It was 10 November 2020 when Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI) did the unprecedented. They upstaged the Delhi Capitals (DC) to clinch their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Yes, five! By that time, MI’s arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) only had three; and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had two.
That MI team was something else, with many even stating that XI is the best T20 franchise cricket has ever seen. And who was at the helm? Rohit ‘Hitman’ Sharma, who steered MI to five IPL titles, three of which came in a span of just four years. Fast forward to now, and the MI management stripped Rohit of captaincy after the franchise failed to even qualify for the final for three consecutive years. MI were not reckoned with like they were used to.
‘Hardik Pandya’ effect on Rohit
Then came a bombshell. Hardik Pandya, who won 4 IPL titles with MI, returned back to the franchise, but not just as a player but as a ‘leader’. Yes, it was a weird decision by Pandya, who took the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the IPL championship in 2022 and to the finals of 2023 after MI released the premier all-rounder before the 2022 mega auction. Upon arriving, Pandya received an insane amount of jeers and boos everywhere MI went. Rohit Sharma, who was always a fan favourite, got etched in the hearts of everyone furthermore.
Two different versions of Rohit Sharma?
Despite this, why did the MI management pass the captaincy reigns from their most prolific skipper in the first place? Well, there are a few layers to it. You don’t have to dig deep to find out that Rohit’s performance, with the bat, was divided into two genres. One was a fearless ‘pop’ for Team India; the other was a ‘slow jam’ that more often than not turned out for MI.
From 2021 to 2023, Rohit, the batter and the captain, scored just 981 runs at a subpar average and strike rate of 22.8 and 127.1. An average below 23 and a strike rate below 128 in an era where even totals over 220 are not safe—that’s shambolic. The pressure was vividly on Rohit. The team was struggling, and he was not inspiring anything with the willow. Then when he played simply as a batter under Pandya’s captaincy, things changed.
No captaincy, no pressure
Rohit Sharma, who often gives blazing starts in the Blue of India, turned up for the Mumbai franchise as well. A century after 12 long years showcased how lethal he actually is. At IPL 2024, the Hitman mustered 417 runs, his best season after 2016. Moreover, his batting average and strike rate jumped to 32.08 and 150.00, respectively. There was no captaincy pressure, and the result was there for everyone to see.
Now, three months prior to another mega auction, there are many rumours around Rohit Sharma. Whether Mumbai Indians will retain him or not, for how many crores will he go for if he comes in the auction, and will Rohit become a captain of a new franchise?
Well, this article is for his captaincy, so let’s just stick to it. We think Rohit, who has a 55.06 win percentage in IPL, should not lead any franchise from the next edition onwards. Why so? Well, simply keeping in mind his Team India dreams. Despite the IPL being a two-month affair, it takes a huge toll on a franchise captain. You have to win every game, especially if your name is Rohit Sharma. The pressure by team owners, fans, and certainly the bucks you get in these multi-billion deals forces you to always be the best version of yourself.
India should be at forefront for Rohit
Well, at 37 years of age, Rohit still has a lot to give to Indian cricket. While he is already retired from T20Is, Rohit will lead the nation to two ICC campaigns in the next 10 months, i.e., the Champions Trophy and the World Test Championship (WTC) final. And in this day and age, when cricket is played every 12 months, you don’t want to be in front of the barrel all along. Hence, the two months (and three when IPL extends its window) for Rohit should just be about his batting.
Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir—we have seen big Indian players take a backseat and let other skipper an IPL franchise. Then why not Rohit? Essentially, he has been magical with the bat for India, and two skipper, two formats in this country is not a piece of cake. The kind of match fitness and insane batting prowess that Rohit carries—who knows he might even extend his international career till the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa. After all, our new India head coach, Gautam Gambhir, has also wish the same!
Ultimately, it is all about the burnout. Rohit Sharma has been playing non-stop cricket for 17 long years, and the added responsibility of captaincy can lead to a massive burnout. Handing over the captaincy to someone else could help prolong his playing career.
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