'As a captain, I look at contributions from everyone and not just one player'
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma says the team cannot be dependent on him alone to perform in every match and it is time other players put up their hands and started delivering.
"I don’t think any team relies on one individual player. It is 11 players who need to go out and deliver. If I score a hundred and if we don’t take wickets it doesn’t matter, because we end up losing the game, like what happened in Kolkata (against Kolkata Knight Riders)," said Rohit, in Mumbai on Thursday, on eve of their IPL match against Chennai Super Kings.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had demanded more from his Mumbai Indians captain following successive failures with the bat, as Rohit was dismissed for a duck against both Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals.
'We needed to bat well. Losing Rohit up front was a big blow for us as he's not only the best batsman but a class apart. If he gets going, we chase runs easily. Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard are there to do the job, but we still we want Rohit to give us the start, and if he gets going no total looks difficult,' he had said.
But Rohit wasn’t impressed with his comments. He insisted that all 11 players need to make meaningful contributions.
"None of the teams in the world rely on one player; it has to be contributions from all the players, whether it is 10 runs or five overs, or taking two wickets in successive overs or in one over, to change the momentum of a game. That is what I feel as a captain. I look at contributions from everyone and not just one player," he said.
The 27-year-old right-hander reiterated that he will continue to bat at No. 4 in the coming matches to add stability to the middle order.
"Looking at the balance and the combination of the team it is better for me to bat at No. 4. I don’t know if I will open the innings in the games to come but, as I said, everything depends on the balance of the team.
"If we get the balance of the team right, it doesn’t matter whether I bat up the order or down the order. If we get the balance I will bat wherever I feel like or the team feels like. Right now, I feel I am better off holding myself at No. 4," he added.
Rohit wants his top order to perform better in the first six overs and lay a solid foundation for the rest of the batsmen, including the likes of big hitters in Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson, to follow.
"In the batting, in the first six overs we need to bat better. We are losing a few wickets in the first six overs, so our focus is to bat well in the first six overs. Despite batting so poorly in the first six overs we have managed to post around the 160-run mark in the three matches. So that is an area of concern and we have looked to address the issue.
"Obviously, when you lose a match it is because you play poorly in all the departments, so somewhere we need to focus on how we can do better."
He confirmed that his Australian opener Aaron Finch is ruled out of the tournament with injury, but Harbhajan is fit to play.
However, the franchise is yet to decide on replacements for Finch as well as fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, who pulled out of IPL 8 citing a busy international schedule.
"It depends on what we want. I can’t assure you anything right now because I might change my mind. I might change my batting order again, go up the order, so anything is possible.
"You have to flexible in this format. Nothing has been decided so far as to if we want an opener or a middle order batsman. We will sit back and talk about it. We are playing an important game tomorrow so we will think about the replacement after this game," said Rohit.
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