Rohit Sharma was the talisman for Mumbai Indians (MI), leading them to a 49-run victory against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 match, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. After winning the man of the match award, the MI captain said, “It was all about how we executed our plans today, we were in good positions and it was all about being ruthless”. He went on to add that the wicket was good, and his team took advantage of it. Speaking about his batting display, he revealed that he had been practicing his pull shots lately.

Scoring 80 off 54 deliveries, Rohit also said that he wanted to spend some time in the middle overs, which he wasn’t able to do in the defeat to Chennai Super Kings (CSK). “Was looking to spend some time in the middle; it didn’t come out well in the first innings but glad to have done it tonight,” quipped Rohit.

Rohit revealed that MI had planned a pace attack for the Wankhede Stadium, but COVID-19 spoiled their plans. “We never knew that the IPL would happen in the UAE so we wanted a pace attack that was strong for the Wankhede”, he said.

He praised Trent Boult and James Pattinson for performing well, even though they joined the team late.

Speaking about his dismissal, he revealed that he was exhausted.

“It takes a lot out of you to play in these conditions. Maybe I was a bit tired in the end and it was a lesson for us that one set batsmen needs to bat deep till the end,” he stated.

Meanwhile, KKR captain Dinesh Karthik felt that his team needs to improve in all areas.

“I think we had areas to do well in bat and ball. I think it was a pretty rusty day to be honest,” he said.

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Karthik also feels his side needs to get used to the conditions in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

MI face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their next match on September 28. Meanwhile, KKR face SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on September 26.