New Delhi, April 4 – Mumbai Indians (MI) veteran opener Rohit Sharma felt his team's score of 162/6 against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi was a decent score despite the slow nature of the pitch. On a two-paced pitch, MI managed to surpass the 160-run mark, with Rohit scoring 35 after captain Suryakumar Yadav scored 51.
"It looks like a pretty slow wicket. You just have to get in and wait for your opportunity, and then try to play some shots because it's not easy. But I thought we managed to get a decent score on the board. Hopefully, we can try to restrict them in the first six overs, try to take some early wickets, and then see how the game progresses."
"That's what it looks like at the moment. As you saw in the first innings, shot-making wasn't easy. We have bowlers who can exploit that, and try to restrict them in the first six overs. If we can do that, then we are in control of the game, and then our spinners and seamers can come into play," said Rohit in a mid-innings chat with the broadcasters.
He also felt that hitting through the line wouldn't work on the slow pitch. "It was a two-paced pitch, even with the new ball; there was something in it. As I said, it was not easy to keep hitting through the line. You have to understand where you want to hit the ball. We also have bowlers who are smart enough to exploit those conditions, and I hope they can do that."
On the DRS moment with Kuldeep Yadav, which Rohit managed to survive, he said, "I know Kuldeep well; he likes to use DRS. So, I was just trying a little bit of luck there. But again, I got out in the next over. I couldn't carry on. I wanted to bat deep, but couldn't do so."
"But, a little fun with the guys out there. No, no, nothing like that. I was just trying to walk there. So, I know Kuldeep, he likes to use DRS as soon as there is a 50-50 chance. So I was just trying my luck there. It turned out in our favour, but as I said, I got out in the next over. Wanted to bat deep, but couldn't do so."