Expectations of people don't bother me: Rohit Sharma

Mumbai: Rohit Sharma knows a thing or two about winning IPL trophies and having been there and done that on five occasions for Mumbai Indians, public expectation is the last thing to make him wary. The most successful captain in the history of IPL with five championships, Sharma knows that Mumbai Indians as one of the title contenders comes enters any tourney with a baggage of hype and hoopla.

And that's what a protective skipper wants to shield the youngsters in his side from as one can easily get overawed by the sense of occasion. "Expectations will always be there whenever we go out to play, not just in the IPL. Having played for so many years it does not bother me and I am not worried about what the people are expecting me to do," Sharma said at the season opening media conference organised by MI.

"We know that we have to do our best and win the trophy. To keep thinking about it all the time is to put pressure on yourself," the skipper said. Dewald Brevis, Tilak Verma will all be playing their second season but for young Cameron Green with a multi-million dollar deal, IPL will be a different beast altogether. "I don't want to put too much pressure on them (youngsters) right now. Closer to our first game, we will give them specific roles.

Obviously leading up that first game, guys pretty much know what we are expecting from them," Sharma explained. "But the last thing I will do is put too much pressure on them, especially the guys who have not played IPL before and there are a few," the skipper assured to put his protective arm around the junior members of the contingent.

The one tip that MI skipper always offers to the new players in the set-up is to think of the platform as an extension of domestic cricket and do exactly what got them success over there. "I will try to tell them to replicate what they did in first-class or club cricket. I know the IPL is a different ball game but I tell them to bring that mindset. At the end of the day, the battle is between bat and ball," he added. Sharma said while his side will miss JaspritBumrah but to compensate for his absence, MI will have Jofra Archer ready to unleash his 145 plus thunderbolts.

Mumbai Indians are also expected to announce a replacement for Bumrah, the captain confirmed. "It will be a big miss but it is an opportunity for someone else. There are a couple of guys who have been with this team for the last two years and they are very much ready to step up. Hopefully we will blood a few youngsters," Sharma said. "Jofra (Archer) was part of the team last year, but he was injured. Obviously we all know the quality of Jofra. It is sad we will miss Bumrah this year, we do understand how big his (JaspritBumrah's) shoes are to fill, but there is an opportunity that is up for grabs, to fill that place. "A lot of young players will get an opportunity and this is a platform for them to come out and express themselves," he said.