IPL 2021: Something is missing in our batting line-up - Rohit Sharma after loss against Punjab

Rohit Sharma captain of Mumbai Indians plays a shot during match 17 of the IPL 2021 between the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians. Pic/AFP

After a humiliating nine-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said something is missing in their batting line-up and they are not able to bat 20 overs up to the potential. A spirited bowling performance restricted Mumbai Indians to 131/6 in their allotted 20 overs despite Rohit's 63-run knock. In reply, a half-century from Rahul and Gayle's 43-run knock helped Punjab Kings to win the game with 14 balls to spare.

"Not enough runs. I still feel it is not a bad wicket to bat on. You saw how Punjab Kings batted and won the game with 9 wickets in hand. It is just the application which is missing in our batting. If you get 150-160 on this wicket then you are always in the game, that is something we failed to do in the last two games," Rohit said after the match.

"You can look at it either way, I thought their bowlers bowled well in the powerplay, Ishan was trying to hit but couldn't get it and even I was not able to hit. We have batted well in the powerplay previously but today we failed to do so. Something is missing in our batting line-up, we are not able to bat 20 overs in the fashion we want and something that we have to look at and see what we can do," he added.

When asked about sending Ishan Kishan over in-form Suryakumar Yadav at number three, Rohit said, "It was just a tactical thing, we wanted someone who would bat well against the spinners in the middle and SKY was the one to do that."

"But when you play on such a challenging pitch then you have to be ready for all the possibilities. When you try, if it works it looks good and if it doesn't work then it looks bad, but we always back the decision we make. We are not putting enough effort on the field and when the conditions are tough you need to understand how you need to bat and how you need to bowl," he added.

Earlier, Kieron Pollard remained unbeaten on 16 to take MI's score past the 130-run mark. For Punjab, Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi scalped two wickets each. Mumbai will next take on Rajasthan Royals in Delhi on April 29.

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