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Mumbai Indians (MI) have made a significant decision by removing Rohit Sharma from captaincy, marking the end of an era under his leadership. The franchise have appointed Hardik Pandya as the new skipper, and he will lead the team in IPL 2024. The all-rounder was traded back to MI from Gujarat Titans (GT) for a fee of INR 15 crore, signifying the team’s confidence in his leadership abilities and on-field contributions. Rohit’s poor show with the bat over the past few IPL seasons could have led to this strategic decision.
Rohit Sharma’s T20 form concerns
Despite Rohit’s unquestionable batting prowess, concerns have been raised about his T20 form in recent IPL seasons. The 37-year-old’s last breach of the 400-run mark in the IPL was in 2019, and subsequent seasons witnessed a dip in his performances with run totals of 332, 381, 268, and 332 in the next four seasons. Despite leading India aggressively with the bat in the ODI World Cup 2023 and reaching the final, concerns persist about Rohit’s suitability for T20 cricket.
Also READ: IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar explains the reasons behind Mumbai Indians’ decision to replace Rohit Sharma as a captain
Sanjay Manjrekar raises red flags over Rohit’s T20 batting performance
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressed his views on MI’s batting lineup, emphasizing that Suryakumar Yadav is currently their only dependable batter. Manjrekar raised doubts about the Nagpur-born cricketer’s T20 batting approach and questioned his form and future in the shortest format during commentary stint on Hotstar during 2nd ODI between India and South Africa.
“Ishan Kishan, from couple of seasons before MI paid the big bucks… he is in the same kind of form. Tim David is still trying to fill the shoes of Kieron Pollard. On form, one player that you can maybe depend on, the player who you can expect to come good, is Suryakumar Yadav,” Manjrekar said.
“Rohit Sharma, for me, as a batter, is a question mark in T20 cricket. has shown promise, the way he played in the fifty-over World Cups. But that’s a completely different format, when you know you have fifty overs. They bat in that fashion. Bowlers just bowl differently in 50 overs as well.” the 58-year-old concluded.
