'We Can't Keep Dwelling On It...', Rohit Sharma Wants His Team To Move Forward

image-lfzri6dgRCB thumped MI by eight wickets (IPLT20.com)

Royal Challengers Bangalore began their Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) campaign on an emphatic note by thumping Mumbai Indians by eight wickets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

After the match, Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma reflected on his team's loss and highlighted their struggles with the bat in the first six overs. However, he praised the efforts of Tilak Verma, who helped Mumbai reach a competitive total of 170.

“Didn’t have a great start with the bat in the first six overs. But, it was a really good effort from Tilak and a few other batters,"

The MI captain was also quick to point out that his side didn't execute their bowling plan well and admitted that the pitch was excellent for batting.

“We didn’t execute well with the ball,"

Rohit also urged his team to move on from this loss and focus on the rest of the tournament.

"We can't keep dwelling on it. This is just the first game of the season, and there's a lot to look forward to."

When asked about the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, Rohit said that injuries are not in their control, and the team needs to support the other talented players in their setup. He added that someone needs to put their hand up and step up in the veteran pacer's absence. 

Although this is a different setup, the 35-year-old noted that he has been playing without Bumrah for the last six to eight months, and the other guys in the team are also quite talented.

Earlier in the game, RCB won the toss and elected to field first on a pitch that looked like a batting paradise. Mumbai didn’t make merry of the batting-friendly conditions and lost three wickets within the powerplay and subsequently looked down and out at 48/4 after the fall of Suryakumar Yadav. However, young gun Tilak Verma played a brilliant innings of 84 off 46 balls and almost single-handedly took his team to a respectable total of 170.

In response, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis looked in great touch from the outset and formed a sensational partnership of 148 runs. While du Plessis fell after a well-made 74 off 43 balls, Kohli remained unbeaten on 82 off 49 balls, leading his team to a convincing victory with eight wickets in hand.