Zaheer Khan: 2010 was a turnaround year for MI
Mumbai Indians in their IPL journey have witnessed their fair share of ups and downs. The sun wasn't always shining on the ‘One Family’, but they kept themselves together and worked hard towards excellence. And the journey continues.
Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan and Batting Coach Robin Singh shared their experience with Mumbai Indians over the years on MITV.
We focussed on getting a lot of young players in the side.
Robin Singh has been a part of the Mumbai Indians management since 2010. The batting coach shared his experience while joining the team a decade ago. Mumbai Indians despite good performances couldn’t progress beyond the group stage in the first couple of seasons.
“We’re always looking to improve, to get better, to be two steps ahead of the opposition. When I joined MI in 2010, we were not doing too well. I think what we did to succeed was, focus on getting a lot of young players in the side and try to build a team futuristically, as opposed to building a team for the next tournament."
2010 was a turnaround year for MI
2010 was the first instance of the Men in Blue and Gold not only making it to the semifinals but also topping the points table in the league stage. Zaheer Khan who was representing MI as a cricketer had picked fifteen wickets during the season. The former left-arm pacer spoke about how it was a game-changing season for the team.
"2010 was a turnaround year for Mumbai Indians. The involvement of owners, the management group, the leadership group, the core team, and all the minute details were looked at in a different light. And I believe that's where the results started showing. You had the players joining and taking the team to the next level."
Zaheer asserted how the youngsters have been nurtured and given the right kind of support. He cited the examples of Jasprit Bumrah and the Pandya brothers.
“The young players coming through the ranks not only represented Mumbai Indians but also took their game to the highest level by playing for India. You also have great examples of that in the team. Be it Bumrah, Hardik or Krunal, all these top players have been found by this scouting system and nurtured by giving them the right kind of exposure.”
I think we had a great blend of players
Sachin. Zaheer. Malinga. Pollard. Bhajji. Rohit. Bumrah. Hardik. Quinton and the list goes on.
"We had Sachin, Zak, Harbhajan Singh, and Malinga. All these guys were at their peak when they joined in. We also had Pollard who was new to the block and nobody knew much about him. When we got him in the auction, we believed that ten years down the line, he probably would be one of 'the' players, and he's not proved us wrong. He has won games from nowhere," Robin said.
"We are not fully satisfied with what we have. The moment you get satisfied is when you tend to stagnate, as a team, or as a player"