Picture Credit: Twitter/IPL
Former India cricketer turned commentator Sanjay Manjrekar is known to speak his mind. While his views may not always be well-received, that has never stopped him from going out there and making them public anyways.
In a recent statement, Manjrekar has opined that he felt Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma would leave captaincy ahead of IPL 2022 much like Virat Kohli announced his decision to step down as the leader of Royal Challengers Bangalore last season.
He further said that Kieron Pollard could have taken over as the new Mumbai Indians captain.
"I feel Pollard still adds value. [Before the season] I even felt Rohit Sharma might leave captaincy like Virat Kohli, relax a bit, play as a pure batter and hand the responsibility to Pollard who is a brilliant international captain," Manjrekar told ESPNCricinfo.
"Pollard still has the capability, I can see that from the sixes he hits. He’ll contribute in the pressure match, the crunch game. But they need to reach there first and that’s not on Pollard, it never has been. He’s never contributed throughout the season for Mumbai Indians. He plays one innings in a pressure game and sees the team through. Others need to work better because Pollard is doing his usual job," he added.
Manjrekar's comment comes as Rohit has been struggling for runs in IPL for the last few years. Not only has his average dipped below 30 in recent years but even his strike rate hasn't been as earth-shattering as one has come to expect of The Hitman.
Having said that, there is no doubt about Rohit's credibility as a leader, at least for the Mumbai Indians, a team he has led to a record five IPL titles. This is Rohit's first season in the IPL after taking over as India's full-time captain and he would want to lead from the front at a time when his team looks down and out, having lost each of the four matches so far.