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IPL - 5 News |
Mumbai Indians batsman says his team is focusing on playing well and not on the points table
It will be another clash of heavyweights as the Kolkata Knight Riders get set to host the Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens on Saturday afternoon. While KKR have notched up a string of impressive wins, MI crashed to a disappointing nine-wicket loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last outing.
Rohit Sharma, ace batsman of the Mumbai franchise, took time out to speak to the media ahead of the match:
On Lasith Malinga’s availability:
He is fine. We had given him a rest.
On MI’s position in the points table:
At the moment, we are happy the way we are. We could have done much better as we lost a few close games. At the same time, we won a few close ones... It's part and parcel of the game. We still have four more crucial games to decide where we end up in the tournament. It's very important to win every game. We are not looking at the table. We know where we stand. It's important to go there and perform rather than think about the table. If we play good cricket, we will finish up [the points table]. The focus is to play some good cricket. It's not going to be easy here… We know what kind of wicket we get here, so we have to get our act together.
On Sachin Tendulkar’s influence on his batting in Twenty20 cricket:
Batting with Sachin Tendulkar has really helped. Whenever I was batting with him, he came up to me and said what I needed to do. It's a good helping hand from him. I've really benefitted a lot.
On Harbhajan Singh versus Sachin Tendulkar as captains:
Every individual has got a different style of approach. Sachin was very cool and calm. Bhajji [Harbhajan] is very aggressive. We have learnt a lot under Sachin, but Bhajji is doing a very good job. Every one in the team is supporting him [Harbhajan]. We are always there to help him. He has kept the atmosphere of the dressing room very cool and calm. We just want to support him.
On how MI will cope against Sunil Narine:
He has been bowling well. Everyone has seen him. I have played him a couple of times when West Indies were here. We have got a couple of West Indians in our team. With their help and guidance, we hope we can tackle him.
On the last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Obviously, we didn’t play well as a team. We didn’t adapt to the conditions. The wicket was sticky and damp. [In] any given condition, you have to go out there and perform. Our batting failed. Our bowlers have been doing a tremendous job, but we didn’t do well as a batting unit.
Warner gets his second; DD get their fifth
2 David Warner became the third batsman to score two hundreds – after Adam Gilchrist and Chris Gayle – in the IPL. Warner’s other hundred was against the Kolkata Knight Riders (107* at Delhi in IPL 2010).
3 Number of hundreds scored by David Warner in his last four Twenty20 innings on Indian soil. His scores: 135* v Chennai Super Kings and 123* v Royal Challengers Bangalore (while playing for New South Wales in 2011), 21 v Kolkata Knight Riders on May 7 and 109* v Deccan Chargers in this game (while playing for the Delhi Daredevils).
5 Number of occasions on which the Delhi Daredevils have won a match with 20 balls or more to spare in IPL 2012. No other side has done this more than once!
55 Number of boundaries hit in the match (36 fours and 19 sixes) – the most in a match in IPL 2012. There were 54 boundaries hit in the Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians match in Delhi on April 27.
109 David Warner’s unbeaten score – the highest by any batsman in IPL 2012, surpassing 103* by Ajinkya Rahane and Kevin Pietersen.
189 Runs added by David Warner and Naman Ojha in an unbeaten partnership for the second wicket – the second best partnership in all IPL, after the 206-run partnership between Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh for Kings XI Punjab against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011.
DC wicketkeeper-batsman says his team failed to convert another promising start
The Deccan Chargers, who were playing for the first time this season in Hyderabad, suffered yet another loss in IPL 2012. They crashed to a 25-run defeat against Kings XI Punjab. After allowing KXIP to post a mammoth 170 for five in 20 overs, some ordinary batting by the hosts cost them another game at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal.
iplt20.com caught up with DC’s wicketkeeper-batsman, Parthiv Patel, at the end of the match to get his views on the loss.
You were well placed with 70 for two after 10 overs. But those two wickets by David Hussey in the 11th over changed the course of the game.
It did. But that’s been the story so far for us in the tournament. We have been well placed around 10 to 15 overs, but haven’t done well after that.
We haven’t finished our games well, and it was the same today.
This was the first match at this venue. What did you make of this wicket?
It was pretty good initially, but it got uneven in the second innings. But you can’t blame it on the wicket. We gave away 20 runs more.
Praveen Kumar bowled exceptionally well up front for KXIP, but tell us something about Parvinder Awana – he knocked you over today.
He has been pretty good. He has got wickets in first-class as well this season. We have played against each other a few times and he has carried his form to the IPL.
How does the team keep itself motivated when you haven’t done really well in the tournament?
It’s tough. But I think management is doing a good job in keeping us together.
You are the specialist wicketkeeper in the side. Have you given any tips to Kumar Sangakkara?
No, no [Laughs]. Sanga [Sangakkara] has been giving me tips about keeping and it has been great learning from him. He is a legend of the game. Hopefully, I can implement those things next year as well.
Four more games left in the tournament for you. What is it that the team is looking to achieve?
Probably try and win all four games; that has to be the first thing. After that, [we need to] look to the next season.
Injured KXIP captain says his hamstring has progressed well over the last week
The Indian Premier League comes to the city of Hyderabad for the first time in 2012 as the Deccan Chargers get set to host Kings XI Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here in Uppal. Adam Gilchrist, who captains the Punjab franchise, has been unavailable in the past few matches because of a hamstring injury he sustained earlier in the tournament. While he said that his hamstring has progressed really well, the KXIP captain clarified that a final call would be taken only on the day of the game.
Excerpts:
On whether he will play tomorrow’s game:
Not sure. I’ve just had a really good workout. It’s [the hamstring] really progressed well over the last few days. The signs are positive, but we’ll see how it pulls up tomorrow and make a decision from there. The thing is that we have got four or five days until our next game after this one [and] so I guess there is a temptation to leave it one more [game] and have about a week’s recovery. But it felt pretty good, so I’ll see how it is tomorrow.
On playing his former team, the Deccan Chargers:
Same as any other game really – two points up for grabs. We got them [Deccan Chargers] back-to-back now. It’s a great cricket ground. I really enjoyed playing here previously. It’s a good challenge for us. Hopefully, we can play some more cricket that we were playing prior to our last game. It wasn’t a great performance by us [in the last game]. We’ve thought about that, and hopefully, we can turn that around tomorrow.
On Kings XI Punjab’s campaign this year, including a couple of last-ball losses:
It’s been symbolic of the tournament as a whole. Maybe Kolkata [Knight Riders] are a team that may feel that they have played pretty consistently all the way through. But the other teams have been up and down a little bit. It’s been a unique tournament in that regard and we’ve been no different. We haven’t strung more than two wins in a row and that’s what teams strive for, to get that third win, the fourth win and get that positive feeling around. We’ve played some good cricket and some not so good cricket. It’s been about searching for the consistent game really. We’ve showcased some young Indian players – Mandeep Singh and Nitin Saini to name a few. And Parvinder Awana has been terrific. It’s been positive in that regard.
On playing well in away games:
That’s four big games. Four real challenges against top opposition in what can be pretty intimidating stadiums. Hopefully, that holds us well prepared for another away game tomorrow. But I don’t quite see where the home-and-away theme comes from for us; on why it is better away and not at home. That’s just the way it has panned out.
On whether he has found it difficult watching the team from the sidelines:
Not difficult at all, surprisingly. I’ve felt very comfortable. I’m closer to the end of my career. I’ve enjoyed the deeper involvement from a coaching perspective and have really enjoyed watching the boys play.
On whether he has any point to prove playing against the Deccan Chargers:
No. Like I said, it’s just another game. It’s another two points up for grabs. I look forward to the challenge. It goes without saying that it’s wonderful to be back in Hyderabad. The people are so friendly, the hotel staff and everybody. That’s a nice touch. The fans were always supportive.
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| Day/Date |
IST |
GMT |
Team vs Team |
Venue |
Sat-05
May-2012 |
4:00 pm |
10:30 am |
Pune Warriors India
vs
Kolkata Knight Riders |
Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
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| Day/Date |
IST |
GMT |
Team vs Team |
Venue |
Sat-05
May-2012 |
8:00 pm |
2:30 pm |
Kings XI Punjab
vs
Rajasthan Royals |
Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |
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IPL - 5
