IPL 2021: [Watch] Rohit Sharma says hello in Tamil as Mumbai Indians arrive in Chennai
In a short video message in Tamil, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has informed fans that the franchise has arrived in Chennai.
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will take on the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore in their IPL 2021 opener in Chennai on April 9.
On Wednesday, Mumbai Indians took to their official Instagram handle to post a video of Rohit Sharma offering his greetings in Tamil, where the MI captain is heard saying:
“Vanakkam Chennai. Mumbai Indians Inge Vandito.” (Hello Chennai. Mumbai Indians are here)
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and the Pandya brothers - Hardik and Krunal - joined Mumbai Indians on Monday, a day after India beat England in the third ODI of a three-match series in Pune.
As per BCCI protocols, players who featured in the India-England series do not have to undergo quarantine. They were allowed bubble-to-bubble transfer. Since Indian captain Virat Kohli has left the bio-bubble, he will have to undergo a seven-day quarantine on reaching Chennai on April 1.
Mumbai Indians share a cute video of Rohit Sharma’s daughter
Earlier in the day, the Mumbai Indians franchise shared a cute video of Rohit Sharma’s daughter. The MI captain’s wife and daughter Samaira are with him in the bio-bubble.
In the video, Rohit Sharma got Samaira to wear his helmet and told her:
“You look like a wicketkeeper.”
Rohit Sharma’s wife Ritika added that Samaira looked like ‘Rishabh (Pant) chachu’.
Ritika then requested Samaira to demonstrate how ‘papa’ hits a six. And the little girl did not disappoint. Asked about the logo on the helmet, Samaira correctly replied, “Mumbai Indians”.
Mumbai Indians are the defending champions in the IPL and also the most successful franchise in the history of the T20 competition. The two-time defending champions have won the competition a record five times, with Rohit Sharma the captain on all five occasions.
In the IPL final last year, Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets. Rohit Sharma top-scored in that game with 68 off 51 balls as the then-four-time champions chased down a 157-run target with consummate ease.
IPL 2021 will be played in a bio-secure environment behind closed doors owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The T20 competition was played in the UAE last year owing to the rising cases of COVID-19 in India.
India are currently battling a second wave of the virus, with a high number of cases being registered on a daily basis.