Rohit Sharma is proving to be the captain this game demands. From the first ball till the last, Rohit is ever present, pushing the team ahead, partnering with fellow team-mates to put up a good score on the board. He feels that both bowling and batting play an essential role in winning, and so does fielding. “I think if you want to win the game it has to be both (Bowling and batting). We batted and bowled well, fielding not so much. To start with the first six overs the game didn’t go as we wanted to. Dropped catches, miss-fielded. These things happen. It’s a sport at the end of the day. Everyone’s trying to give their 100 percent. Sometimes it comes off sometimes it doesn’t. Today wasn’t the fielder’s day.”

He felt that the superb bowling by the team is what helped restrict Pune to an achievable score. “The way we bowled in the middle was the turning point. The wicket of Steven Smith was crucial, it put the brakes on their scoring rate and the credit goes to the bowlers. They have proven themselves time and time again to be of quality. It makes it easier to captain the team when you have such bowlers in the armory.” With the opposition restricted, his partnership with Rayudu and Buttler is what made the chase easier. “Rayadu and I made a 50 run partnership that was crucial and then Buttler came and did what he is known for.”

Bumrah was instrumental in taking down 3 wickets. Rohit is very happy with him on all fronts. He says, “Bumrah has been exceptional over the last 3-4 months since he came back from Australia, he hasn’t looked back. He is always willing to learn and improve as a bowler and working with Shane Bond has really helping him. What we discuss, is being executed well by him. He understands his bowling really well. He can really make an impact on any given day. I hope he doesn’t look back and always moves forward and improves every time he comes onto the field.”

He talks about his captaincy, “It’s my third year as the MI captain. My job is to make good changes on the field, remain calm, choose which bowler is suitable to bowl which batsmen and understand the conditions what is happening and what is not.” Adding on, he talks about the last encounter with Pune. “No victory is easy, you have to work hard to get what you want on the field. Our first game with Pune we didn’t bat well. That was the bottom-line, not enough runs on the board. And you know the Wankhede wicket, 120 is not a defendable score on that wicket. But since then we worked hard as a team and performed as a team.”