Mumbai India's Ramandeep Singh is quite excited about playing against Punjab Kings in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match in his hometown. And what will make the day better for him will be helping Mumbai Indians win the match riding on his performance.
Fresh off a thrilling win at home in the last match, Mumbai Indians are in a very happy space, especially after making the 1000th IPL match an unforgettable affair.
Ahead of their match against Punjab Kings in Mohali, local boy Ramandeep Singh said he is excited to be playing an IPL match for the first time in his hometown.
"The team atmosphere is very good. Everybody is very happy. The last match was a very special one and we won, so feeling really good about it, " Ramandeep said.
The last match saw Mumbai Indians chase a 200+ total successfully for the first time in history at the Wankhede Stadium. Ramandeep said that more and more 200+ scores this season were a result of better batting depth in most squads.
"Because of the Impact Player rule, 200 has now become very common as every team has an extra batter and batting depth. It is not necessarily that the bowlers are bowling badly. We chased 200+ in the last match against RR, who have one of the best bowling lineups. So, it is not right to judge bowling lineups."
Ramandeep has enjoyed the experience of working with various legends in the MI setup. "As a cricketer, you have to improve yourself, no matter what. I'm trying to improve and working on that.
"Considering the number of legends in our team, even if I learn one thing from each of them, I can go a long way."
Ramandeep also spoke about his special rapport with batting coach Kieron Pollard and the advice he has received from Sachin Tendulkar during the team's practice sessions.
"Polly is my go-to guy whenever I'm in trouble or whenever I'm trying something out in my batting. I try talking to him. He's such a confident person. He tells me to back myself and be in a confident space. Sachin sir also tells me that I shouldn't worry about playing or not playing but just be in a good zone so that I'm ready whenever the opportunity arises, " he added.
Ramandeep, who plays for Punjab on the domestic circuit and hails from Chandigarh, has been a valued source of advice for the team ahead of their away match against the Kings. He had also been at the receiving end of some friendly banter.
"There is a lot of excitement. I started my cricket from here in the Under-14s. Everybody in the team knows that this is my home ground, so they've been poking me about it. But I'm very excited and looking forward to the match."
Ramandeep also said that MI's focus as a team has never been on individual milestones and every player is always asked to put the team first, with captain Rohit Sharma leading the way.
Mumbai Indians will face the Punjab Kings in Mohali on Wednesday.