IPL 2023: Tom Moody backs MI captain Rohit Sharma amid poor form concern, says he brings a lot to table

Mumbai Indians might have returned to winning matches in IPL 2023, but concerns around Rohit Sharma’s form grow with each passing game. Though the MI captain has led a turnaround for his side following a shallow start to this season, his series of single-digit scores are not helping the cause at the of the order.

While chasing 215 against Punjab Kings in an away clash on Wednesday, Rohit departed on a three-ball duck. In his previous three outings, he got out on 2,3 and 0, respectively.

Though Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav compensated with incredible power hitting that helped MI chase down another 200-plus run-chase this season, the former Aussie all-rounder Tom Moody feels there is not much to look into Rohit’s form as he brings more to the table than just runs.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

ALSO READ:IPL 2023: Windies Johnson Charles replaces Litton Das in KKR squad for remainder of season

Speaking after the match, Moody said ahead of the Punjab game, even Ishan Kishan was under the radar for not scoring, and now since he has, he ticked that box, and it’s about time before Rohit will get back to scoring heaps of runs.

"It is a concern, but I suppose from Mumbai Indians' point of view, Ishan Kishan, that was another concern leading into this game (PBKS vs MI). Both openers have been short of runs. That’s ticked off, he looks like he is up and running and flying," Moody told the broadcaster, as quoted by India Today.

Backing the veteran batter to come good in games to come, Moody said with players like Rohit, you have to be patient because they offer much more for the side than just runs. Citing the example of the great MS Dhoni, Tom said while MS is also not among runs this season, having faced relatively few balls – the fact that he is there in the batting order boosts CSK's confidence, and when he comes to bat, he leaves his impact on just those 2-3 balls. The same is the case with Rohit.

"The next one is Rohit Sharma. When you have batting depth of quality, that MI have, you can be patient with someone like Rohit Sharma because of the value that he brings to the table as captain. You look at the value that MS Dhoni has had for CSK. He has only had a couple of impacts with the bat , and that’s purely because he is sitting back in the batting order.

"There is more to Rohit Sharma than the batsman. It’s the leader, it’s the calm and successful mind. He is a multiple championship-winning captain," Moody added.

Meanwhile, against PBKS, MI conceded 215 runs, and during the chase, they were left with a mountain to climb after losing Rohit and Cameron Green inside the Powerplay. However, a 116-run stand for the third wicket between Ishan (75) and Surya (66), ensured MI stay alive in the chase.

The final touches were then given by the lower batters Tilak Verma and Tim David as Mumbai chased down the target with six wickets in hand.