Having anticipated Akash Madhwal’s capabilities following the absence of the formidable pace bowler Jofra Archer, Rohit Sharma made a shrewd decision in incorporating him into Mumbai Indians’ (MI) star-studded roster. Madhwal’s successful replacement of the injured English pacer proved instrumental in guiding the five-time champions to the Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. Demonstrating his gratitude towards Rohit’s trust during the IPL 2023 playoffs, the right-arm paceman delivered an outstanding performance, achieving remarkable figures of 5/5, ultimately leading Mumbai to a remarkable victory over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the Eliminator at the Chepauk.
Rohit Sharma, widely regarded as the most accomplished captain in IPL history, has the opportunity to orchestrate an exhilarating showdown against their long-standing rivals, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), by guiding Mumbai Indians (MI) to victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2 on Friday. With both Rohit and MS Dhoni, two of the most illustrious captains in the cash-rich league, having secured a combined total of nine IPL trophies, this clash promises to be a captivating encounter between two legendary leaders.
Sunil Gavaskar on Rohit Sharma
Dhoni has earned immense acclaim for his strategic acumen. The former captain of the Indian cricket team is frequently hailed as the finest leader the nation has witnessed in the sport. Acknowledging the significance of Dhoni, renowned batting icon Sunil Gavaskar made an intriguing comment about Rohit Sharma’s captaincy in anticipation of the clash between Gujarat Titans (GT) and Mumbai Indians (MI). In an interview with India Today following MI’s triumph over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gavaskar candidly expressed his belief that Rohit continues to be undervalued as a captain.
“Of course, he is underrated. The man has won five titles for Mumbai Indians. Let me give you an example. Maddhwal got Ayush Badoni, bowling over the wicket. He then went round the wicket to the left-hander Nicholas Pooran. Not a lot of bowlers necessarily do that because if they get their rhythm going bowling over the wicket, they will stick to over the wicket even it’s a left-hander. They will try to the ball away from the left-hander. But he went around the wicket and produced an absolute gem of a delivery and got the man out,” Gavaskar said.
“If that had been CSK and Dhoni was the captain. Everybody would have said ‘Dhoni plotted Nicholas Pooran’s dismissal. This is what happens to a great extent. There is also a little bit of hype, things sometimes work out,” Gavaskar added.
According to Gavaskar, it is important to acknowledge Rohit’s contribution in guiding Madhwal, who matched Anil Kumble’s remarkable achievement by dismantling the Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator at Chepauk. Gavaskar specifically stated, “What I am saying is Rohit Sharma did not get the credit for telling Madhwal to bowl around the wicket.”
In addition, Gavaskar pointed out Rohit’s astute choice of utilizing Nehal Wadhera as an Impact Player during the initial innings, despite having the option to opt for an additional bowler while defending.
“The captaincy situation as well. Remember, Nehal Wadhera was used as an impact player batting first. Teams generally don’t use batters as Impact Player when they are batting first. But Rohit used Nehwal when MI were batting first against LSG. So please give him credit for that as well,” he further added.
