Mumbai Indians had a nightmarish start to IPL 2022 losing eight straight games. Such hopeless was the situation that Tim David felt that their season only started once they won their first game of the tournament after a long dry spell.

“Kind of felt like the season didn’t really start for us till we got that first win. Since then, we have played some really good cricket,” batter David said on the eve of the team’s penultimate league game against Sunrisers Hyderabad to be played at the Wankhede on Tuesday.

“We have won three of our last four games and there has been a good feeling in the team,” David added.

Mumbai, however, are still last among the 10 teams competing. David, from Singapore, has contributed in all three wins so far with his lusty hitting at the back-end.

David said that picking Rohit Sharma’s brain has been helpful for him on the personal front as a batsman.

“Obviously, Rohit’s played a lot of cricket, so it is about trying to gain some of his experiences, staying calm, things that work in Indian conditions, and how we want to play as a team together.

“It’s been a good experience to share the dressing room with him and hopefully, it can continue,” said David, who has scored 106 runs from six IPL games.

Six-hitting at the death is a specific skill and David spends hours honing his big-hitting skills.

“I spend a lot of my time in the nets trying to hit sixes. I think it’s about putting pressure on the bowler and recognising the right situations when you can try that in a game.

“There might be different pitches, or grounds that suit power-hitting off particular bowlers. You have got to pick those moments, and also you have got to be aware that it’s not going to come off all the time, and batting in the middle-order can be risky,” reckoned the 26-year-old.

According to David, it was all about going into the games with a clear mind.

“It is all mental. I think it is the same for all batters. You have got to go in with a clear mind. If you don’t, if you are carrying things into the game, you can get a patchy performance. So it is about trying to get into that state where you can try and be as consistent as possible mentally.”

(Written with PTI inputs)