Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, ahead of their IPL 2020 final against Delhi Capitals, reflected upon his team's journey so far and their preparations for the title defence. Unlike Delhi Capitals who have reached the final for the first time, Mumbai Indians are not new to playing in the summit clash and Rohit said that final doesn't change anything for them and they need to "keep ticking those small boxes" that has got them so far in the tournament, without worrying too much about the result.
"It's a great feeling to be part of another final. We do understand how much it takes to be successful throughout the tournament and qualify for the playoffs and then the finals. The final doesn't change anything for us. We need to keep the same things going and keep ticking those small-small boxes. And I think if we keep doing those things the results will follow," Rohit said in a video posted on Mumbai Indians' official Twitter handle.
The defending champions finished the league stage on top of the points table and Rohit said it was because that whenever their team was in trouble someone of the other had put their hands and gave that match-winning performance.
"We've been challenged as a team on many occasions. No one can say that we are a defending team or a bat-first team. We've done well on both occasions. That's also because of the combination we play. The guys we have in our squad putting their hands up and taking the responsibility. That's also very crucial for us," said MI skipper, who has led them to four IPL titles.
One of the highlights of Mumbai Indians' campaign has been their fast-bowling attack led by Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. The New Zealand pacer, playing his first season for the defending champions, has impressed a lot especially with his skilful bowling inside the Powerplay and providing consistent breakthroughs up front.
Boult, who played for Delhi Capitals till last season, was traded off by his former team last year and it has benefitted Mumbai to a great extent. In Rohit's own words signing a quality bowler like Boult was "icing on the cake" as they were looking for a bowler who could provide them with the breakthrough inside the Powerplay. Rohit also admitted that Boult has played a big role in getting their side off to great starts while bowling.
"We wanted somebody in the squad who can get us those breakthroughs in the Powerplay and when we got Trent Boult it was icing on the cake. He's the best new ball bowlers going around. We have Bumrah as well who can ball at any time. But Boulty bowling with new ball and swinging the ball upfront is very crucial for us and he has done that really well this tournament. So that has actually played a big part for us to start well and get those wickets in the first few overs and put the pressure on the opposition. So yeah, I hope Boulty can do that one more time for us," said Rohit, highlighting Boult's impact on team's performance.