Admitting it is a difficult task to fill Lasith Malinga’s boots due to his “ incredible ” past performances, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma on Thursday named three fast pitchers he believes can do a good job at the absence of the Sri Lankan legend at the IPL 2020.
“I don’t think it’s easy to come and fill your boots. It has been a match winner for Mumbai. I’ve said it many times, every time we ran into trouble, Malinga was the one who rescued us from that, “Rohit said at an online preseason press conference. (Read also: Full coverage of IPL 2020)
The 37-year-old Malinga, who is the biggest IPL wrecker with 170 scalps under his belt, retired citing personal reasons in a big blow for the four-time champions. MI will face the Chennai Super Kings in this season’s lung opener on September 19 in Abu Dhabi.
“We will miss his experience, what he did with MI is incredible and it is regrettable that he is not part of the team this year,” added Rohit.
However, captain Rohit, a four-time IPL winner, mentioned three names that MI is looking to replace Malinga.
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“We have likes: (James) Pattinson, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohsin (Khan) and these are the names we are looking to replace Malinga with. But obviously what Malinga did for Mumbai is not just comparable, ”he added.
Australia’s right-arm closer James Pattinson is Malinga’s official replacement on the Mumbai Indians team. The tall right arm is known for its pace and rebounding, and it has had a good couple of seasons in the Big Bash League.
Dhawal Kulkarni, on the other hand, is a trusted player in national cricket and also in the IPL.
Speaking of her own role, Rohit said she will continue to open.
The vice captain of India also considered that the correct reading of the conditions would be crucial for the luck of his team.
“The challenge for us will be to adapt to these conditions here that probably none of us are used to, because not many cricketers in our group have played here,” said Rohit.
“I think mentally it’s about going out and understanding what the pitch is doing, and based on that, you need to plan your game, whether it’s hitting or bowling. So we had a good chat with the group about that, ”she explained.
Rohit also said that not only spinners but also closers will get a lot of help in terms of reverse swing.
“… there will be some reverse swing and we also have some good quality in our lineup, who can explore that. We have balance and variety in our bowling attack, so we can use it depending on the conditions and the composition of the team, ”he said. Rohit expects some solid performances from the team’s spinners.
“All these guys, Krunal (Pandya), Rahul (Chahar), Prince Balwant Rai, there are few options, Anukul (Roy) has been part of the team for a while so we have quality effects …” he said.
“All these guys have experience playing national cricket in India so I hope they can use the experience and do the same with MI,” he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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