Pune : Mumbai Indians’ skipper Rohit Sharma, who played an unbeaten knock of 85 last night, has credited his bowlers for an emphatic eight-wicket win over Rising Pune Supergiants in the ongoing Indian Premier League here at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium .
He, however, insisted that there is still a room for improvement in his fielding department.
Rohit smashed eight boundaries and three sixes in his unbeaten knock as Mumbai Indians chased down a modest target of 159 with nine balls to spare.
Rohit also became only the second Indian batsman after Suresh Raina to reach 6000-run milestone in T20 cricket.
“Lot of credit to the bowlers, the bowlers have shown again and again that we gave got quality in our bowling and they have come again and again and proved themselves. (It’s) is a good sign and always makes the life of a captain easier on the field when you have bowlers like those in your armory,” Rohit told the media after the win.
Referring to the dropped catches and misfielding during the match, the opener said, “One part where we are focused on, is our fielding. We have to be the best fielding team in this whole competition. We have discussed that at the beginning of the tournament. Batting and bowling are sometimes not in your hands, but fielding is. So, I think, we have to put in a lot of effort, and guys are doing that in their training, sometimes, as I said, it comes off and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Rohit also praised young fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who bagged three wickets giving away just 29 runs in his allotted four overs.
He described Bumrah as an exceptional bowler and insisted he has been improving himself with each passing day.
“He is been exceptional over the last three or four months, since he came to Australia. He is never looked back; he is always willing to learn, always wanting to improve as a bowler. I think Bumrah is executing his plans really well, he understands his bowling really well and for him to be in the wickets column is always good for us. He is a kind of bowler who can make an impact on the given day. So I think he is just doing that for us and I hope that he doesn’t look back, keeps moving forward as a bowler and improve every time he goes on to the field,” Rohit added.
The match also saw an on-field spat between Harbhajan Singh and his team-mate Ambati Rayudu after the latter failed to stop a boundary hit by Pune Supergiants’ Saurabh Tiwary on the veteran spinner’s delivery.
Gujarat Lions are currently standing second in the point table, having five wins from nine games they have played so far. They will play their next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam on May 8. (ANI)