Mumbai Indians’ head coach, Mark Boucher, commended captain Rohit Sharma as a quality player, emphasizing his role in driving the team’s gameplay. Despite their loss to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023, Boucher supported Rohit’s leadership, acknowledging his contributions in leading from the front against GT.
Boucher expressed his admiration for GT opener Shubman Gill, who delivered a remarkable third century in the IPL, propelling his team to an imposing total of 233. In response, Suryakumar Yadav’s valiant knock of 61 went in vain as MI faced a comprehensive defeat against GT, who advanced to the final to face CSK. Boucher conceded that the target set by GT was too challenging for his side and revealed that MI faced setbacks after Ishan Kishan suffered an unfortunate injury from colliding with teammate Chris Jordan.
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Regarding the target of 233, Boucher stated, “I thought it was a bit high, to be fair. Probably 25 to 30 runs too much. It was a little bit unsettling because we weren’t quite sure how Ishan was going to go.” Boucher further explained that Nehal Wadhera, who replaced Kishan, was expected to provide aggressive batting based on his performances in practice games. However, MI faced unexpected hurdles and had to adapt to the circumstances, which unsettled them.
During MI’s run chase, they encountered another setback when Cameron Green retired hurt after being struck on the forearm by a delivery from Hardik Pandya. Although Green returned to bat, he was eventually dismissed by Josh Little. GT’s pacer, Mohit Sharma, claimed a remarkable five-wicket haul, including the crucial wicket of Suryakumar, leading to MI being bowled out for 171 in pursuit of 233.
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Boucher reflected on MI’s batting performance, stating, “We lost Nehal early. I think Green was the one that also unsettled us a bit, got a blow to the arm, and he came off, but thankfully he was able to go back out and bat for us and put us in a decent position.” However, Boucher acknowledged that MI lost too many wickets, which ultimately hindered their chances of victory. He expressed the belief that if one of their batsmen had carried their innings until the end, the result could have been much closer.
Despite the disappointment, Boucher praised the team’s effort, particularly their resilience until the 15th over. The focus now shifts to analyzing their performance and addressing the areas that need improvement in preparation for future challenges.
