‘No matter who you are’ – Ravi Shastri assesses Rohit Sharma’s captaincy amidst MI’s poor run of form in IPL 2023
MI have won 5 of their 10 matches and are currently 5th in the IPL 2023 points table.
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May 8, 2023 5:13 pm
Ravi shastri rohit sharma
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has given his candid assessment of Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma’s performance in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Rohit, the most successful player in the history of the league, has struggled for form this season, averaging just 18.40 in the first 10 matches, with only one half-century to his name.
Reflecting on Rohit’s performance, Shastri noted that as a captain, it is important to perform on the field, as this can have a significant impact on the team’s overall energy and body language. “If you start getting on a purple patch where you are scoring runs, the job as a captain becomes much easier. As opposed to when you are not getting runs, you can go flat – no matter who you are,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo.
Shastri also acknowledged the challenges that Rohit is facing as a captain in the current IPL season. “The resources you had 2-3 years ago, aren’t quite the same, then comes the challenge, how do you get going? How do you motivate that bunch? How do you create a combination? How do you see who is the best in that lot to fit in and deliver at a certain stage of the game? So the challenges as a captain might have doubled for him,” Shastri said.
Once they start getting together, they could be terrific – Shastri
Despite these challenges, Shastri praised Rohit’s captaincy and noted that he has done a brilliant job, given the stage of his career and the current state of the team. “The same team could be a terrific team in a year’s time or two years’ time. Once they start getting together, but to get that right mix, that’s the job of the captain,” Shastri added.
Rohit has scored just 184 runs in the IPL 2023 season so far, with Mumbai Indians occupying the sixth spot on the points table. The team has suffered five defeats in their first 10 matches of the season, and their next match is against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
