Ravi Shastri believe that
Rohit SharmaHis challenges as Mumbai Indians captain have “doubled” in the last two years, leading to poor returns as a team.
“The resources you had two or three years ago are not as much now. The challenges as a captain would have doubled for him. The work as a captain would have been double what it was two years ago when everything It was good, set – go out there and do the job,” Shastri said about Rohit’s captaincy on ESPNcricinfo’s Ravi and Raunak programme.
“And then the challenge comes how do you lead them (the team), how do you motivate that group, how do you create a combination, how do you see who is best able to fit into that team and perform. Well who is the fixed stage of the game.”
This is a period in which they have lost players who formed their backbone in the glory years, there have been retirements and injuries to key players.
With the IPL set to become a ten-team tournament from 2022, along with the arrival of two new teams, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya move to Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants respectively.
Lasith Malinga retired Before that from all formats of the game, in 2021, while
Kieron Pollard also asked for time On his international and IPL career last year. They got Jofra Archer in the mega auction, but he could not play last year due to injury, and is still finding his feet in IPL 2023.
After this Jasprit Bumrah was thrown out In IPL 2023, Mumbai’s plans to field the pace duo together hit a hurdle. They have Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav from the old core in the mix, but the rest of the line-up is new from MI’s point of view.
Rohit is the most successful captain in IPL history, having led MI to five titles – the most in the IPL – in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020. However, they had their worst season last year, when they finished
last time at the table With just four wins in 14 matches. They have also lost their first two games before registering a few wins this season and are currently sitting
sixth at the table,
The decline in results has coincided with the decline in Rohit’s form. he scored
268 runs in IPL 2022 Without a single half-century, with an average of 19.14 and a strike rate of 120.17. Rohit’s due date is 2023
not getting better: In ten innings he has scored 184 runs at an average of 18.39 and strike rate of 126.89. It involves two ducks.
Rohit has been asked to take a step back.
Sunil Gavaskar recently suggested Rohit “needs a bit of a break” and should return refreshed for the final leg of the IPL league stage and the World Test Championship final. Tom Moody, speaking recently on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time:Out, said that Rohit is looking a bit “mentally tired”.
Shastri admitted that his lack of form with the bat has also affected Rohit’s captaincy.
“If you are in a situation where you are scoring runs, the job as a captain becomes a lot easier, the body language on the field changes, the energy on the field is different when you are not scoring runs. .You can be flat no matter who you are,” Shastri said. “Here, as a captain, it is more important that your performances come through. It is tough now because of the stage of his career, the kind of team he has.”
“Once they start gelling together the same team can become a great team in a year or two’s time. But getting the right mix, that’s the captain’s job.”
