistakes and get back to winning ways quickly. "Still early days. We all want to start really well, it's crucial in this tournament where momentum is important. A few things for us to learn from this game, we did make a few mistakes. Hopefully, we'll rectify those and come out smarter in the next game. We are used to people cheering for us, and we knew this (empty stands) was on the cards. Anyway, this is new normal, but I hope that things get better soon,'' added Rohit.
The pitches in the UAE are different from that at Mumbai and adaptation is the key to success. "We need to adapt to the pitches, it got better with the dew coming. You need to hit the gaps and focus on that part of the game. The opposition can tie you down, it's all about understanding what we need to do,'' explained Rohit.
Meanwhile, Mumbai pacer James Pattinson said during the post-match press conference that even his team would have bowled first as there was an 'advantage' in bowling first. "We were looking to bowl first. With the temperature being high at night time, the ground does get a bit wet. So, there is an advantage in bowling first. Both the teams were looking to bowl first. There's a little bit of wetness around the grass. It skidded on a little bit. It was a good wicket overall," the Australian added.
Mumbai's middle-order did not click and there are talks about Kiron Pollard's batting slot. "I think between Pollard and the two Pandya brothers, it's just going to float at number 5, 6 and 7 depending on the situation of the game. I'm sure he'll (Pollard) bat higher at some stage, depending on the situation in the game," said Pattinson.
The Australian speedster said playing without crowds was the new normal. "You just have to make your own noise out there. It's obviously hard when you don't have fans cheering behind you, especially the Mumbai Indians fans who are great. So, yeah it's different, it's different times, we're just grateful to be playing cricket," said Pattinson.