Anil Kumble wants Rohit Sharma to bat at no. 4: ‘You need that experience in the middle order’
As the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to begin, Rohit Sharma, the most successful skipper in the hory of IPL, a five-time champion with the Mumbai Indians, will want to keep his team’s winning ways going.
Sharma was given the captaincy duties mid season in 2013 when he replaced the legendary Ricky Ponting. From 2008 to 2012, MI only made it to one IPL final, where they lost to the Dhoni-led CSK. But when Sharma took over as captain, he changed the course of the team’s hory leading them to a record-breaking 5 IPL titles from 2013 to 2020.
Ahead of IPL 2023, former India coach Anil Kumble has shared his views on Sharma’s captaincy style over the last 10 years.
“He was not afraid to say what he had to say. He had plenty of experience around him and he reached out to them as well but then but took his own decisions. That’s what you want from a captain,” he said on JioCinema’s Insiders Preview.
Kumble also spoke about Rohit leading a new team in 2017 and said, “2017 was a new team and the kind of captaincy we saw from him in terms of defending low scores, that’s when your true leadership comes out.”
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Kumble then expressed his wish to see Rohit bat at number four saying, “Especially with the current MI team, you need that experience in the middle order. There are some wonderful batters that MI possess, but I think someone like Rohit Sharma in the middle, controlling seven to fifteen overs is extremely critical.”
Meanwhile, Zaheer Khan emphasized the significance of a captain’s role in franchise cricket and said, “The captain’s role is of utmost importance, the way he is thinking and taking decisions in crucial stages in a cool manner and the right decisions, and if it doesn’t go your way, how he is handling the situation.”
“It is a long tournament and every game’s performance can have an impact in the next game. Rohit has the ability and personality to absorb pressure very well. The way he communicates in a cool way, not just with players but also in press conferences, I think that is his biggest strength,” he added.
Former India batter, Aakash Chopra further elaborated Sharma’s effect while batting and said, “When Rohit is batting, he does it beautifully and he’ll keep doing it. He’s doing it for India, for the Mumbai Indians. When he bats, he’s in a different league altogether.”
Rohit Sharma and Co will start their 2023 IPL campaign on April 2 where they’ll square off against the Virat Kohli-led Bangalore.
