Plenty of learning has come from Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Mahela Jayawardene for Tim David as the all-rounder is trying to fill the big shoes at the five-time champions.
Both Rohit and Jayawardene are widely acknowledged as among the best thinkers of the game, and their advice to David has been more about the finer aspects, such as in-game tactics and maximizing David's own skill-sets.
"He has been a fun captain," David said of Rohit ahead of the eve of Mumbai Indians' match against Kolkata Knight Riders. "I've only played two games with him, so just getting used to playing with him. Getting used to playing with lots of guys on the team, we'll find our feet and start playing better as a team as the tournament goes on. But it's been good fun so far. (The advice) has been just about how to be able to find my skills best in the game and to help the team."
"Mahela has been good. Again the same, just about preparing to play in Indian conditions. Learning that comes up in the IPL with different players, and how my skills can be best suited to play in games," he added.
In Kieron Pollard, Tim David has got someone who has been there, done it all, and been mightily successful at it for more than a decade.
"I think Polly's played over ten years in the IPL, so there's a lot of experience there," David said while talking about Pollard on the eve of Mumbai Indians' match against Kolkata Knight Riders.
"I think that happens over time naturally. You can't just get all of it like, on a notebook straightaway. It just happens with different questions here or there, different situations, different experiences at training, and trying to run some ideas past him. Just get little bits here and there and hopefully, I can gain some of those experiences from him, and maybe some that I can try and use in a game or that I can add to my game that can be successful," he added.
Some of the little bits David has picked up are to do with tackling Indian pitches. With his imposing height, long reach, and incredible power, David has found T20 success across a variety of conditions and tournaments, but the IPL is the cream of the lot.
"Our first two games were on different grounds, so each ground has different characteristics of the pitch. Having no experience playing there before, it's something to get used to," David explained and added: "But like I said, there's no time in the IPL to take three or four games to try and get into the tournament. It's been a good experience so far. I've learned from the games so far and I'm sure all the guys have. I'm looking forward to having some good performances coming up."
Next up for Mumbai Indians are Kolkata Knight Riders at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
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