Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra showered praise on Rohit Sharma after the Mumbai Indians registered a six-wicket win against the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday. Chasing 221 runs for the win, Rohit scored 78 runs off just 38 balls with the help of six fours and as many sixes.
Rohit added 148 runs with Ryan Rickleton for the opening alliance to give a perfect start to the team. Rohit and Rickelton added 80 runs in the Powerplay overs to put MI in front.
Rohit was given a life as Ramandeep Singh failed to judge the catch while running back. Chopra questioned why Rohit retired from Test cricket, as he has been in fine form.
“Sharma ji, you have not gone anywhere. Ryan Rickelton should also be spoken about, but Rohit Sharma should be spoken about first because that’s the biggest story of this match. In fact, the biggest story of this weekend is that Rohit and Kohli haven’t gone anywhere yet. If anything, they have returned as upgraded versions. There was a three-month break and everyone was questioning whether they could hit the ground running,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“They said they will do it and show. You feel why they went. They could have continued playing. You have become so fit and lean, and you are no longer the impact player as well. Why did you say goodbye to Tests? You could have continued playing Tests. Leaving T20Is is still understandable. These three-month breaks are not the ideal things to do,” he added.
Chopra showered praise on Rohit Sharma for his impressive strokeplay against KKR. Rohit timed the ball to perfection and looked in control throughout his knock.
“How well Rohit batted. He hit sixes with finesse, clarity, and ease. Virat Kohli hit Eshan Malinga for a straight six. Similarly, Rohit Sharma hit Kartik Tyagi for a six over cover. It’s just that you have the technique and have decided that you want to be liberated now. They have batted terrifically. They have rewound the clock,” he said.
The renowned commentator also praised Ryan Rickelton, who scored a match-winning knock of 81 runs off just 43 balls.
“Ryan Rickelton, let’s talk about him. There was a question whether Quinton de Kock would play. It seemed like Quinton de Kock was giving a fitness test before the match. So he was probably unfit, but now he won’t play even if he gets fit because Ryan Rickelton has batted like that. He was outstanding,” Chopra observed.
Mumbai Indians will next take on Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on Saturday.
