Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Mahela Jayawardene has given an update on veteran batsman Rohit Sharma’s hamstring injury. Jayawardene said that the 38-year-old batsman will return to the field soon, adding that the team is confident about his recovery and availability for the upcoming matches.
Punjab Kings defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16. Captain Shreyas Iyer scored 66 runs as Punjab Kings chased the target of 196 runs with three overs remaining. Arshdeep Singh was adjudged player of the match for taking three wickets for 22 runs in four overs.
Mahela Jayawardene provides important medical update on Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma did not play in the recent match against Punjab Kings after earlier retiring against Royal Challengers Bangalore due to injury. At the time of the toss, captain Hardik Pandya said that the experienced opener may miss two matches.
After the defeat, Mahela Jayawardene spoke to reporters about the former captain’s ongoing recovery and rehabilitation.
“Rohit Sharma started running yesterday. He knows his body better than anyone else, so it’s nothing serious, but at the same time, we don’t want to push, and it’s early season, so the medical staff will take a call on that,” Mahela Jayawardene told reporters on Thursday after the defeat.
Some of those combinations were imposed on us – Mahela Jayawardene
Despite the absence of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians posted a good score after a brilliant innings from Quinton de Kock. Playing his first match of the season, he scored 112 not out off just 60 balls, which included eight fours and seven sixes.
However, Mumbai Indians failed to defend the total with the ball. Mahela Jayawardene expressed disappointment at his inability to take important wickets. He said that the forced change in the lineup affected the team’s balance and exposed their bowling weaknesses.
“We tried some combinations, and because of injuries and players not being available, some of those combinations were imposed on us.”
Jayawardene said, “So we tried to make something of what is available, but we are getting some spark in some areas, but on the other hand we are not getting it, especially with the ball; we are not able to penetrate the opposition, so that is something we have to work really hard on and see how we can improve.”
Punjab Kings gave fourth defeat to Mumbai Indians
Punjab Kings easily chased the target with 21 balls remaining. Prabhsimran Singh snatched the match from Mumbai Indians by playing a brilliant unbeaten inning of 80 runs. Hardik Pandya-led MI suffered their fourth defeat in the ongoing IPL season.
Mumbai Indians missed the aggressive start usually provided by Rohit Sharma in the powerplay. He looked in good touch against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), scoring 19 off 13 before he got injured and MI ultimately fell short by 18 runs in that match.
The experienced opening batsman has had a good start to the season and is currently MI’s leading run-scorer with 137 runs at an average and strike rate of over 45. 165.06Which also included a quickfire inning of 78 runs in 38 balls in their only win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
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