Former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim isn’t really happy with Mumbai Indians’ (MI) captain Rohit Sharma’s performance with the bat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the past few seasons.
Rohit managed 332 runs last season while 405, 286, and 333 runs in 2019, 2018, and 2017 seasons of the IPL respectively. This season, the right-hander has amassed 250 runs in 7 games in the IPL 2021 before the tournament was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
He admitted that the MI is winning IPL trophies under Rohit’s captaincy, but pointed out that the experienced cricketer’s most important role in the team is as a batsman and he must improve his batting, as he hopes for better performance in the second half of the IPL 14 in the UAE.
Speaking during an interview on YouTube channel Khelneeti, Saba Karim said of Rohit: “There's a need for improvement in his batting. He's the captain and the Mumbai Indians are winning trophies under him, that's a different thing. They have a lot of match-winners so his performances don't get much attention.”
He added, “His most important role in the team is as a batsman... This is a peculiar case. Every time he goes to the IPL he's in brilliant form in international cricket but fails to convert it during the IPL.”
Karim has also mentioned that the players often feel the weight of captaincy and it affects their batting but insisted that it is very important for a captain to have that clarity when he goes out to bat.
He further explained, “I sometimes feel that a player gets consumed too much into captaincy and it's possible his focus wavers from batting...If you are a batsman-captain, your first role is to make runs with the bat. Captaincy gets better with the confidence from batting which has happened in Rohit Sharma's case as well. However, when you have been captaining for a long time, the focus, preparation, and temperament you need to have there get disturbed.”
He signed off by saying, “You tend to think more as a captain on batting and bowling strategies... It's very important for a captain to have that clarity when he goes out to bat. I expect to see that change in his batting this time, hopefully, it's not against Delhi Capitals though.”
