The director of cricket operations for the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise Zaheer Khan has told the franchise to focus on the positive and keep things tight in this long tournament after the Rohit Sharma-led side lost all four of their matches since the start of the IPL 2022.
Their latest loss came at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 9 at Pune. Zaheer Khan, who had also played for the MI franchise, felt that it is a matter of that "one win" and missing "spark" to get their campaign back on track.
“There are still 11 league matches to go. We've got to get on a roll. You've seen in this tournament teams get on a losing roll or winning momentum. It's just a matter of (getting the) first win. At times you get tight as well, you start doubting yourself in situations where the pressure is highest. So that is something we have to be aware of and look for that spark in the group," Zaheer Khan said at the post-match conference after the loss to RCB.
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He said players who have been doing well despite the winless streak "need to carry the team and get us that win which is going to be very important".
Zaheer also answered the question of why the five-time IPL champions MI have struggled to get going in this IPL 2022.
He said: "You've got to be able to close those moments of the game where the momentum is shifting. We've, as a team, not been able to do that. So that is something we have to focus on. Focus on the positives, whatever the things that have been working for us, keep building on that. It's a long season, so we have to keep things tight and keep getting better."
"I've always been endorsing one thing — in this format you've got to express yourself freely and stay with the game as it unfolds. That is important. You have to have situational awareness and act accordingly when the partnership is going on, as a bowler, who is the aggressor and who is going to have a certain option. If you can gauge that with the help of the captain and field placements like that, you can get on top of situations,” Zaheer added.
On the all-Indian pace attack and fielding only two overseas players against RCB, he said, "We just felt that this combination is going to give us that balance we are looking for. We thought that someone like Unadkat, who has been bowling very well in practice, needed a go."
MI will next face Punjab Kings on April 13 in Pune.
(PTI inputs)
