Mumbai Indians will take on defending champions Gujarat Titans in the Qualifier 2 of the 2023 Indian Premier League on Friday night. The side registered a cruising 81-run win in the eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants, with uncapped Indian pacer Akash Madhwal emerging as the hero for MI (5/5 in 3.3 overs). However, there remained a concern for the five-time champions despite the fairly straightforward win – Rohit Sharma’s early dismissal.
The MI captain hasn’t been at his best in the ongoing season and even as Rohit did show signs of a comeback in his quickfire 57-run knock in the side’s do-or-die match against Sunrisers Hyderabad last week, he was dismissed cheaply yet again against LSG. As Rohit attempted to clear the cover, he failed to time the ball to perfection and handed a fairly simple catch to Ayush Badoni at the position; he scored 11 off 10 balls.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag expressed his displeasure at Rohit’s dismissal, insisting that the MI captain is trying to be too aggressive. Sehwag further advised Rohit to be “patient.”
“I’m not happy with his batting. He’s trying to do a lot of things. If you’ve already scored 30 runs in three overs, just why will you try scoring another 20 in the next over itself? If he stands there, he will keep getting loose balls. What he’s doing, is, he’s forcibly trying to hits fours and sixes off good deliveries. He’s stepping out and getting out. If he waits, shows patience, it will reward him,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“The day he scored 57 runs, he wasn’t going after the bowlers. Muralitharan says one thing, whether you’re a batter or bowler, you need to have patience. So, Rohit needs to show some patience. If you’re chasing 200+ score, that’s a different thing. But you’re batting first, give yourself time. So, I’m not really happy with his batting right now,” he further said.
MI’s opponents for Qualifier 2 – Gujarat Titans – will be eyeing at a strong return after a disappointing loss against Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier earlier this week. Both teams have shared the spoils in their previous two clashes in the ongoing season.
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