New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene lauded Rohit Sharma’s preparation ahead of their clash against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, saying the veteran right-handed opener had a clear plan and vision to get himself ready for the tournament despite limited competitive cricket in recent months.

In MI’s first game against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Rohit smacked a 38-ball 78 and was at his vintage best to show the cricketing world that he still has the skill and mindset to thrive in a high-intensity tournament.

At MI’s practice session at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday, a lean-looking Rohit batted for more than an hour and was practising hard against the bowlers. “Well, I think credit to him, he had a plan and vision obviously. A few of our guys who are in our setup were involved in this training, and one of them wanted to do so. Also, to get to a fitness level that he was comfortable with, he knew what he needed to do.

“Even though he hasn’t played much competitive cricket, he did quite a bit of skill work off-season whenever he had the time. Then he joined us on our first day of the camp, and we had a chat on how we wanted to start. We did a lot of simulations and had quite a few practice matches that we played. So he was part of all that,” said Jayawardene in the pre-match press conference on Friday.

He added that Rohit’s involvement in practice matches and simulations during MI’s camp helped him regain rhythm and be at his blistering best in the opening game, which the side won by six wickets.

“I mean, for someone who has played the game for such a long time, it’s in the veins, muscle memory, and how he wanted to go about. He will react much better out there in the middle in situations. Even though he didn’t have competitive cricket behind him, he knew that.

“I knew when I watched him batting in the nets that he was in pretty good nick. His hand speed was pretty good, and that was how he wanted to approach. It was a good start for him in the first game, and hopefully, he can continue that. I feel it’s a bit tough, the tournament. But he’s focused, he’s relaxed. He’s contributed in a very positive way in the camps, which was great for us,” added Jayawardene.

He further threw light on how Rohit’s preparation was slightly different compared to other Indian regulars like Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Yadav, who were constantly playing for the Indian team, especially in the recent T20 World Cup win.

“Well, I think Jasprit, Hardik, Sky, and all that, they are part of the Indian set-up. Regularly, they play white-ball cricket and are under the NCA (BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru). They have been monitored throughout by them, and we get a handover before the IPL.

“Rohit probably was a bit different because he hadn’t played much cricket. So, he played in November (and then in January this year in ODIs against New Zealand). After that, he spoke to them about what he wanted to do with the fitness side of things. So, he took those two months to get his fitness right, and then he started doing skill work.

“Because he was in Mumbai, we have a facility there. So, he used that facility on and off when he could and wherever he wanted to train. So, I think Rohit is at that level, so that he knows what he wants. So, I think as a franchise, we won’t get involved too much because throughout the year, they are with their national teams, most of the players.

“It’s just the guys who are not with their national set-ups or the players who are with their state teams and some of them are not playing cricket – then we will try in their free time, we’ll get them to a camp and do some skill work or whatever we need to do with them is how we get involved with our entire squad. So, that’s how it goes,” he concluded.

–IANS

nr/bsk/