Picture Credit: X/IPL
Mumbai Indians (MI) opener Rohit Sharma was expected to produce an effective knock from his bat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, while chasing a mammoth target of 222. However, the 37-year-old failed again with his bat after hitting 17 off nine. Noting Rohit’s dry run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, formers of the sport aren’t pleased and they have suggested it’s time for the veteran to dominate bowlers and play a solid innings from his bat.
Former West Indies player Ian Bishop, who is a part of IPL 2025 commentary panel, remarked MI need something huge from their former captain not just 15-20 runs in the initial overs of batting innings. “They need more from Rohit Sharma, not just little starts of 12-15 runs at the start,” said Bishop while commentating during the MI versus RCB match.
Rohit’s ineffective performance has disappointed former Team India coach Ravi Shastri as well. His view was similar to Bishop’s as the 62-year-old said, "Ideally, you want consistency. Teams that go a long way usually have the top-order firing. You need a 400-run season from Rohit Sharma. 15s and 20s converted into 40s and 60s."
MI coach Mahela Jayawardene supports Rohit Sharma after failed outings
MI coach Mahela Jayawardene has supported Rohit during his lean patch. The former Sri Lanka cricketer has admitted that his team is lacking discipline in all departments of the game but also showed belief in the right-handed opener. After MI’s defeat against RCB, Mahela said, "I still back the senior pros and all the guys I put out there. They have the skill. It's just that we need to be a bit more ruthless.”
The former Sri Lanka great also added, “At times, we're missing out on those one or two overs where we lose our discipline. So that's with the bat as well as with the ball. That's something that we need to rectify.” MI have won only one game in the competition so far, with the eight-wicket victory against defending Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home.
