Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has backed Rohit Sharma to deliver the goods for Mumbai Indians as a batter in the upcoming season of the IPL 2024. Rohit will not have the captaincy pressure on his shoulders in the upcoming season as Hardik Pandya has been given the captaincy reins.
Rohit hasn’t been at his best with the bat in the last few seasons and it will be crucial for him to fire at all cylinders in the upcoming season. The Indian captain recently scored 400 runs in five Test matches against England at an average of 44.44 and he will to look to carry the good form in the IPL.
Meanwhile, Rohit scored 332 runs in 16 matches in the previous season of the IPL at an average of 20.75 and a strike rate of 132.80 and thus he would want to come up with a better performance.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “Rohit Sharma – he has had just one 500-run season. This is that season where you can score 500-600 runs and destroy everyone. Try to play once without the pressures of captaincy.”
The renowned commentator observed that captaincy pressure might be bogging down Rohit Sharma as a batter.
“The captaincy pressure from a long time might just be bogging him down. It happens at times that you have so much responsibility, you don’t enjoy yourself and your game. This is your opportunity,” Chopra observed.
In 243 IPL matches, Rohit has amassed 6211 runs at a strike rate of 130.02. On the other hand, the former KKR batter believes it will be a huge tournament for Ishan Kishan after he was excluded from BCCI’s central contract list.
“It’s a huge tournament for Ishan Kishan because he has fallen out slightly from the Indian scheme of things. He doesn’t have a central contract at the moment. So this is what he has been waiting for. Score a lot of runs, that Dubai season, where he hit the most sixes,” he explained.
“He will come back in the T20 World Cup scheme of things if he has a season like that. Although he might still not be selected because of the number he is going to bat at, Ishan Kishan needs to come back into your consciousness. So a fantastic season is absolutely imperative for him,” the former India opener added.
Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2024 campaign against Gujarat Titans at their home ground of Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on March 24.
