Rohit Sharma had a forgettable IPL 2022 where he failed to score a half-century across 14 matches for his franchise Mumbai Indians which he also captains. The opener scored 268 runs in 14 innings at `19.14 with a best score of 48.
MI also had a season to forget as they finished 10th in the 10-team competition as they for the first time in their history ended with the wooden spoon. Questions were raised behind Rohit’s poor return and criticism followed when he was also rested from the five-match T20I series at home.
Critics argue that the struggling Rohit should have been part of the matches so that he can try and get back into a rhythm because there’s no other way that he can return to form.
Batting legend Kapil Dev agrees and says that no matter the stature, a player will be questioned after a prolonged slump in form.
“It’s hard to know today who has been rested or asked to be rested. Only selectors will know about this,” Kapil said on UnCut.
He continued, “The player (Rohit) is brilliant, no question about that. But if you don’t score a fifty in 14 matches, questions will be raised, be it Gary Sobers, Don Bradman, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar or Viv Richards. Only Rohit can answer that what’s happening. Is it too much (cricket) or has he stopped enjoying it?”
“Players like Rohit and Virat (Kohli) should enjoy the game. How they feel is very important (for their performances).”
Virat has also looked a pale shadow of his old self for some time now. His last century in any form of cricket came way back in November 2019.
“You have to score runs (to get back in form). You cannot go too far based on reputation alone. Eventually, the opportunities will get dried up. How many chances would you need after 14 games? Can’t understand why they’re rested. If dropped, where they will get a chance to play then? It’s quite difficult to see how they play now,” Kapil said.
Kapil said the problem seems to be with the mindset of the duo and they need to ask themselves what’s troubling them and it will be hard to keep the critics quiet if they don’t score runs.
“What I feel is that these players need to correct their thinking. I would be happy if they prove me wrong. If you aren’t scoring runs, then there’s a problem somewhere. Either there’s too much cricket or too less. We only see one thing – how you perform. If performance has dropped, then hard to stop people from talking. It’s not possible. You performance and bat should speak. Rest doesn’t matter,” he said.
Calling Kohli a ‘hero’, Kapil said the former India captain needs to address his game mentally. “He’s like a hero to us. We used to think if there would come a player who we can compare to Rahul Dravid, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. We never thought like that. Then he (Kohli) emerged onto the scene. Now, the comparison is gone (for the past two years). He will have to address his cricket mentally.,” the former India allrounder said.
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