“Rohit Sharma Should Take a Break”: Sunil Gavaskar Suggests Time Off for Mumbai Indians Captain

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma expressed disappointment at failing to chase down a run-chase in excess of 200 runs for the second time in a row during the ongoing 16th season of the Indian Premier League.

Sharma, who believes that his team has the firepower to chase down such targets, rued not batting deeper especially with dew making its presence felt at the Narendra Modi Stadium tonight. MI, who eventually lost to Gujarat Titans by 55 runs, were reduced to 6/90 in 13 overs needing over 100 runs in the presence limited resources in the last seven overs.

Additionally, Indians haven’t been helped by lacklustre performances from their bowlers in consecutive matches. Sharma put it on lack of “execution” when asked about leaking so many runs in the death overs this season.

Sunil Gavaskar Suggests Time Off for Rohit Sharma

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, meanwhile, has suggested Sharma to “take a break” from the sport for a short while. Not mincing his words, Gavaskar’s suggestion sounded more like a cause of concern for someone who looks to be an exhausted captain and an out-of-form batter (181 runs at an average and strike rate of 25.86 and 135.07 respectively) at this point in time.

“Rohit Sharma should take a break for the time being to remain fresh for [ICC] World Test Championship final. Probably come back for the last 3-4 matches at the back end [of the season]. I believe he needs a break,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports Network.

Sharma, who has led Mumbai to a record five IPL titles in the past, currently sees his team at the seventh position on IPL 2023 points table. With the first half of this season resulting in two defeats on either side of three wins for them, the franchise will have to improve significantly in order to qualify for playoffs.

Who will lead Mumbai Indians in Rohit Sharma’s absence?

Assuming that Sharma accepts Gavaskar’s advice with a World Test Championship final to be played less than a couple of weeks after the conclusion of IPL 2023, vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav will lead MI in his absence. The same happened when Sharma had played as an Impact Player against Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this month.