Picture Credit: ICC and IPL/BCCI
When it comes to Indian Premier League, there is no doubt that Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise having won the most number of titles (5). Rohit Sharma has been the architect behind the turnaround of the side which did not win a single trophy in first five seasons of the tournament. While Hitman's captaincy has been phenomenal over the years, his impact with the bat doesn't really do justice to his incredible talent.
Despite all the success that MI have had, it's very strange that their skipper has never been able to breach the 600-run mark in Indian Premier League. The 34-year-old had his best season in 2013 when he amassed 538 runs in the tournament. In the last couple of seasons where MI won the titles, Hitman had quite average returns for his high standards, as he registered only 405 runs and 332 runs in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
I have no reason to probably even defend him: Gambhir
It has been another disappointing season for Rohit this time as he managed only 363 runs across 12 appearances as MI find themselves on the brink of elimination in league stages. Reflecting on Hitman's not-so-great form in IPL over the years, former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir claimed that he is quite puzzled with respect to what has gone wrong for MI skipper in the tournament.
“I don’t understand why he never had that one big IPL season ever. And I have no reason to probably even defend him. He’s a world-class player, I’ve always admired him when he first busted onto the scene in international cricket. I said even then, that he’s the best talent India has ever produced," said Gambhir while speaking to ESPNcricinfo.
Rohit has never crossed 600-run figure in IPL
Former KKR captain went on to say that he has no answers to why Rohit Sharma has never been able to cross the 600-run mark in IPL, something which KL Rahul has now achieved in two back-to-back seasons. Notably, even RCB captain Virat Kohli has crossed the golden figure twice in his career.
Talking about the same, Gambhir added, "It just amazes me that when he wears that MI Jersey, he’s never had a season like what Virat Kohli or KL Rahul had – a 600 run season. And I don’t know why. Someone who’s got so much of the ability to score runs at will doesn’t have that kind of impact in the IPL."
As Mumbai Indians lock horns with SRH in last league game of their season with very little chance of qualifying for playoffs, all eyes will be on Rohit Sharma as the MI skipper will be looking to end the season on a high ahead of the crucial 2021 T20 World Cup.