‘No hit Sharma’: Sunil Gavaskar, K Srikanth question Rohit Sharma’s place in playing XI after 2 consecutive ducks
Former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kirshnamachari Srikanth questioned his place in MI's playing XI even though he is the skipper.
New Delhi: Mumbai Indians’ captain Rohit Sharma seems to be out of touch in the IPL as he has failed to score big runs this season. After his duck against Chennai Super Kings, there was a discourse on his shot selection and T20 form. Former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kirshnamachari Srikanth questioned his place in MI’s playing XI even though he is the skipper.
It was Rohit’s 16th duck, the most in the tournament’s history. MI lost the game by six wickets after a poor batting performance by the top order and a collapse in the death overs.
Gavaskar said on Star Sports that Rohit does not seem to be in the game. While he acknowledged that his belief may be completely wrong, he said that the shot on which he got out was not a ‘captain’s shot’. Talking about a captain’s responsibility to take the team forward, Gavaskar said that a captain ‘repairs the innings’ and when the team is in trouble, a skipper plays a decent knock and posts a good total.
Criticising the shot, he said that he understands the scoop shot if the batter is in form, and cannot justify it by Rohit Sharma who got a duck in the previous game as well. The veteran cricketer advised Rohit to take a break.
Gavaskar’s formidable opening partner, Kirs Srikanth, slammed Rohit and asked him to change his name to ‘No Hit Sharma’. Making a huge remark, he added that he would have not included him in the playing XI if he was captain of MI.
?MSD comes up to the stumps ?
?Rohit Sharma attempts the lap shot
?@imjadeja takes the catch ?
Watch how @ChennaiIPL plotted the dismissal of the #MI skipper ?? #TATAIPL | #MIvCSK pic.twitter.com/fDq1ywGsy7
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 6, 2023
In 10 IPL games, Rohit has scored 184 runs at an average of 18.40 and a strike rate of 129.58. Initially, he was playing a new role, which he experimented with in international cricket as well, where he scored a few runs but at a great strike rate to give a start to the team. But in the last four games, he has just managed 2,3,0,0. Sharma is known for his big knocks and has scored only a single fifty this season.
In the game against CSK, Tushar Deshpande picked Cameron Green in the second over while Deepak Chahar got Ishan Kishan and Rohit in a single over. The MI skipper tried a scoop as wicketkeeper MS Dhoni came closer to the stumps, however, the ball landed in the hands of Ravindra Jadeja.
Nehal Wadhera scored 64 off 51 to take MI to 139, which was chased comfortably. Maheesh Thikshana picked three wickets while Chahar and Deshpande got two each.