Mumbai Indians are all set to face Delhi Capitals in the final of Dream11 IPL 2020.

So far in the tournament, both teams have faced each other on three occasions including the first Qualifier. MI have managed to emerge victorious all three times.

Rohit Sharma addressed the media at the pre-match press conference. The Mumbai Indians skipper shared his thoughts on the reason behind the team's tremendous success, Suryakumar Yadav's sensational form and Trent Boult’s efficiency with the ball.

Surya has been fascinating this year. What has been your assessment of him?

Rohit: “Surya is someone who has just taken his game to another level now. We all have witnessed that during this tournament. One good thing that struck me was how he maintains that tempo. He doesn’t get stuck no matter who’s batting with him or how many wickets have fallen in front of him. That is a good sign of a quality player. When someone can bat at that tempo, keep rotating the strike, and hitting those boundaries, it makes the job easier for the non-striker plus the team looks in a good and comfortable zone as well. Number three is a very crucial position in any team, and Surya has done extremely well for us. I’m really happy for him. He understands his game well now. He is here to make it big and we can see that happening.”

How would you rate Surya, Ishan, and Chahar this season?

Rohit: “The numbers will say it all. Ishan, Surya, and Rahul, all have contributed in many ways to the team’s success. This is the team that doesn’t depend on one individual. That is something that Mumbai Indians have worked all these years to make sure that there is not one or two guys we’re dependent on. We’ve seen it in this tournament where there have been injuries happening to individuals. What if that individual is a heavy contributor to your team, then what happens? We’ve made it clear at the start of this tournament that we cannot depend on individuals and that’s how Mumbai Indians play. We always make sure that we have got a few individuals who are ready to take up the responsibility. We assign the roles to them so that they come out there and get the job done. We’re never dependent on one individual and these three guys have done extremely well for us. Rahul in the middle overs has got us those crucial breakthroughs. Last season, our middle order was not clicking and Ishan has come and done there well. He is understanding his game well and opening a lot of horizons on the ground to hit boundaries and sixes. That makes him a very dangerous batter at number four. Surya, I have spoken about him many times. He has matured as a player, and I see him going strength to strength from here.”

In the last season, you had picked Jayant Yadav for Qualifier One against Suresh Raina, as a match-up. Could there be a surprise selection for this season?

Rohit: “Yeah, 100 per cent, why not? Considering the number of lefties they have, Jayant is a great option for us. He played in the league stage against Delhi and he bowled pretty well. They have got three left-handers in their middle-order. So, why not? He’s a great option, an experienced player, and played for that franchise before. So he understands what they do as a team as well. Hence, he would be a great option.”

You’ve played DC as an opponent thrice in this season. Would there be a psychological advantage tomorrow?

Rohit: “There will be a little psychological advantage, yes. But, again, what we’ve seen with IPL is, every day is a fresh day, a new pressure, and a new game. So, you can’t think too much about what has happened in the past. Of course, you can take a lot of confidence from the past, but you just can’t dwell on it. You just need to move forward and think about what you want to do in that particular game because one guy having a good day can take the game away from you. It is that simple in this format, we just need to keep at it all the time and need to focus on little things which we have done well through the season. So again, nothing changes for us. We would treat this as a fresh game and a new opponent. We can’t think that we’ve played these guys before and beaten them. We just need to think that they are a new opponent, and what will we do as a team against that opponent. It is that simple for us. If we keep doing the right things on the field, I’m sure we’ll have the fifth one in the bag.”

Two of the three games in the playoffs have been won by the side batting first despite the dew factor? How big is the factor of winning the toss in this tournament, particularly in the later stage?

Rohit: “Winning the toss is crucial but what you want to do as a team is also important. Whatever their strategies and strengths are, they are trying to back that. So even for us, it’ll be the same. We’ll sit down across the table and see what we need to do as a team. We’ve been good so far in the tournament, whether we’ve batted first or chased totals, which is why I kept saying that toss shouldn’t make a difference for us. We just need to take that away completely and focus on the game. If you play good cricket you will win games, as simple as that. Whether you bat or bowl, you need to keep taking wickets, if you bowl. If you bat, you need to keep the tempo up, right through the 20 overs. So, I think that will be the strategy for us, not worrying about what happens in the toss.”

A word on Trent Boult’s injury?

Rohit: “Trent looks pretty good. He is going to have a session today with all of us and we’ll see how he goes. He pulled up pretty well in the last few days. So fingers crossed. Hopefully, he plays.”

How has been the impact of Trent this season, especially when it comes to using Bumrah in the middle overs?

Rohit: “We always wanted somebody who can bowl with the new ball and get those wickets for us in the powerplay. We looked across the world, and obviously, it’s a no brainer, he is the best bowler with the new ball. When it comes to swinging the ball back into the batsman and taking the ball away from the left-handers, he is the best in the business. We always wanted him in the squad. Luckily for us, we got him traded from Delhi and he has not disappointed any one of us. He has just come and done the job for us with the new ball and also in the middle, he has bowled pretty well in the middle and also at the backend a few times. He is a great asset to have in the squad, and I just hope he can do it one more time for us.”

Mahela told us that you were the one who put your hand up first when it came to selecting Pattinson in the team, in place of Malinga. Just give us your thoughts about how you went about it.

Rohit: “Pattinson, I have seen him play for Australia and in Big Bash as well. He is tall and quick. He swings the ball upfront. So, he was a good package for us and I wanted someone who can just come in and bowl fast. I never thought the wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi would be that fast to start with initially. It was carrying nicely. I thought it will be slow and low. So, I was expecting some reverse swing as well. But, it didn’t happen. It played in our hands when we got Pattinson. We knew he can bowl fast and swing the ball. We thought to have him in the middle overs will be a good option for us. Also with the new ball along with Boult, we wanted someone who can just bowl fast and get the batsmen into trouble. I think he came in and did everything we asked for and is a great asset to have. Played a lot of cricket as well, so he is an experienced campaigner. Good to have him. I hope he continues to do what he does best.”

It seems like MI barely have a weakness this season. If you were to captain the opposite side and face MI in the final, how will you plan to beat this team?

Rohit: “Firstly, it’s never going to happen. I’m never going to go to the opposition camp and captain the other team against MI. But looking at the squad, the strength and balance of this team, I cannot point out anything. It’s not rocket science. We’ve worked really hard for this balance. Right from Quinton de Kock to Jasprit Bumrah, all these players were available for all the squads but we invested in them at the beginning and had faith in them. A lot of credit goes to the Mumbai Indians team management and the scout. They have done a great job with all these guys, making sure that they get that comfort and backing. Otherwise, it’s not possible to have a squad like that. We’ve seen every day how this game changes. The individual player also has to change with how the game is going. I think all these guys have adapted to that well which is why today we stand in this position where we qualified much before the other teams. It was good to see how we played in this tournament more than anything else. It was just sheer brilliance from individuals putting their hand up at different stages. Different people coming and taking responsibility, it was a great sign. I cannot be happier than this. The balance and the strength of this team lie in the individual belief. We’ve created a great team here and I hope we can stick to it.”