Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag slammed the Mumbai Indians (MI) batters including Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav after the side’s dismal showing in their recent IPL 2024 match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
In a rain-shortened 16-over match, MI failed to chase down a 158-run target, being reduced to 139/8 despite a scorching start. While Ishan Kishan produced a blistering 40 off just 22 balls, star hitters Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were unable to make an impact.
Rohit, in particular, endured a horrible outing as he struggled with timing and shot-making, making 19 in 24 balls. He was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy in the 8th over. On the other hand, Suryakumar Yadav equally struggled as he made 11 in 14 balls.
It didn’t help the side that skipper Hardik Pandya’s dismal form continued, as he scored only two runs, and MI failed to put up a substantial stand for the rest of their innings.
“You Can’t Have An Ego When You Come Out To Bat” – Virender Sehwag Slams Rohit Sharma And Suryakumar Yadav
Former India opener Virender Sehwag was dissatisfied with how Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav threw up their wickets in the game.
Rohit, in particular, was dismissed after attempting an aggressive shot against Chakravarthy, and Sehwag says the batsman should have shown more respect to the ball and kept his ego off the field.
“Whoever bowls good, just play him out. If two wickets hadn’t fallen, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav could’ve finished the match an over before. Vaibhav Arora, Mitchell Starc, Andre Russell and Harshit Rana had to ball anyway; if they played out the spinners and didn’t lose the wickets, they would’ve won the game,” Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.
“You can’t have an ego when you come out to bat. You play them out or punish the loose deliveries. Naman Dhir came right at the end and smashed two sixes and a four; if Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were set at that time, they would’ve hit 5 balls for boundaries.
You could be Rohit Sharma or Suryakumar Yadav, but at least respect the delivery if you can’t respect the bowler. The ball on which Rohit Sharma got out wasn’t a weak ball. No doubt Rohit and Suryakumar are great players, but that doesn’t mean you should hit the good deliveries, too,” Sehwag said further.
Rohit Sharma had started this IPL 2024 brilliantly, including a century against CSK. However, now Rohit has failed to cross double figures in four of his seven innings. His highest score since the ton was 36 against the Punjab Kings.
Also Read: ‘The Indian Captain Has That Power’ – Michael Clarke On Rohit Sharma Supporting Hardik Pandya