For Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, the pressure of beating Chennai Super Kings for the fourth time this season and then clinching the title is not a prospect he is losing any sleep over. He believes in doing the process right, backing the skills and taking the game as a normal affair. The captain wants his side to be good on the day and focus on their own strengths.
"We are not going into the final thinking about our fourth title. That will take care of itself. What they have done won't be a major concern. I would rather focus on my team. The tournament itself is the biggest challenge. I see every team as a threat. You have to be good on that day," Rohit said on the eve of the match.
Hardik has done tremendously well
Mumbai beat CSK in the first qualifier which gave them three days to rest and recuperate but the skipper believes despite their form, there will always be concerns and areas to work and improve upon. He singled out Hardik Pandya as the player to watch out for and was mighty impressed with the performance of the all-rounder.
"We played IPL before the Champions Trophy in 2013 and then went to England where we won. The guys who play IPL before an important tournament, we know they are in great touch with the game. Hardik is the best example. He has done tremendously well," the skipper said.
Workload management has been the buzzword right through the season but it is not bothering the skipper as he puts the onus back on the players and wants them to be smart while assessing their own bodies. He did mention that there was a regular channel for feedback and the trainers were constantly passing on the feedback.
"We assessed every player. It's more an individual thing than what we decide for them. In the case of Jasprit, he likes to play games to ensure he is in good rhythm. If he thought he needed rest, we were open to it. Our trainers monitored. We were also getting feedback from Jasprit. We continued to play them because it's important what they feel rather than us talking about it. And you can see the kind of form they are in," the opening batsman added.
Speaking about the hype around the final, MI skipper said that all the excitement was justified as these were two of the most successful sides in the league. He also claimed that the side is not dwelling too much on the past record and instead wants to focus on the task at hand.
