Mumbai: After his unbeaten 49-run knock anchored his side to a five-wicket win against Delhi Daredevils (DD) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here, Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman Ambati Rayudu said pressure brings the best out of him.
“Pressure brings the best out of me. I stay a lot calmer when I have a target in mind and I know how to pace an innings. I am happy that I could do it today,” Rayadu was quoted as saying by iplt20.com after Tuesday’s match.
The right-hander remained unbeaten, scoring 49 off 40 balls after coming into bat under trying circumstances with MI struggling at 40/4 at the Wankhede stadium.
“We had lost four wickets and it was necessary at that point to bat till the end and take the game exactly how we planned it,” he said.
Speaking about the partnership with his skipper Rohit Sharma, he said, “There was no discussion as such, we were just trying to bat till the end. It was difficult to plan as such; but if there was a plan, it was to be there at the end.”
Known as someone who uses his long handle to good effect, Rayadu played an uncharacteristic innings curbing his usual flair.
“It comes with experience to be honest. That is what you learn as you grow as a batsman. It is not about hitting fours and sixes; you have to play according to the situation.
“I think once you are a seasoned cricketer you know how to handle situations and I am happy that I could do that today. And it gives me immense happiness to come out on top,” Rayudu expressed happiness at getting the job done.
On planning how they would chase the target down after Rohit got out, Rayudu added, “When it had come down to getting ten runs per over, all we had to do was hit one boundary an over and run the next five balls (for singles).
“It was exactly what we were doing till the 19th over. We wanted to leave around six or seven runs for the last over; we left eight and it was all about one hit in the next few balls.”
Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma said that with four back-to-back victories, the side has got the momentum and is peaking at the right time for the later part of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“We are peaking at the right time. We are not thinking about the table right now as it’s very complicated and very tight. Every team is close to each other,” Rohit said at the post-match press conference.
“What happens at the end of May 17 is important. We are focusing and trying to take each game at a time. It is important we stay in the present and think about the next game.”
Mumbai have suffered a jolt ahead of their next match against Chennai Super Kings on Friday in Chennai as their Sri Lankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga will not travel with the team. Sri Lankan players are barred from playing at the venue.
“We will surely miss him. He has been a crucial member of our team. His absence will be felt. This gives an opportunity to someone else to come and prove,” Rohit said.
