In an interview with CNBC-TV18 after Indian Premier League 2018 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma had expressed an inclination towards leading Kolkata Knight Riders. It all happened during a rapid-fire round where he was asked to name a team which he would want to captain apart from his IPL franchise since 2011.
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Readers must note that Sharma’s response had come in a fun session and that the Indian skipper had (or has) no real intention of making a switch. It is evident to the world that Sharma loves batting at the Eden Gardens. The same was enough a reason for his desire to lead the two-time IPL champions.
“Eden Gardens is my favourite ground and a lot has happened at Eden Gardens for me. So, I would say KKR,” Rohit had answered.
Having led Mumbai since 2013, Sharma finds himself on the cusp of probably playing as a specialist batter for the first time in a decade after the franchise acquired all-rounder Hardik Pandya‘s services during IPL 2024 trading window. Released by MI ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction, the 30-year old player has returned back home post two outstanding seasons with Gujarat Titans as a captain.
With no real clarity as of now, it remains to be seen if Indians will replace one of the most successful captains (only one to lead them to a title victory) in IPL history with someone who has never led them in the past. Having won the IPL five times between 2013-2020, it is to be noted that Mumbai haven’t won a title in the last three years.
Pandya, who appears to be the likeliest of candidates to lead India in the shortest format in the long run if fitness permits, will become the sixth cricketer after VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Ricky Ponting to lead Sharma in the biggest T20 league assuming he gets promoted before the next season of the IPL.
Rohit Sharma Record At The Eden Gardens
There is no hiding to the fact that the iconic Eden Gardens is considered to be a special ground for Rohit Sharma as some of his major achievements have come here.
For starters, Sharma’s Test debut – three years after the originally planned was delayed due to an unfortunate event – had happened in Kolkata 10 years ago. Overall, he has scored 282 runs across four Test innings at an average of 70.50 with the help of a century on debut and a half-century in the subsequent match here.
A year after his Test debut, Sharma successfully managed to convert his maiden ODI in the city into a memorable one. Propelled by a world record 264 (173) against Sri Lanka in that match, the right-handed batter’s overall ODI record in Kolkata looks good, but if observed with some attention, he hasn’t been consistent here on the back of returning individual scores such as 7, 17 and 40 in the following matches.
The same can be said of his six T20I innings at the Eden Gardens as well as his 138 runs have come at an average and strike rate of 23 and 138 respectively. Apart from two impact-generating knocks of 56 (31) and 40 (19) against New Zealand and West Indies in 2021 and 2022 respectively, Rohit has been well below par in the remaining outings.
Speaking of the IPL, Sharma’s first taste of success at this stadium had come in the form of a 60-ball 109* against the Knight Riders in 2012. Interestingly, it remains his one and only IPL century till date. Three years later, he had scored 98* (65) against the hosts here. All in all, his 466 IPL runs here have come at an average and strike rate of 46.60 and 143.38 respectively.
If we just look at the final numbers, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Sharma’s case at the Eden Gardens has been more of hit and miss. It’s just that there has been no stopping him on his days of triumph here.
