20 April,2019 07:30 AM IST | Jaipur | Santosh Suri
Rohit Sharma
After making major Capital gains in Delhi on Thursday night, the surging Mumbai Indians have moved to this historic city where they take on Rajasthan Royals on Saturday afternoon.
The aim of skipper Rohit Sharma is simple - to build on the gains and maintain the momentum. If they are able to put it across the hosts, they will be on the top of the points table for the first time in IPL-12.
Mumbai Indians have been quietly efficient this season and are well on the way to securing a playoffs berth. Rohit has taken the right calls based on his experiences and it would be the case when his troops line-up against the Royals.
The decision to bring in leg-spinner Rahul Chahar for the Delhi game proved to be a masterstroke. "He was a part of the team last year, but never got to play. At some stage we wanted to get him in. He's shown the right kind of attitude, and he's very smart in terms of what he wants to execute. Those breakthroughs [against Delhi] were good. He's very confident bowling to left-handers too. If you show confidence in him as captain, he will deliver," is what Rohit had to say about the talented youngster.
Another option in Chahar
Chahar's success has given Mumbai Indians another option in their armour and they seem to be getting their strategy right as the tournament enters the business end. "I think we are slowly but surely starting to find some rhythm. We are getting to know what our strengths are as a team," Quinton de Kock said after the Delhi win.
Also Read: IPL 2019: Mumbai outplayed us in all departments, says Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer
Rohit said that the condition of the pitch and the strength of the opponents would determine if Mumbai Indians would retain the XI or make certain changes. "The game plan changes according to the venue and the opposition.
The top three generally remains [unchanged], but 4, 5 and 6 are flexible. So, we will have Ben Cutting come at one drop. The idea to send him at No. 3 was a good one. When the ball is nice and hard, we want to use him as a power-hitter and he can also exploit their spinners too." Of course, Mumbai need to be wary of complacency. Royals are quite strong in their citadel. But the hosts will have to work out their combination.
It was not prudent to leave out a player of Steve Smith's calibre in the previous game. They might as well use his services till he is available, as all the Aussie cricketers selected for the World Cup are to leave the IPL on May 1. So, that's the dilemma which is bothering the Royals management - finding a replacement for Smith in the XI right now or wait for him to depart.
Also Read: T20 Mumbai League gets two more teams
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