Mahela Jayawardene CRITICISED for opposing Rohit Sharma’s tactical move vs DC, ex-MI player urges him to set ‘ego aside’
New Delhi: The Mumbai Indians secured a narrow 12-run victory over the Delhi Capitals in a closely fought IPL 2025 match played in Delhi on Sunday. Despite a strong batting performance by Delhi, spearheaded by Karun Nair, and a seemingly comfortable position needing 61 runs from 7 overs at 145/4, a strategic ball change requested by Mumbai Indians and expertly executed by Rohit Sharma swung the momentum, resulting in Mumbai’s win.
During the 14th over, Rohit Sharma instructed Karn Sharma to request a new ball. This was in response to the effects of dew, leveraging a new IPL rule allowing a ball change after the 10th over of the second innings. The ball change resulted in a quick succession of dismissals.
“A crucial ploy by Rohit Sharma turned a loss into win. DC was running away with the game. Karun Nair was batting brilliantly. Nobody was able to stop him. He was playing like Pushpa, spreading like wildfire. In the 13th over, it seemed like DC would win. But just then Rohit asked the head coach, Mahela Jayawardene, to employ spinners and bring Karn Sharma into the attack. I think Mahela Jayawardene did not agree with Rohit Sharma. If they had gone with what Jayawardene had to say, the Mumbai Indians would have also lost this game. Rohit Sharma was there, he had the best move. He is the captain. He always thinks like a captain. A captain is always the captain, and his tactical acumen helped Mumbai win,” said Harbhajan on his YouTube channel.
“Karn Sharma came into the attack and took three wickets, turning the game’s tide. It was a gold move. This wouldn’t have happened when Tilak Varma retired against Lucknow and Mitchell Santner was sent in if Rohit Sharma had been in the dugout. Mahela Jayawardene made a bad move. Rohit was incredible against Delhi Capitals. Sometimes, the coaches must keep their egos aside and consider how the team can benefit. I hope Rohit Sharma keeps sharing his inputs from the dugout,” Harbhajan added.
Rohit Sharma’s poor IPL form persisted, as he underperformed in Sunday’s match against Delhi Capitals despite favorable playing conditions.
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Rohit Sharma’s recent IPL performance has been underwhelming. Despite scoring 805 runs overall since the start of the 2023 season, his average of 24.39 is the second-lowest among openers, exceeded only by Wriddhiman Saha. His average is particularly low this season, with only 56 runs at an average of 11.20, compared to his 507 runs at 20.28 in previous matches.
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