IPL 2023: Will giving up Mumbai Indians captaincy help Rohit Sharma find form? Simon Doull feels so
IPL 2023: Giving up MI captaincy will set Rohit Sharma free, feels Simon Doull
Cricketer-turned-commentator New Zealand's Simon Doull feels giving up Mumbai Indians captaincy will set Rohit Sharma free, something he needs as the IPL veteran continues to struggle for runs this season. Rohit Sharma perhaps tried everything - gave himself an extended run, dropped to number three, didn't field in one game and came as an impact player - but nothing seems to work.
Although his team has risen from the ashes following a terrible start this season, and is now on the brink of sealing a playoff berth - what earlier looked like an improbable task, Rohit's fans are aware of his dip in form.
Doull, who had faced the wrath of speaking against two top players' (Virat and Babar) strike rates earlier, has again made a bold comment on Rohit Sharma's future as MI captain.
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Speaking as an expert on Cricbuzz, Doull said Rohit must let go of the captaincy as he's already leading India in two formats.
"I was a big proponent of him [Virat Kohli] giving up the captaincy of RCB, much like I am with Rohit, now that he is the captain of India. I just think this is the tournament where he needs to be free and just play,” Doull said on Cricbuzz, as quoted in India Today.
Rohit must follow Kohli's path - Simon
Explaining further what he meant, Doull said looking at how Kohli benefitted after resigning as a captain, Rohit must follow the same path as he deserves to play freely and score runs.
Meanwhile, former South African captain Faf du Plessis replaced Kohli, and the pair wreaked havoc this season, contributing with more than 800 runs at the top.
"When I talked about Virat and the captaincy, it was like every pressure was on him. Indian captaincy, three formats, RCB captaincy, and just to see that taken away, and it was never going to go to someone who he wasn't going to respect. So there are only two or three players in world cricket that could have gone to Bangalore and been captain,” Doull added
In 13 matches this season, Rohit has scored just 257 runs at an average of 19.77 and a strike rate of 131.12. With MI currently placed fifth on the points table with 14 points from 13 matches, they will only qualify for the playoffs if they win their final league match against SunRisers Hyderabad at home.
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