India spinner Harbhajan Singh has been with Mumbai Indians since the start of the Indian Premier League. However, on Saturday, Harbhajan will take to the field at Wankhede Stadium in the first IPL match of the season donning the Chennai Super Kings jersey.
With Mumbai Indians, the spinner has won the title three times. He picked up 127 wickets in 136 matches and was one of the most experienced players of the squad. However, he was not retained or bought back in the auction in January. With Rohit Sharma as captain, the team persisted with the core of Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya and West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard.
However, in an interview with Mumbai Indians, Sharma said that he will miss the services of the Punjab spinner.
“Of course, we are going to miss Harbhajan Singh. The experience he brought to this team was immense,” Sharma said. “To fill his shoes will require a lot of work for anyone who comes in. So, I am sure all these young guys are waiting for that opportunity to wear the MI colours and go out on the field and create (the magic) what we have created in the past.”
Their bowling department has a completely new look with the likes of Pat Cummins, Mustafizur Rahman and India’s under-19 spinner Anukul Roy.
With Lasith Malinga as their bowling mentor, Sharma said that he backed his new bowling unit to get the job done.
“I think it’s a versatile attack. We’ve got pace, we’ve got spin, and we’ve got variation. Like I said, I am excited about this squad, especially the bowling unit. These are very talented players. Pat Cummins, who is now playing for the Australian Test team in South Africa, has done really well for his country. He has very good pace. Mustafizur Rahman, as we have seen in the recent past, has got great variations. He is someone who can be very unpredictable at times, and that’s what we want to be as a team. Mustafizur brings that unpredictability quotient to the table,” said Sharma.
As for the goals for the new season, Sharma said the key was to gel with the new players coming into the franchise and focusing on doing things right in the short-term.
“I don’t set personal goals, as such. But, yes, there are some things I want to do for the team. And that’s with respect to whichever team I play for,” said Sharma.
“On top of that list is achieving success with whichever team I play. That is the most important thing. Setting long-term goals is not ideal. Having short-term goals is good. And that is where my focus is. The short-term goal is very clear. It’s very simple: to lift the IPL trophy again.”
