Mahela Jayawardene feels MI still have things to achieve

Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lankan batsman and current coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians (MI) must be a happy man at the moment with his team sitting comfortably at the top of the table. His team has given him all he could have wished for. But sitting comfortably at the top of the table, Jayawardene feels that there is still a long way to go in this tournament.

They might have qualified for the playoffs but Mahela feels there are areas where they want to work before taking the field in the all-important part of the tournament. He also talked about the pressure, expectation and how that can be used in a positive way.

“There certainly are things we want to achieve and the pressure of expectations is there. This pressure, however, is healthy. Pressure can be taken positively and if the processes and structures are in place, then the ups and downs will be better handled,” he said speaking exclusively to The Telegraph.

Regarding their last game against Kings XI Punjab

In their last game, Kings XI Punjab posted a mammoth total of 230 runs on the scoreboard. In reply, Mumbai Indians ‘almost’ chased it down, falling short by just 7 runs.

“It’s not often that totals of over 200 would get chased down. Kings XI Punjab posted 230 and that gave our guys the freedom to chase it down… We were there for 90 per cent of the match, but lost it towards the end. It turned out to be a brilliant exhibition of cricket and, while the result didn’t go our way, there are times when you just have to sit back and admire a really good game,” Mahela said.

“Of course, the match was played on a beautiful wicket. Often, the Wankhede does see such surfaces. It’s not that all wickets everywhere are like the one at the Wankhede. Different surfaces throw up different challenges. That, too, at different times.” he added.

On Saturday’s match against KKR

Mumbai plays their last match of the initial phase of the tournament against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan is expected to be in the Clubhouse during the match. Fans are enthralled to witness this mega-match, as they are buying tickets by paying four times their original value. KKR are a good side, who have won two IPL’s till now and are looking forward to becoming the first team to win three. But so are Mumbai.

On the match against KKR, Mahela said, “I do realise that beating a good team would be challenging. Obviously, KKR have been among the most consistent of teams in recent years. They’ve been able to retain the core group of their players, which has been beneficial.”

MI has been KKR’s nemesis. They have beaten them in 14 of the 19 encounters, including the one this year when KKR travelled to the Wankhede. Poor fielding let the away team down in that match. But Gautam Gambhir and co. would be fuming for a revenge, as the thousands of spectators adorning Eden Gardens on Saturday evening will be in for a spectacular game.