A 143-run opening stand in 10.5 overs was just the tonic Mumbai Indians needed to turn a pretty disappointing two weeks around. A record chase of 229 pulled off with ease against the Lucknow Supergiants at the Wankhede, thanks largely to the efforts of Ryan Rickelton (83 off 32 balls) and the returning Hitman, Rohit Sharma (84 off 44 balls).

“RO (Rohit) is really good, that is the chemistry out there,” said Rickelton at the post-match press conference about the special ingredient the duo seem to have in their partnership. “Obviously nice to get out there. He has been on the sidelines for a bit and to see him come back and play the way he did, so free-flowing, is quite unique. We just complement each other well as a left-hand, right-hand. We score in very different areas and we are quite clear on how we want to put pressure. We have been blessed with a very good wicket and a very nice place to bat as well at the Wankhede. Just enjoyable to get out there and hopefully we can have many more returns.”

This is MI’s third win in ten games, and the first in the last four. It was very important to get back on the winning track and give the Paltan a reason to end the night with a smile. Rickelton too was happy to finish on the right side of the result after a string of heartbreaks.

“Nice to be on the right side of the result. With the way the season has gone, you savour these kind of results as a group. Happy to be contributing to the team. You are always trying to win, but as long as I put MI first and contribute to the team for good cause, I am happy with how I am playing.”

It was a nice complementary partnership up top, with both Rohit and Rickelton matching each other stroke for stroke. Ryan throws light on some of the conversations the two have while batting in the middle and at practice.

“I probably picked his brain more in the first year just about batting in general, not just about T20 batting, but Tests and 50-over batting as well, the specifics and the mentality around it. He’s just built different, one of the greatest to play the game…it’s just more how he manages pressure, stays calm and how he backs his ability and understands his game really well. Really cool to be going out there and bat with one of India’s greatest and hopefully I can continue doing it for some more time.”