"We win together; we lose together," said Rohit Sharma after five-time champions Mumbai Indians slumped to a five-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in match 14 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. That's their third successive defeat this season.
Mumbai's season started with a four-wicket defeat against Delhi Capitals, then they fell short by 23 runs against Rajasthan Royals. Three defeats in three, and Mumbai are at it again. Infamous for their slow starts, the most successful side will now need to produce something extraordinary to make the IPL 2022 playoffs.
It's not that they can't do it. They have, for the record, done it in 2014. In that season, they lost the first five matches but still made the play-offs. The following season, they lost the first four matches, yet they ended up winning the title. But those were the days when the IPL was an eight-team affair. Now with two more teams in the mix, the task will get tougher and bad starts are bad for business.
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And the skipper was ready with his clarion call. Rohit, who is also the national team captain of India in all formats, said: "We seriously cannot be blaming individuals here. It’s all of us. We win together, we lose together. That is as simple as that for me."
But the 34-year-old also knew that one individual performance can drive the team, specially in a sport like cricket, just like what Pat Cummins did against Mumbai Indians. And he felt that "slight desperation is required from each one of us" for Mumbai to stop the rot.
"That desperation is very, very, very important when we play, especially in this tournament... And the only way we can do that is by having that slight hunger and that desperation on the field - with the bat, with the ball," Rohit, also known as the Hitman, added.
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But the skipper is not yet ready to press the panic button.
He praised the team's performances, saying "we are doing some good things. All three games that we’ve played, we’ve done some really good things. It’s just that those little moments, and that indication, you know an individual has to understand, in that period of time when the game is happening."
"We don’t need to panic. Honestly, we talk about talent, potential and everything in this room – but until we bring that desperation and hunger on the ground, oppositions are not going to hand us wins just like that."
For now, Mumbai are one of the three winless teams in the league. Four-time champions and holders Chennai Super Kings have also lost their first three matches, while 2016 champions Sunrisers Hyderabad are winless in two.
Rohit said that "it's still early days" and they "need to come together" in the remaining matches.
Mumbai Indians next play Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday in Pune. The RCB vs MI match starts at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium starts 7:30 PM IST. It will be telecast live on Star Sports Network. Live streaming of the match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
"There's no point in putting our heads down at this point, because it's still early days. Still early days. And I feel that, in these three games that we've played, we've shown some character. It's just that collectively, all 11 of us inside - whoever goes inside - need to come together.
