Mohit Sharma came into limelight for his stint with the Chennai Super Kings in 2013, which was earned due to his terrific performances in Ranji Trophy for Haryana. He became the go-to bowler for CSK skipper MS Dhoni and was part of the franchise till 2015.
He then went onto play the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia for India and it seemed that he was destined to something bigger and being a consistent member of the Indian team. He also had good returns in IPL for CSK picking 20 and 23 wickets respectively in IPL 2013 and 2014.
Then a severe back injury struck him and he lost form, was picked by KXIP for IPL 2016, before being released before IPL 2019 due to below-par performances. CSK bought him once again for that year’s IPL but released him ahead of IPL 2020 auctions, where Delhi Capitals showed faith in him and added him to their squad.
IPL 2020: Journey of Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL in numbers
Now recovered from his injury, Sharma's renewed push to reclaim his India jersey will begin in the UAE, where the delayed edition of IPL 2020 will be held from September 19 to November 10.
In an interview with Times of India, Mohit talked about his return, playing for DC in IPL 2020, and other things.
“It's been almost two weeks in the bubble. The first week of quarantine was a bit difficult - you couldn't go anywhere, not even in the room next to you that was the difficult part. Now we are out, getting to play cricket, it's a nice feeling. On a personal note, I am not the kind of person who goes out a lot. I am getting to play cricket, that's enough for me,” Mohit said when asked about life in bio-bubble.
Talking about Delhi Capitals’ chances this season, Mohit said,” If we keep results aside, the Delhi team has always been very good. I have played in other teams and Delhi was always competitive. Back then, we always used to say that you can never take Delhi lightly. But at the moment, the team is looking very strong and the kind of process that's going on, the amount of hard work we are putting in, the way (Ricky) Ponting is guiding us or the way Ryan Harris is working with the bowlers, I think the results will be in our favor this season.”
Mohit Sharma calls MS Dhoni a ‘great storyteller’; only shuts door when he sleeps
Mohit also shared how he regained fitness after his back surgery and life in Coronavirus lockdown.
“For me, it's very important to keep fresh because I haven't played cricket for the last 18-20 months. Last year, around June-July, I underwent back surgery. After that, I haven't played. I regained full fitness just 2-3 weeks before the (originally scheduled) IPL this year (in March). After that, the IPL got postponed and I had to take care of myself even more during the lockdown. My body is feeling very fresh, feeling light, and I am bowling well too. So all the things are on track,” he said.
“My family is the biggest support, which has taken me to where I am today, and that support is there for me all the time, wherever I go, whether to play for India or for my club,” Mohit signed off.
Delhi Capitals begin their IPL 2020 season against Kings XI Punjab on September 20 in Dubai.
(TOI inputs)
