Former India opener Virender Sehwag on Monday made a subtle remark about Rohit Sharma's struggles during the powerplay while on commentary during Mumbai Indians' (MI) final league match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
The match held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday, saw Sharma once again battling for rhythm early in the innings.
The comment came in response to fellow commentator Aakash Chopra noting that Sharma had not faced many deliveries in the opening overs.
Sehwag quipped that perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, suggesting that Rohit often gets dismissed early when he sees too much of the strike in the first six overs.
"It's good. This way, he would still be at the crease after the powerplay. Otherwise, the more balls he faces in the powerplay, the more chances are there of him getting out," Sehwag remarked.
Sharma managed just 24 runs off 21 deliveries at a strike rate of 114.29 before falling to left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar in the 10th over. Attempting a lofted shot, he failed to connect cleanly and was caught by Nehal Wadhera at long-on.
PBKS chased down the 185-run target with ease, winning by seven wickets in 18.3 overs. The victory secured their place in Qualifier 1 and confirmed a top-two finish in the points table.
Meanwhile, MI finishing fourth, will now face the high-stakes route of the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 in their bid to reach the IPL 2025 final.
The 38-year-old's form against left-arm bowlers has been a persistent issue this season. Out of his 13 innings in IPL 2025, he has fallen to left-arm bowlers five times, four of those dismissals coming against pacers.
Despite a scratchy campaign, Sharma has accumulated 329 runs at a healthy strike rate of 147.53, including three half-centuries.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ