For the Mumbai Indians in the current season of the Indian Premier League (2023), Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera have been pleasant surprises.
Similarly to former Mumbai Indians stars Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya, who has represented India at the international level, Rohit Sharma predicts that batters Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera will play a significant role for Mumbai Indians (MI) and the national side in the future. Before MI’s Indian Premier League (IPL) match versus LSG on Wednesday in Chennai, the MI captain had an exclusive chat with JioCinema.
Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Tilak Varma, and Nehal Wadhera will have an inspiring backstory. Two years from now, people will look back and think, “Wow, that was a superstar team,” and these two men are going to be huge for Mumbai and India, Rohit said during the interview.
MI’s worst season ever (2022) was saved by the discovery of Tilak. He batted at a strike rate of 131.02 and averaged 36.09 while scoring 397 runs in 14 games. In that season, he made two scores of fifty or more, with a high of sixty-one. He continued his strong play into the 2023 campaign. He has scored 274 runs in nine games at a 45.66 batting average and 158.38 strike rate. This season, he had one fifty and a high score of 84*.
Nehal Wadhera, who had never appeared for Punjab in a Twenty20 competition before, too had a strong showing for MI. He batted 214 times in 12 games, with a strike rate of 141.72 and an average of 30.57. He made two fifties, with his highest total being 64.
Speaking about Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit stated, “Suryakumar Yadav is reaping the benefits of the hard work he has done throughout the last 9-10 years, both with India and with Mumbai Indians. He has put in a lot of work in the Ranji trophy, domestic cricket, and with the Mumbai Indians, and he is finally starting to see some positive results. His cricketing experience is extensive.
Suryakumar has scored 8 runs so far in IPL 2023, putting him at #8 in the batting order. He has scored 511 runs in 14 games at a 42.58 batting average and a strike rate of 185.58. One hundred and four fifties, with a best of 103*, are among his scores. He has been just as successful playing cricket for India as he was for his franchise. He has scored 1,675 runs in 48 games and 46 innings with a strike rate of 175.76 and an average of 46.52. He has scored three hundred and thirteen fifties for the Indian team. For his efforts in the Twenty20 International format, he was named the 2022 ICC Male T20I Player of the Year.
Rohit believes that the Mumbai Indians’ success may be attributed to the team’s unwavering dedication and commitment to winning.
It’s the dedication of everyone involved, from the owners to the coaches to the players. The success that MI has had over the years is due in large part to the contributions of all of its members. The energy and enthusiasm we inject into the situation are unprecedented. You must possess a ravenous appetite. Consistently winning a championship is no easy feat. After one or two films, you can kick back and relax. But no, if you want to win these championships, you need hunger and enthusiasm. It’s a fresh start for us every year. No consideration is given to results from the previous year. We just take the good with the bad and keep going,” Rohit remarked.
According to Rohit Sharma, one of MI’s primary tenets is providing opportunities for young people to demonstrate their abilities.
“MI is all about opening doors for kids. The number of Indian national team players is staggering. The off-season is a busy time for scouts, who put forth a lot of effort to find new potential. Although I do not personally observe the talents, I do engage in conversation and receive input from scouts. Finding the appropriate age for children is crucial. MI is planning for the long term. This group’s average age is between 24 and 25, which is fantastic. The results speak for themselves,” the captain added.
After the league stage, MI finished with a record of 8 wins, 6 losses, and 16 points, good for fourth place. They will be eliminated from the tournament if they lose this match against LSG. If they make it to the second qualifying round, they’ll play Gujarat Titans for a spot in the May 28 final against Chennai Super Kings.
The Lucknow Super Giants’ roster includes Quinton de Kock (captain), Karan Sharma (vice-captain), Prerak Mankad (all-rounder), Marcus Stoinis (all-rounder), Krunal Pandya (vice-captain), Ayush Badoni (all-rounder), Nicholas Pooran (all-rounder), Krishnappa Gowtham (all-rounder), Ravi Bishnoi (all-rounder
Mumbai Indians Squad: Ishan Kishan(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Chris Jordan, Piyush Chawla, Kumar Kartikeya, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Vishnu Vinod, Tilak Varma, Ramandeep Singh, Tristan Stubbs, Sandeep Warrier, Riley Meredith, Shams Mulani, Arjun Tendulkar, Hrithik Shokeen, Duan Jansen, Arshad Khan, Dewald Brevis, Raghav Goyal.
