New Delhi: Mumbai Indian captain Rohit Sharma will open the batting in the IPL 2020, coach Mahela Jayawardene confirmed in an online press conference on Thursday (September 17th). He also stated that their team is keeping ‘all options open’ just two days before the opening of the world’s richest T20 tournament.
“I opened for the entire tournament last year and will continue to do that. As a team, we keep all options open. I’m happy to do what the team wants. I enjoy batting at the top of the order and I’ve been doing it for a while. But even when I play for India, the message to the management is to not close any door and keep all the options open, so I’ll do the same here,” Rohit said two days before their opening match against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings.
Quinton de Kock is all set to partner Rohit at the top of the order keeping Chris Lynn waiting. Lynn, having the base price of Rs 2 crore, didn’t really get going on the slow pitches during the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
“Lynn is a great addition to the squad, but the combination of Rohit and Quinton did a phenomenal job for us last season. They complement each other well, they’re consistent and both of them are experienced. They’re good leaders as well, so why would you want to fix something that isn’t broken? We will continue to go with that,” said Jayawardene.
Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga will be missing the tournament due to personal issues, though his skills are irreplaceable, but Rohit said MI will try to recover for his absence with the likes of Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson.
The Indian star also spoke about the challenges of playing the tournament in a bio-bubble for virus issues and heartily praised the team management for keeping the team mentally youthful and fresh.
“It’s going to be a different IPL. We were mentally prepared for it. Even before we came here, we discussed with boys about the bio-bubble guidelines. We are following all the protocols set by BCCI. Mentally it’s tough. Credit to Mumbai Indians management to have worked it well for us. Mentally we are fresh and not drained in our hotels with the facilities. Hats off to the team management for doing a fantastic job,” said the right-hander.
