The IPL trophy was within sniffing distance of Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. As and when he fielded a few questions from the media ahead of the grand IPL finale, Rohit’s eyes would feast on the coveted IPL trophy. This is something that he yearns for, something that is dear to his heart and a goal that his team has tirelessly worked towards for over a month, especially after a torrid start to the tournament.

“This is the biggest thing,” Rohit said referring to the grand occasion - the IPL finale. “At the end of the day you have been waiting for this important day which is to get into the final and win the cup. No matter what you have done in the past, if you don’t win the cup, it doesn’t matter.

All your hardwork will go in vain and we don’t want that.” Elaborating further on Mumbai Indians’ turnaround after a bad start, Rohit said, “We completely agree that we didn’t start off well. But we always believed that there is character in this team and the guys had lots of potential.

It was just a matter of time that we put everything on the field and performed to our best which we saw happening in the second half of the tournament.“As a captain it is important for me to come out and say that it is the one last effort that we need. We are in this position because of the hardwork we have put in over the last month and a half.

We are really determined to come and change the table and try and do our best in tomorrow’s final. I am sure that I don’t need to tell the boys about this, they are experienced enough and they understand the importance of this tournament.”The captain also reiterated the fact that the team was in high spirits, especially after making it to the final at one go.

They defeated the Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium by 25 runs which meant they took a direct flight to the final in Kolkata with close to three days of rest. For Rohit and company, the rest was more than welcome. “I think the break really helps.

It is always good to have breaks, especially after the kind of cricket we have been playing over the past four to five months. You must have seen over the course of the tournament, the breaks have played a huge part. It definitely helps you prepare better.

It is important to get that freshness back. We all want to be relaxed and rejuvenated before the all important game.” The Mumbai Indians after a series of wins and having sealed a final berth now look like having a stable line-up.

Their batsmen are firing on all cylinders and are being backed up well by a potent bowling attack. Lasith Malinga’s exploits with the ball have come to the fore towards the fag end of the tournament and Harbhajan Singh’s crafty off-spinners have added a lot of sting to the Mumbai Indians line-up. Such has been Harbhajan’s good run with the ball that he has been called back to Indian whites.

When asked if the national call-up would serve as a boost for Bhajji himself, Rohit said, “I am sure in the back of his mind all his good performances will be there. Whenever he has played here (Eden Gardens) he has done well. The confidence will be there but it is important that he would like to stay in the present and not carry too much of a baggage of what has happened before.

I am sure he wants to put up a big performance again here against a team like Chennai Super Kings. I am sure he is up for it and ready to go.” Giving Rohit company at the press conference was Suresh Raina who addressed the media on behalf of MS Dhoni.

While Raina stressed on the importance of the toss factor, enjoying each moment of the final and banking on the first six overs for success, Rohit decided to keep it simple when it came to playing at Kolkata - a venue that he believed his side was adept playing at. “All Indian players have played in this ground a lot. So I don’t think it is too much of a difference for us when it comes to adjusting to conditions here.

I understand the foreign players coming from various parts of the world might find it difficult playing here in Kolkata. But then again, they have played on this ground before. We started our campaign at this venue and we played really well here.

Also, the toss shouldn’t really affect your preparation and your mindset, you have to at the end of the day go and perform and get the best out of the team. All we want to focus is how we are going to play and win this cup.”.

Source: http://www.iplt20.com/news/2015/more-news/6943/quick-stats-final-mi-vs-csk