Malinga's experience will be missed: Rohit

Having the firepower in every department, Mumbai Indians start favourites to defend their title in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. The only concern, perhaps, for the four-time champions is the absence of their strike bowler Lasith Malinga. Ahead of their opening clash against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, skipper Rohit Sharma and coach Mahela Jayawardene spoke on their team’s preparations, on Malinga’s replacement, the challenges at hand, and more at a virtual press conference on Thursday. Here are some excerpts:

Rohit on the UAE conditions

It will be a challenge for us to adapt to the conditions here. Not many from our group have played here. It’s important for people who have been here before to share their experience with others in the team. It’s about going out there and understanding what the pitch is doing. The pitches and reading the pitches will play a critical role in this IPL. The slowness of the pitch will be a factor. We are expecting some reverse swing and we have got some good quality pacers in our line-up to explore that.

Rohit on Malinga’s absence

For any player, it’s hard to fill Malinga’s boots. What he has done for MI and Sri Lanka is remarkable. He has been a match-winner for Mumbai. I have said it many times that whenever we have found ourselves in trouble, Malinga was the one who bailed us out. His experience will be missed. What he did with MI is unbelievable. It’s unfortunate that he isn’t part of our team this year. We have got guys like Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson and Dhawal Kulkarni in our ranks. These are the names we are looking to replace Malinga with. But what Malinga did with Mumbai isn’t comparable.

Rohit on his batting position

I opened in the entire tournament last year and I will continue to do that. I keep all the options open, whatever the team wants. I enjoy batting top of the order. I have been doing it for a while. Even when I play for India, the message from my side to the management is the same: Don’t close any door. Always keep the options open. I will do the same here as well.

Mahela on the pandemic concerns

The pandemic is such that it’s very difficult to control. We are trying to control everything that we can. And along the way, we have planned for a situation where someone gets positive or because of the close proximity with that player, many might get isolated. We have asked everyone to take maximum precautions, especially when the guys meet each other. We have told them to not take anything lightly even we are in a bio-bubble. Hopefully, everyone’s disciplined and hopefully, we go through the season without any issues.