New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday defended Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Rohit Sharma and ex-Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli as the star cricketers have been put under the scanner by fans and cricket pundits for not being able to score runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Rohit Sharma, under whose leadership Mumbai Indians won the Indian Premier League (IPL) a record five times, had a horrific IPL campaign this year. The senior opener could score just 268 runs in 14 innings at an average of 19.14 with a strike rate of just 120.17. MI finished at the bottom of the points table.
“Everybody is human. There will be mistakes but Rohit’s record as captain is outstanding. Five IPL titles, Asia Cup winner, he has won whatever he has captained, so his record as captain is outstanding. Mistakes will happen because they are all human,” Ganguly said on the sidelines of a promotional event, PTI reported.
Virat Kohli, before scoring his 2nd IPL fifty in RCB’s last match against KKR, has been struggling to score runs. The ex-India captain endured his worst-ever IPL with 236 runs from 13 innings which included three golden ducks.
Backing the duo, Ganguly said: “They are very good players. I’m sure they will be back among runs. They play so much of cricket that at times they go out of form. Kohli played very well in the last game, especially when it was required for RCB.
“That’s why he (Kohli) was so happy that RCB qualified. They are all great players, it’s a matter of time they will be at their best,” Ganguly added.
Sunrisers Hyderabad pacer Umran Malik has been one of the finds of the IPL with his raw pace, clocking consistently over 150 kmph to get a maiden India call-up for the T20 series.
“His future is in hands. If he stays fit and bowls at this pace, I’m sure he will be around for a long time.
“Many have played well in this IPL. Tilak (Varma) has done well for MI. Rahul (Tripathi) for Sunrisers, Tewatia for GT.
“We have seen many emerging fast bowlers like Malik, Mohsin Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan…It’s a place where talent gets exposure.”