In the recent IPL match between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rohit Sharma, the former MI captain and India’s opener, was seen starting from the bench as an Impact Sub. This decision, which was not clarified by Hardik Pandya at the toss, raised several questions.
Rohit Sharma misses out with a mild back stiffness
Piyush Chawla, the veteran leg-spinner for MI, revealed the reason behind this unusual decision in the post-match press conference. According to Chawla, Rohit Sharma had a mild back stiffness. As a precautionary measure, he was rested from his fielding duties.
Playing as an impact sub, Rohit Sharma managed to score just 11 runs in 12 balls in the second innings during their 24-run loss against KKR. This loss has nearly put the five-time champions out of the IPL this year.
“He just had a mild back stiffness so it was just a precautionary thing,” Chawla told the media after the match.
Chawla also reflected on MI’s poor season where they have lost eight matches in 11 games and are all but out of the IPL 2024 playoffs race. He mentioned that the team will continue to fight for pride and its name. He also opined that MI failed to attain momentum during their IPL 2024 campaign and that led to the team’s downfall.
“Sometimes, the form is not with you as a unit, and these things can happen. It hurts as well, but you have to accept that.”
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“For the pride and the reputation, because sometimes when you enter on the field, you don’t think whether you are going to qualify or you are not going to qualify,” he said.
“You have to play for your name and that’s what we are playing for,” he added.
Rohit’s injury issues will be a concern for India who play their first game in the T20 World Cup just after a month. It is expected that the entire Indian team will not fly together and players will go to the USA in phases due to their commitments in the Indian Premier League.
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