IPL 2021: "I'm sure the players are quite hurt" -Β Rohit Sharma on MI's slow start to the season
Rohit Sharma has acknowledged that the Mumbai Indians (MI) failed to adapt as a team in their first five IPL 2021 games in Chennai. The skipper said his teammates, who are quite hurt by the slow start to the campaign, are keen to return to winning ways when they take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) today.
The Mumbai Indians didn't have the best of times at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, struggling to deal with the sluggish conditions. The franchise ended up losing three of the five games they played at the venue.
Speaking ahead of the MI-RR clash, Rohit Sharma explained that his side are eager to turn around their fortunes in IPL 2021.
"When you are playing away you don't know what's in store for you. That is something we failed to adapt to in Chennai. And I'm sure the players are quite hurt. At the same time we don't want to put ourselves down as a team. You know these thing happen. Sometimes things don't go you way. So what do you do? You just try and find a way to come back," Sharma said in a video released by MI.
MI will play their next four games at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, with Rohit Sharma stressing the importance of quickly adapting to the new conditions.
"It will be important for us to adapt quickly. There's no time for us to play that waiting game and understand what we need to do after 10 overs. We need to be at it from ball one," Rohit Sharma said.
"RR have always done well against us" - Rohit Sharma
Rajasthan Royals have won four of their last five IPL encounters with the Mumbai Indians, with the head-to-head record standing at 11 wins each.
Rohit Sharma is expecting another tough encounter between the two teams on Thursday.
"RR is a tough opponent, and they have always done well against us. So we just need to make sure how we can tackle those guys. This tournament is not over by far. We just need to keep at it. Stay in the hunt all the time. Keep fighting it. That the message that's been given to the boys," Rohit Sharma said.
While RR head into todayβs fixture on the back of a win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), MI lost their last match to the Punjab Kings (PBKS).