New DelhiMumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene openly said before the match against the Gujarat Titans on Monday that the decision to use Rohit Sharma as 'Impact Substitute' was not already decided and this was done because the team felt the need of a players who were excellent in fielding with bowling. Therefore, Rohit was being replaced as an impact player in place of playing XI.

He said, “This was not in the beginning of the session. Obviously Ro (Rohit) landed on the field during some matches. If you look at the structure of the team, then most of the players are playing dual role. Some of them are bowlers who are needed for fielding near the boundary. You also need fast running players for fielding. ''

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He further said, “Rohit was marginally injured by the Champions Trophy, so we wanted to make sure that we do not put much pressure on them. We managed to do so. His batting is the most important thing for us. He must have seen that he is always present in the dugout. He goes to the field during the time out and talks to the players. He plays a very active role in the team.

Jayawardene further said, “The opening pair plays a very important role in establishing any team's innings. In the kind of batting lineup we have, we can move in a great way if we get a good start. Rohit has not played much big innings in the last few years but he is batting effectively by giving the team a fast start. “