Mumbai Indians have been off-colour in IPL 2021, unable to produce consistent performances. On Tuesday though, they crushed a confident Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets, blowing apart in Sharjah. MI bowlers produced a collective display to restrict RR to 90/9 and then Ishan Kishan roared back to form with a blistering half-century to power their chase in just 8.2 overs.
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MI captain Rohit Sharma was pleased with the display, calling it a ‘perfect game’ for the defending champions. “The two points were very crucial for us. Once we had them bowled out for 90, we had a chance to finish it early. It is important to seize the game. We had to come out and bat freely. We had a chance to get the run rate in order. Was a perfect game for us," Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
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He admitted that the five-time IPL champions have blown hot and cold this year having dominated last season.
“We’ve been on and off this season," Rohit said. “We’ve been doing well, we’ve been preparing well, it’s just that collectively we were not coming together but today was a good example. All the bowlers came together, used the conditions really well and then the batters finished it off."
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Rohit said the team knew the capability of Ishan who was struggling to get going and was even dropped for a couple of games in UAE. “He (Ishan) is playing after a couple of games. I was there to take the risks. We know his ability. We wanted him to spend some time and that is exactly what he did," he explained.
The win means the race for the playoffs continues with MI, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and even RR (theoretically) still in the running.
“I feel in this tournament, any team is capable of beating anyone. KKR is playing before us and we will know exactly what to do," Rohit said.
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