Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene applauded Rohit Sharma for his stunning knock of 81 runs in the Eliminator of the IPL 2025. Rohi, however, opened the innings alongside Jonny Bairstow against the Gujarat Titans on Friday and set the tone with an 84-run partnership as well.
However, it was a different innings from Rohit as he took time to score quickly as well. Rohit, after initially struggling, broke the shackles and hit back at the GT bowlers, scoring a 28-ball fifty as well. He then scored 81 runs, which helped Mumbai to post a daunting total of 228 runs at the Mullanpur Stadium as well.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Mahela Jayawardene said, “RO batted brilliantly. I think he took his time a little bit, letting Jonny take control initially. And then when he knew it was his time, he got into a brilliant tempo. The pressure that he put on Sai [Kishore] and Rashid [Khan] in that situation was absolutely brilliant. In big games, he does have a different gear that he plays. That’s what experience does, and you cannot replace that.”
ALSO READ: “He is the most successful Indian Test captain” – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli
However, Rohit Sharma had batted similarly in the Champions Trophy final as well, where he took time initially on the turning wicket of the Dubai Stadium. Rohit’s resilient knock of 76 off 83 balls, despite getting a flying start, helped India beat New Zealand in the final as well.
“We couldn’t get our grip. Planning-wise, we changed our plans to bowl yorkers as much as we could because the length balls were skidding through. The variations were not happening. I think it was a tough last 10 overs for us, but the experienced heads held together and we executed brilliantly,” said Mahela Jayawardene.
“When you have a winning culture, it’s easier to try and have that same thing going through. We have a very experienced core group within our ranks. That winning mentality itself comes through from those senior players. Players who have won trophies do help. My job is to try and cultivate the new guys who are coming into the squad. After the big auction, we had quite a few new faces. I think telling them about how we operate and having that attitude that we’ll never die from a situation always works,” Mahela Jayawardene concluded.
