Rohit stays true to himself to keep the doubts away
Rohit Sharma’s Resilient Return: Staying Positive Pays Off Against CSK
When Mahela Jayawardene and Kieron Pollard strolled onto the field during Mumbai Indians’ (MI) strategic timeout in their chase of 177 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the atmosphere was relaxed. MI was comfortably positioned at 88 for 1 after nine overs. The required run rate was manageable, they had wickets to spare, and a third consecutive win seemed imminent. This positive outlook was reflected in their confident body language and broad smiles.
But those smiles weren’t solely due to the approaching victory. A significant reason was Rohit Sharma finally finding his form.
A Veteran’s Struggle and the Choice to Persist
Consider Rohit, a batter in his 18th IPL season, averaging under 14 at the halfway point, often failing to reach 20, and frequently succumbing to soft dismissals while teammates thrived. The murmurs surrounding Rohit’s performance had grown louder. He himself admitted after the nine-wicket win that the lack of runs made it “very easy to start doubting yourself, start getting worried, and start doing different things”.
As the saying goes, desperate times can lead to desperate measures, and Rohit could have easily taken that path. But he didn’t.
He steadfastly maintained his aggressive approach, aiming to provide his team with quick starts and prevent their run rate from suffering due to a slow recovery. This was evident whether batting first or chasing modest totals against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and CSK. His support staff backed his approach, drawing confidence from his impressive strike rate of over 143 before Sunday, despite the absence of substantial scores.
The High-Risk Approach: Sixes Over Fours
Despite his disappointment with his dismissal against SRH, where he middled a full toss straight to cover, he still managed to score 26 off 15 balls, including three sixes (and no fours). He refused to abandon his high-risk strategy. Against CSK, he initiated his boundary-hitting spree with towering sixes off Jamie Overton and Khaleel Ahmed. Notably, his second six wasn’t an easy one to execute.
Rohit was well aware of his unfavorable track record against Khaleel in the IPL: 28 runs (without a six) off 43 balls before Sunday, with three dismissals. Despite this, he boldly flicked the left-armer’s offcutter onto the stumps, sending it soaring behind square, before capitalizing on a half-volley and some room later in the over for two fours that propelled MI’s scoring rate above 10. By the time Rohit reached his half-century off 33 balls, he had smashed two more sixes, alongside those two fours.
Words of Wisdom: Trusting the Process
“For me, it was important that I keep doing what I am doing, which is practise well, hit the ball well, which is what I’ve been trying to do,” Rohit shared after being named Player of the Match. “And when you back yourself and you’re clear in your mind, things like this can happen. I know it’s been a little while but, like I said, if you start doubting yourself, you’re only going to put pressure on yourself and actually the experience of being here for such a long time helps.”
Mahela Jayawardene added, “Once he comes off like that, you know that he’s going to change the game, the momentum, and that’s going to filter down to the rest of the boys as well. So pretty happy how he never changes [his] approach, that was there from day one even though he was failing.”
Trusting Experience and Positive Reinforcement
Jayawardene and Pollard understood the importance of avoiding lengthy conversations or intense net sessions with Rohit. In fact, Rohit didn’t even practice on Saturday or the day before their SRH match. “You leave them be,” Jayawardene explained about handling experienced players in such situations. And when communication is necessary, it’s crucial to stick to “positive conversations.”
“[You] say that let’s do the match-ups and then see how he gets going and keep the positive intent,” Jayawardene mentioned in the post-game press conference. “He knew what he needs to do and [it’s] just a tiny thing that he gets going and then gets through the first three-four overs… even after starts he had a couple of shots which probably just mistimed a little bit. But that’s how the game goes, so you need to be understanding, and we have played enough cricket to know that as well.”
Jayawardene reiterated, “Once he comes off like that, you know that he’s going to change the game, the momentum, and that’s going to filter down to the rest of the boys as well. So pretty happy how he never changes [his] approach, that was there from day one even though he was failing. So that was good for us that he was trying to play for the team and how we wanted to do it and we just back him to do that.” He also added, “He’s been playing this tempo for a while and that’s something that he understands himself, but at the same time, he will understand the game better in situational awareness as well.”
Situational Awareness and Calculated Aggression
Rohit’s extensive T20 experience enables him to identify opportune moments and bowlers to target, preventing him from getting carried away once he finds his rhythm. For instance, when CSK introduced R Ashwin in the fourth over, Rohit, then on 22 off 10, opted to play out the accurate deliveries for singles. Despite this cautious approach, MI still managed to score 62 in the powerplay without losing a wicket.
“Those are experienced players making those good decisions out there,” Jayawardene commented on Rohit’s approach against Ashwin. “So he’ll still play with that tempo and we’ll be encouraging him to do that. He’s a damn good player, so we wanted to take control of that and then he’s got a couple of other guys who’s going to follow him, who will bat around him as well.”
A Crowd-Pleasing Performance
Soon after joining Rohit in the seventh over, Suryakumar Yadav began attacking the spinners, creating room and sweeping them for boundaries. The enthusiastic Wankhede crowd had already witnessed two local players, Ayush Mhatre and Shivam Dube, smashing six sixes for the opposition, and the combined effort of Rohit and Suryakumar, who hit 11 more sixes, ensured the crowd got their money’s worth.
Rohit would likely concede that his unbeaten 76 off 45 balls wasn’t his most aesthetically pleasing T20 innings. However, with runs back in his account and a healthy strike rate of nearly 155 this IPL season, both he and the MI think tank are confident that all components of their batting lineup are firing on all cylinders, ready to shift gears as the playoffs approach.